Sign Trends and Technology – FASTSIGNS® is Keeping Up With the Times

CARROLLTON, TX - “The times they are ‘a-changin’.” This is especially true in the sign and graphics world. Technology is constantly evolving and new products are being introduced to the market. Competition is always on the rise and sign buyers want their projects faster, and of course, priced less than before. As each year passes, there are advances to increase production speed, produce a more life-like and realistic product representation and provide a variety of opportunities to sign buyers.

Signs in general have evolved from ordinary to extraordinary. The basic banner has changed thanks in part to infinite color combinations, distinctive typestyles and the use of colorful digital photographic images. It’s commonplace to see a vehicles on the road “wrapped” in bright advertisements. When you walk into retail outlets, signs cover the ground, the aisles and even the ceiling. Everywhere you look, signs are there, and the means to produce them, along with the ideas on how to make them better, are constantly changing.

According to Larry Lane, president of FASTSIGNS International, Inc., a sign and graphics franchisor with over 500 locations worldwide, “For many people, ordering a sign can be a daunting experience. With the new technologies and services offered, we make the process simple for the buyer, recognizing that sign buying is just one of the many facets of their daily lives. We deliver a quality product that can be very beneficial to the client’s business by helping them communicate their message to buyers, while promoting their image.” What are some of the latest and greatest innovations that are already making an impact?

Bringing it online … Product and Service Variety

Because of the technology that FASTSIGNS utilizes, almost everything associated with the sign making process can now take place under one roof. With a fully wired network of computers, laminators and state-of-the-art printers, signs that used to take weeks to make and thousands of dollars to produce, can now be done within days, and at a much lower cost. In addition, photos, drawings or simple sketches can evolve on to just about any media, in any size.

FASTSIGNS has made it easy to work directly with sign buyers online, making the process faster and more accessible for the customers who might not be able, or need to make the in-person order. Request for quotes, shared catalog programs for clients who repeatedly order the same or similar signs, the ability to send large graphic files via the internet, file acceptance and conversion, and the convenience of reviewing sign proofs straight from their desktop … these are just some of the options that can be done with ease from the home or office with the same, dependable results as an in-center visit.

Big and Bold … Digital Printing & Wide Format Graphics

Digital printing is an everyday occurrence at FASTSIGNS centers. The technology of solvent and UV based digital printers provides customers with a much greater range of choices in sign design and production. Using full color graphics on a sign creates the highest awareness of all sign categories, according to a 3M™ marketing study on visual merchandising. When color is combined with the use of a photograph in advertising, the impact is even more powerful.

With the development of new digital printers over the last few years, sign centers can apply colorful graphics and photographs to virtually any kind of sign project, from banners and trade show exhibits to vehicle graphics and point-of-purchase signage—for use inside a building or out.

Technological advances are in every aspect of the sign and graphics industry. However the most important factor of the sign buying experience is still good old- fashioned customer service. “Our customers still want one on one consultative advice regarding their signs,” says Lane. “We want to make sure that whether in person, or via the web, we are servicing our clients in every way possible and that we stay on top of the trends and emerging technology that will impact business – both our customers as well as our own.”

About FASTSIGNS®
FASTSIGNS® sign and graphics centers use innovation and technology to make the sign buying process simple by offering consulting, design, production, file transfer, delivery, installation for a full range of custom sign and graphic products, including wide format banners and POP, site signs, exhibit graphics, window and vehicle graphics, decals and labels, safety and identification signage and floor graphics for interior and exterior use. For more information, visit www.fastsigns.com.