You probably aren’t thinking about snowbanks in August – and we don’t blame you. But if the sign outside your business has seen better days, now is a much better time to do something about it than January.
If your business is faded, cracked, leaning, peeling, or simply looking a little tired, late summer is the perfect time to handle it than after the ground freezes and the snow starts piling up, and working outside becomes miserable or even impossible.
Maine weather is tough on just about everything outdoors, and business signage is no exception. Sun, rain, wind, ice, snow, temperature swings, and years of exposure can all take a toll. Sometimes the deterioration happens so gradually that you barely notice it – until you really stop and look.
Have you stopped to take a long look at your business sign lately? Your customers are looking.
When you see the same sign every day, it’s easy to stop noticing the little things. So take a few minutes today to look at it the way someone visiting your business for the first time would.
Is the paint still bright and clean? Are the letters easy to read? Is anything cracked, warped, rusted, loose, or damaged? Are the posts and mounting hardware in good condition? Has landscaping grown up around it and made it harder to see from the road? Overall, are you proud of the way your sign is representing your business?
Sometimes a sign just needs a little attention. Other times, the wear is telling you that it is time for something new.
Weather isn’t the only reason a sign can start to feel outdated.
Sometimes our businesses grow, and we forget about our signs. Maybe your services have changed. Perhaps you’ve updated your logo or branding. If the sign out front has never caught up with your business changes over the years, it might be time for an update.
Your exterior sign is often one of the first things people see when they arrive at your business. Your sign should be pulling new people into your business as well. You want it to represent the business you are today.
That doesn’t necessarily mean throwing everything out and starting over. Depending on the condition of the existing sign, there may be opportunities to refresh, repair, repaint, or replace certain elements. Alternatively, we can also create a new sign that keeps the character people already recognize.
There’s also a very practical reason to think about exterior signage before winter: working outside gets considerably more complicated once cold weather arrives.
Frozen ground, snowbanks, ice, shorter daylight hours, and unpredictable weather can make installation and repair more difficult. If your sign needs new posts, structural work, mounting, or other exterior improvements, it makes sense to address those things while conditions are still favorable.
Planning ahead also gives you more time to think about what you actually want instead of making a rushed decision because your sign has suddenly become damaged or unusable.
A business sign in Maine needs to do more than look good on the day it is installed. It needs to hold up.
Materials, construction, installation, finishes, and placement all matter when a sign is going to spend year after year outside in Maine conditions. A well-made sign should complement your business, while also being built with its environment in mind.
That’s one of the advantages of working with a local sign company like Sebago Signworks – we understand exactly what our weather can dish out so we know how to build signs that can take it!
We’re not suggesting you start preparing for winter before you’ve finished enjoying summer. Just take a look at your sign the next time you pull into your business.
If it’s starting to look a little shabby, in need of repairs, is becoming difficult to read, or simply doesn’t represent your business as well as it once did, now is a good time to start the conversation.
At Sebago Signworks, we design and build custom signs for Maine businesses with attention to both how they look and how they’ll hold up over time. If your sign could use some attention before another Maine winter rolls in, please give us a call!
