Issue 1 - January 2005

The value and types of signs for chiropractors
By Jeffrey Gibbens, Parker Sign Design

1985 — A good sign properly scaled and placed on a business location can have a mind-boggling impact on the success of that business.

I’ll tell you a story about the sign that gained my interest and fascination years ago:

The Canadian Government needed a piece of private property for street purposes. In Canada, the government must pay the commercial value to the user of the business that is located on the property. This piece of property had a service station on it. The government land people and the owner did not agree on the value of the property, based on the volume of business it did.

I determined that the station should pump between 40,000 and 60,000 gallons per day. The owner showed that he actually pumped more than 100,000 gallons per day. Customer interviews determined that the station was pulling traffic from an elevated freeway 200 feet from the property because of a high-rise sign.

The government paid twice what the property would normally be worth.

Signage cannot improve every location that dramatically, but you should fully exploit the value of your location through the proper use of signage.

Signs serve different purposes. They can:

1. Identify your business.
2. Build your image. Color, wording, letter style, the arrangement of the copy area and the actual form the sign build an image.
3. Give information and direction.
4. Improve your site characteristics.
5. Enhance your building.

TYPES OF SIGNS

You can choose from among a wide variety of sign structures. Each type of sign serves a different range of communication needs.

• Freestanding signs. The freestanding sign, also called a “pole” or “ground” sign, is located on the premises of the business it advertises but is not actually attached to the building itself.

• A ‘high-rise’ freestanding sign. This is supported by a very tall pole or poles and can be seen from a great distance.

• The roof sign. This is erected on or above the roofline of a building and is wholly or partially supported by the building. Like the freestanding sign, it is aimed primarily at the motoring public.

• The wall sign. It is affixed parallel to the exterior wall of a building and projects less than 18 inches from the building. It can be constructed as either a box-type sign with the wording attached to the sign face or it can be formed of individual letters mounted directly onto the wall.

• A projecting sign. This is one that projects from a structure or building face. It is usually double-faced and at a right angle to the building itself. This allows it to be seen by traffic headed in either direction on a street.

• ‘Low-profile’ freestanding sign. These are built rather close to the ground and offer a somewhat more subdued impression. Also called “monument” signs, they can be used in communities that discourage taller freestanding signs.

• Information and directional signs. These indicate entrance, exit, parking, etc. They may be painted on the pavement.

My surveys confirm that about 15 percent of all new patients come to a chiropractic clinic because of the chiropractor’s sign. A working sign must be attractive and highly visible in both daylight and nighttime hours. A tattered sign signals an unprofessional atmosphere.

Signs are commercial commun-ication and a form of advertising. Signs can improve any inherent site weaknesses and should ideally be a part of the initial planning and design of your clinic. Finally, signs are an inexpensive means of embellishing an ordinary building or of renovating an older building.