Neon Name Signs – Your Name in LED Lights – Buyers Advice & Tips

Neon signs, once a dazzling marker of bars and nighttime entertainment, have now pushed their way into a new spotlight: decor.

We’ve seen growing enthusiasm for these radiant adornments – imagine your name in neon lights mounted on a wall or at your event.

A custom neon name sign is loud, vibrant, and energetic – it definitely isn’t shy. It adds color, personality, and pizzazz.

Neon name signs are perfectly safe for indoor use – they make no noise, produce very little heat, and don’t use gases or harmful components. These factors make our neon signs perfect for home, wedding, or event decor.

What is a Custom Neon Name Sign?

A neon name sign is a neon sign with a name lit up using LED neon flex (a malleable tube of LED lights) mounted to a solid acrylic backboard. This is sometimes called a neon light name sign, LED name sign, or something between these two names.

A custom neon name sign is a name sign with a name (or word) written on it. The name could be a surname for the wedding couple, a child’s name, or the name of something. Name can mean any of these things and probably a lot more—the idea of customized signs is that they can suit the design you want.

Types of Neon Name Signs

• Bedroom: To signify the space “belongs” to someone, e.g., “Michael’s Room” or “Emma’s Space.”
• Wedding: Typically, this would be the married couple’s surname.
• Couples: This could be two first names, e.g., “Tom and Lucy” or “Austin & Olivia.”
• Kids/Child’s Room: This could be their first name or that of a famous character they admire.
• Famous People: The signature or name of a famous person, e.g., Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, MLK, George Washington, or Henry Ford.
• Family Name: To use in home decor, e.g., “Welcome to the Smith House.”
• Business: Maybe the owner’s name with the business logo.
• Special Events: For a birthday, bat mitzvah or bar mitzvah.
• Man Cave: Maybe an NBA, NFL, or MLB star signature in LED neon flex.
• Dorm Room: A nickname, a skill, or a person of admiration.

Examples of Neon Name Light Signs

Factors to Consider Before Buying a Custom Name Sign

Customized neon signs can be made to suit most designs or ideas. Before buying a name neon sign, we recommend customers consider the following factors:

• Spelling: Spell the name right. Spell-check it. Ensure the spelling and grammar are 100% correct. It happens, but a mistake here is fatal.
• Personalization: Printing a design to the backboard or customizing the font style are all options to make it personal and unique.

• Color Coordination: With approximately 40 vibrant neon colors at your disposal, you can either match the neon sign with the room’s current palette or select a contrasting color. Choosing the color of the LED neon lights and the backboard color.
• Size and Scale: Balance is key in choosing the right size for your name neon sign. We recommend measuring the wall or space where the sign will be mounted or hung. A typical range for correctly sizing the neon sign can be from close to full width, at 3/4 of the width, to 1/4 the width of the wall. The neon sign will look well placed if you aim to be within this range. If the sign is smaller than this, it will look out of place.  If it is bigger than this, it might not work either.
• Functionality: Do you want extra features, like color-changing, flashing, or programmable functions? These are all extra features that are worthy of consideration.
• Readability: Choose a font that is legible and stands out. Doing this will ensure the words and names on the sign are clear from any corner of the room.
• Layering Decor Elements: Pair the neon sign with other lighting elements to create light layers in the room. For example, a child’s room might contain a bookshelf with lighted photo frames, or a wedding might also contain feature lamps on tables, a love heart photo wall, and a name-led sign.
• Safety: In the past, this would have been a big consideration, but with technological advancements and the use of LED neon name signs, this presents very little issue in 2024. It would only be an issue if buying a traditional gas-lit neon sign.
• Energy-efficient: In modern times, with the price of electricity and the desire to reduce our carbon footprint, the use of highly efficient LED lights means we use 1/6th the amount of energy compared to old neon signs, far fewer components, and LED lights last much longer. All of this adds up to cost savings while being eco-friendly.
• Mounting: It’s important to consider how the sign will be mounted or hung. This factors into the design of the sign, as mounting to a wall requires pre-drilled holes to be cut in the backboard in certain locations. If the sign is intended to be hung, then holes at the top are required. Both can easily be accounted for during design but cannot be retrospectively added to the backboard once it is cut.

If you still have questions or want to get your own, our professional designers tailor personalized neon signs to match our customers’ requirements.

Video of a Dynamic Name Sign

Where to Position and Install a Light Up Name Sign

The two main install locations for a custom light-up name sign are mounted to a wall or hung from a ceiling. Fortunately, both are super easy to do and require little training and only a screwdriver.

Wall Mount

• Before drilling or mounting the sign, hold it up in the location you like. Does it look right and seem well-placed? Get third-party opinions on this.
• The wall background should ideally be painted in a solid color that contrasts with the neon sign for maximum visibility. Avoid overly vibrant wallpapers that could clash with the neon’s brilliance.
• Confirm that the wall surface is strong enough to support the sign. For optimal adherence, we recommend cleaning and smoothing the area where the neon sign will hang.
• If your neon name sign comes with specific mounting hardware, have it ready for installation.
• If you plan on mounting it to a wall, you will have pre-drilled holes in the sign. Hold the sign up to the wall, and while holding the sign level, mark the wall behind with a pencil.
• Once the wall is marked, the mounting pins can be screwed to the wall.
• Once the mounting pins are secured to the wall, the sign can then be mounted to the tops of the pins and screwed into place.
• Place the wire to the power outlet and turn the sign on.

Hanging

• Locate the spot on the ceiling where you have planned to hang the sign.
• Measure the distance between the hanging holes on the sign and mark them out on the ceiling (note: you do not need to be as precise with alignment or spacing as with wall mounting).
• Screw the mounting brackets to the ceiling points you have marked.
• Mount the chains or wire to the sign.
• Ensuring you have the sign facing the correct way, carefully hold the sign by the tops of the chains and slide the hook at the top of the chains into the ceiling mounting brackets.
• Position the power cord, and hide as best you can.
• Plug the power cord into the outlet and turn your sign on.

All of our LED neon light signs come with an installation kit that includes the mounting option of your choice, a power adapter, and a remote control – everything you need to be up and running in minutes.

If you have a different idea about the installation location, please talk with our professional designers—we can help find a solution.

Maintenance and Care of Custom Neon Lights

Keeping the sign clean is straightforward. Here are some practical and proven tips to help keep your sign working properly for its long life.

Here’s how to preserve the brilliance of your name sign:

Regular Maintenance Routine:

• Routine Rest: Give your name sign a break by turning it off for a full 24 hours every two weeks. This brief respite revitalizes the sign’s components and can significantly extend its life.
• Consistent Cleanliness: Regular cleaning is vital for maintaining the glow.
  • Use a soft, dry cloth or a feather duster to brush away dust accumulation gently.
  • Address stubborn stains with a clean, slightly damp cloth. Avoid using wet or abrasive materials, which can harm the neon tubing.
  • Always disconnect your neon sign before embarking on your cleaning quest to prevent the risk of electric shock.

Conclusion

In summary, neon name signs have emerged as a brilliant blend of style and sentimentality, casting a radiant glow that reflects the uniqueness of the person whose name is on the sign.

Neon By Design® proudly stands at the intersection of lighting innovation and contemporary design. We take great joy in knowing that our colorful creations will shine bright for years. Here are some more examples.

If you’re interested in buying your very own neon name sign, please use this page to contact our team for a free, no-obligation quote and design.