How to Brief a Sign Company — Getting the Best Results from Your Manchester Signage Project
One of the most common reasons signage projects go over budget, take longer than expected, or don’t quite hit the mark is a lack of clear briefing at the start. After years of working with Manchester businesses of all sizes, we’ve identified exactly what information makes the difference between a smooth project and a frustrating one. Here’s how to brief us — or any sign company — to get the best results.
1. Know What You’re Trying to Achieve
Before you contact us, spend five minutes thinking about the purpose of your new signage. Are you trying to increase footfall past a shop front? Improve brand consistency across a vehicle fleet? Create a safer environment with better wayfinding? Drive more phone calls from people driving past?
The clearer you are about the commercial or operational outcome you’re trying to achieve, the better we can advise on the right type of signage, material, and placement. “I want a sign” tells us very little — “I want passing drivers on the A56 to be able to read my business name and phone number at 30mph” tells us everything we need to get started.
2. Provide Your Brand Assets
The most useful thing you can give us is your logo in a vector format (AI, EPS, or SVG files are ideal; high-resolution PDF is also acceptable). If you only have a low-resolution JPEG or PNG, tell us — we may be able to redraw it, but it adds time and potentially cost.
Also provide your brand colour codes if you know them (Pantone, CMYK, or RAL references). If you don’t have them, we can use your existing materials to match as closely as possible, but exact colour matching from a business card or website screenshot is never guaranteed without a colour reference.
3. Share Your Measurements
For fascia and wall signs, measure the available space (width × height) and let us know about any obstructions — drainpipes, windows, vents, or architectural features that might affect placement. Photographs are invaluable — take a straight-on shot of the sign location with something in the frame for scale (a person, a door, a ruler).
For vehicle graphics, let us know the make, model, and year of the vehicle. We have template files for most commercial vehicles that allow us to design accurately without the vehicle being present — but we’ll always do a physical survey before fitting.
4. Set a Realistic Budget
We understand if you don’t know the budget — that’s often why people get quotes. But if you do have a budget in mind, tell us. It’s not embarrassing and it’s not a negotiating tactic — it simply allows us to recommend the right approach. A £500 budget for a shop sign leads to very different solutions than a £5,000 budget, and we’d rather give you the best option for your budget than quote for something we know is out of range.
5. Be Clear About Timescales
Tell us your deadline and why it exists. “I need it by Friday” is useful — “I need it by Friday because we open on Saturday and this is our main shop sign” is even more useful, because it allows us to understand the consequence of a delay and prioritise accordingly. Rush jobs can almost always be accommodated for standard products, but they may attract a premium for production and installation.
Ready to Start Your Project?
📞 07737 902 425
📧 hello@webprintsigns.co.uk
📍 116 Bury New Road, Manchester M8 8EB
🕐 Mon–Fri 8:30am–6:00pm