In today’s competitive market, storefront visibility is crucial for attracting customers and creating a memorable brand identity. Light box signs have emerged as an ideal solution, offering around-the-clock visibility that draws the eye to your brick-and-mortar shop front. These illuminated signs are highly visible both day and night, enhancing the elegance of the façade of any business, whether it’s a bustling restaurant, a chic retail store, or a professional office space.
We’ll guide you through the advantages, commercial design process, professional installation guide, and best practices for maintenance.
By the end of this post, you will have a deeper understanding of light box signs.
- At its simplest form, a light box sign is a box with a clear or semi-transparent front and a printed design on it. Inside the box is a light source.
- Modern light box signs are mostly made with folded metal shaped into a box (or shape), with an LED light strip as a light source and an acrylic front panel printed with a brand or logo.
- A light box sign typically costs between $2000 and $4000, depending on its size and complexity of design.
- Modern light boxes usually have a lifespan of around 35,000 to 70,000 light hours, or 15-20 years of life in typical usage.
Benefits of LED Light Box Signs for Businesses
As a business owner, you always look for ways to enhance your brand’s visibility and presence. Brick-and-mortar signage, like a lightbox, is one way to gain more presence on your shopping strip.
Here are some of the advantages:
- Customization: can be fully custom-designed to encapsulate your brand – custom sizes, shape and design
- Sturdy construction: Made from fabricated steel and acrylic, an LED lightbox is more durable.
- Brand establishment: with a landmark on your street
- Low ROI: with 24/7 advertising of your brand to the local community (even when closed), it is excellent value for money
- Vibrant signage: which draws the eye, day or night
- Standing out: stand out on the street and be easily located by potential customers
- Advertising: Lit-up advertising creates curiosity and familiarity among passersby, serving as a perpetual reminder of your brand
- All weather: Easy to see in poor weather conditions
- Energy Efficiency: The LED light is known for its energy-saving properties, consuming 75%-80% less energy compared to a 60-watt incandescent bulb, making it high-performance
- Longevity: With a lifespan of around 35,000 to 60,000 hours, LED lights outshine their counterparts, making them a cost-effective and low-maintenance choice
- Even Illumination: Unlike fluorescent lighting options, LED lights provide a consistent and even light across the sign face, enhancing visibility and impact
- Environmental Aspects: LEDs are not only cheaper to run but also more environmentally friendly
- Updating: The contents can be effortlessly changed or updated for certain types of signs without the need for a completely new sign.
Example Lightbox Signs
Are Lightbox Signs also Backlit Signs?
Yes, essentially, the two are the same. Light box signs are a category, and a backlit sign is a single type within that category. It’s important to clarify that before we proceed to the next section.
Types of Light Box Signs
Let’s take a closer look at the types:
Backlit Light Boxes
- A backlit sign utilizes a panel of LED bulbs positioned directly behind the graphic.
- They are ideal for outdoor displays and high-impact advertisements due to their brightness.
- Perfect for businesses seeking to make a bold statement, day or night.
Edge Lit Light Boxes
- Feature LED lights are installed along the edges of an acrylic panel or fabric sheet holding the graphic.
- Offer a cost-effective solution with fewer LEDs required without compromising on visibility.
- Suited for indoor environments where subtle yet effective lighting is desired.
- The lights on the sign’s edge can over-power the front panel design, as it’s around the design and not directly illuminating from behind. The design may seem dim in the middle.
Fabric SEG Light Boxes
- Employ graphics on a fabric panel or print them onto a film substrate used as the front panel.
- The fabric is taut and minimizes the fabric’s frame effect or bulging/sagging.
- Provide a modern and sleek appearance with a thin profile.
Snap Frame Light Boxes
- It is designed with a frame that opens and closes effortlessly.
- Allow for quick and easy graphic changes, making them ideal for businesses with frequent advertising updates.
- A practical choice for venues that need to switch visuals regularly, such as theaters.
In addition to these types, businesses can opt for a custom lightbox, such as:
- Light Up Signs: Grab attention with vibrant illumination.
- Push Through Signs: Create a 3D effect with raised letters.
- Marquee Signs: Offer a classic, retro vibe.
- Halo-Lit Signs: Provide a sophisticated glow around letters.
- Pylon Signs: Stand tall for high visibility from a distance.
- Channel Letters: Offer individual lighting for each letter, enhancing clarity.
- Reverse Channel Letters: They cast a subtle halo effect on the mounting surface. Each illumination technique, be it front-lit, back-lit, or edge-lit, crafts a unique visual effect suitable for different applications.
Box Shape Options
Lightboxes are not limited to traditional rectangles. They can be constructed in unique shapes, circles, stars, oblongs, rectangles, squares, ovals, or any particular design that suits them. There are also options for single – or double-sided boxes, which deliver increased visibility.
Designing Effective LED Light Box Signs
In designing an effective LED light box sign, here are some key considerations:
- Strategic Placement: Place the light box sign in areas with high foot traffic, ensuring it’s unobstructed and visible from various angles. If your store has a regular shopfront, place the sign perpendicular to the shop so it can be viewed up/down the street.
- Size and Legibility: Designing the right size of a lightbox sign comes down to placement height, design, and budget. It’s important to size the sign based on its height and the design, and all for a selected budget. Sizing matters for the simple reason of making sure the sign is legible at a good distance – maybe 30′ minimum – design with this in mind.
- Lighting and Color: Use warm and inviting colors that fit in with the company brand and design. We recommend using energy-efficient LED lighting, as it lasts longer and shines brightest.
- High-Quality Graphics: Ensure the use of high-quality UV-printing on the front plate, whether acrylic or fabric.
- Simplicity in Message: If you’re not using your company logo, then keep the design simple and clear, avoiding jargon or language that some might not understand (like abbreviations).
- Brand Consistency: Keep the design, colors, fonts, and proportionate sizing consistent with your company brand. It’s a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal, but it should be done right – it should enhance your storefront, not overwhelm it, and definitely not underwhelm it.
Installation
The decision on where to place your new sign should have occurred before you completed the design. It should be the first thing considered, so we’re going to jump straight into installation. Needless to say, anyone can install the sign, but a qualified electrician should be contracted to connect electricity to it.
Outdoor Lightboxes: Front-Facing Installation
For outdoor lightbox signs that face the front, the installation process includes several key steps:
Frame Preparation:
- Unscrew the side screws to remove the front cover of the aluminum frame.
- Power Cable and Mounting:
- Drill a hole in the backplate for the power cable.
- Align the backplate to the desired location and drill mounting holes through it into the wall.
- Securing the Sign:
- Use dowels and screws to mount the PVC backplate firmly to the wall.
- Electrical Installation:
- Finishing Touches:
- Reattach the front cover by securing the side screws back into place.
Indoor Lightboxes: Front-Facing Installation
Indoor lightbox signs are typically easier to install with the following steps:
Marking and Drilling:
- Mark the wall according to the hanging holes on the back of the lightbox.
- Drill holes in the wall, insert dowels, and screw in, leaving a portion extended for hanging.
- Hanging the Lightbox:
- Align the keyholes in the back of the lightbox with the screws and hang the product.
- Power Connection:
- Connect the power cable to the lightbox and plug it into the socket.
Projecting Signs: Double-Sided LightBoxes
Double-sided lightboxes, or projecting signs, require a slightly different approach:
Mounting Points:
- Mark the wall according to the positions of the mounting brackets.
- Mounting the Sign:
- Drill holes at the marked spots and secure the lightbox using the mounting brackets, screws, and dowels.
- Electrical Safety:
- Connect the power cable to an existing power outlet.
- Ensure a qualified electrician oversees the electrical installation for safety.
Maintenance and Upkeep
Before cleaning, turn the sign off and wait 20-30 minutes. Here’s how to keep your lightbox signage in top condition:
Routine Cleaning and Care:
- Frequency: Weekly or fortnightly cleaning is recommended to maintain the sign’s visual appeal.
- Dusting and Wiping: Gently wipe the surface with a soft cloth dampened with clean water. For more stubborn dirt, a mild detergent is safe to use.
- No Stains: After cleaning, ensure no water stains are left behind, as they can cause washed-out spots. For metallic parts like base fixing screws, apply lubricating oil to prevent rusting.
- Inspection and Repair: When cleaning, inspect visually for signs of wear, cracks, and color fading. If there are any signs of these, talk with our team about how best to tackle the problem.
Conclusion
Neon By Design commits to helping companies improve foot traffic and sales performance at their brick-and-mortar locations with effective advertising. Talk with our team about how to help with a lightbox sign display.
FAQs
What factors should I consider when selecting a lightbox sign?
- When selecting a lightbox sign, consider four things. 1. What material and color is the LED light box itself? 2. The size of the sign? 3. The positioning of the sign at your business; 4. The LED lighting and color of the lights, 5. The design and UV-printing of the design onto the front plate.
How does a lightbox sign operate?
- A lightbox sign operates by using a container that emits light, with a translucent material placed over it that displays text and graphics. When the bright LED lights in the display container are turned on, the sign lights up.
What are the components of a lightbox sign?
- Lightbox signs consist of illuminated boxes or containers, often called cabinets. These are covered with a thin layer of material such as vinyl, acrylic, or plastic that bears text, graphics, and other pertinent information. The content is backlit, making it stand out.
How can I use a lightbox sign for my business?
- In a retail brick-and-mortar business, a lightbox sign is a highly effective tool for advertising your store’s location outside. For decor inside the store, a lightbox sign can showcase and highlight many sections of your store. They can also be compact, lightweight, and portable, making them suitable for market stalls, pop-up shops, and the like.
How much money do light box signs cost?
- Typically, a lightbox sign will cost between $500 and $3000, but the price can vary greatly based on the size, complexity, and design specifications. We handle the design, sizing, and creation of the sign, including UV printing, box making, LED lighting inside the box, power supply, and all necessary mounting attachments.
What is a lightbox sign?
- Light box signs (also sometimes called backlit signs) are constructed with a metal box, which is usually shaped in a circle, square, or rectangle, which is commonly 3-5″ deep, with a light source inside the box, and has an acrylic or perspex printed facia on the box which the light can shine through, and illuminates the design from behind. The design printed onto the light box face is usually a logo of the business outside where the sign is mounted. In years gone past, the light inside the box would have been regular fluorescent lights. Still, with modern lighting technology, the light source inside the box is usually an array of bright LED lights or LED neon flex, providing a much stronger and longer-lasting light.
How do you install a lightbox sign?
- A light box sign is usually installed by professional sign makers. It is usually mounted externally to a business and used as shop frontage to highlight the business’s name, brand logo, or design. We try to mount our light box signs about 12 to 15′ off the ground and close to the front door of the brick-and-mortar business.
What do you use a light box sign for?
- Retailers use light box signs to signify a business at a particular brick-and-mortar location. Usually positioned above the entrance, the lightbox sign is perpendicular to the shop frontage, showing passersby what the shop sells before they pass the front door.
What material is used for lightbox signage?
- The box is often made from fabricated steel, has an LED light source inside, and the front plate is usually acrylic printed with an image or company logo.
What is the difference between a backlit sign and a lightbox sign?
- There is no difference between a backlit sign and a lightbox sign. Both have a box and a light source behind a printed plate.
