Category: Channel Letters

Outdoor signs are important for advertising your company. Businesses view simply being noticed by potential clients as a win. One of the most popular and efficient outdoor business signs in the market is channel letters. These placards are frequently placed on storefronts to draw in both new and returning customers.

If you’re not sure what kind of custom channel letters to choose, at Michigan Custom Signs, we will assist you in making the best choice for your business. In this article, we’ve summarized everything you need to know about this outdoor signage.

What Are Channel Letters?

Many businesses have these signs as part of their exterior signage. They are composed of a graphic element with a unique structure and large, mounted letters that have a striking, three-dimensional appearance. They can be made of steel, aluminum, or acrylic, which usually means that they are durable and reasonably priced.

Whether illuminated or not, channel letters are striking thanks to their bold lettering. LED lighting fixtures mounted to the back of the letters allow for their internal or external illumination.

The Basic Types of Channel Letters

The misconception that all channel letter signs are the same is one that many business owners have, but there are actually several choices available. Custom channel letter signs come in a variety of options and designs depending on your brand’s preference.

1. Front-Lit: The most common kind is this one. The faces of each channel letter are illuminated by LED bulbs or neon lights. This choice offers a great deal of customization because of the materials used.
2. Halo-Lit: Halo-Lit is the best option for sign projects that call for a distinctive and one-of-a-kind appearance or brand image. Channel letters with halo lighting are illuminated from behind the letter. They don’t have faces, though, and each letter is surrounded by a light halo.
3. Front/Back-Lit: This kind of signage combines channel letters that are front-lit with halo lighting. The end result appears quite posh. For instance, this choice really stands out if you are considering a sign with a red illuminated face and a white halo effect.
4. Open Face: Aluminum makes up the sides and back of the pen-lit channel letters. These signs are typically lit by neon rather than LEDs. The sign face is also either devoid of a sign face or transparent to allow the exposed neon light inside to shine through.

Installation Options

When buying, you choose the kind of mount you require for your channel letter signage. There are three main ways to mount channel letters: flush mount, raceway mount, and backer mount.

Flush mount: This is the most common mount. It gets its name from the fact that the letters are mounted directly to the building’s face. With this option, the power source and electrical wiring are housed behind the bulkhead wall. Standoff spacers provide separation from the surface for back-lit letters.

Raceway mount: Raceways are containers that hold the electrical components (wires, power supply, etc.) for the individual letters neatly and safely. Raceways are also often painted to match the color of the sign band or storefront. This method ensures that it fits in with the brand guidelines and the surrounding architecture.

Backer mount: This type of mount is more commonly used for illuminated channel letters. The channel letters are attached through a pre-made opening in the building’s frontage or mounted atop the backer board in this option. The electrical hardware and power supply are either housed in the backer cabinet or are located behind the facade or bulkhead wall.

How Much Do Channel Letter Signs Cost?

For any type of signage, there are several factors to be considered like the size of your channel letters, its type, the kind of material you want to use, whether your sign will be illuminated or not, how will your sign be installed, and maintenance costs. Each of these factors should be considered when you are making a budget plan.

The Best Channel Letter Signs Makers Near You

When looking for the best sign shop in Michigan, there is one name to trust: Michigan Custom Signs. We are dedicated to guiding you through the entire design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of a sign that best represents your brand.

In and around Michigan, we provide high-quality, custom channel letter signage at reasonable prices. Call us today at 248-218-2559 or contact us online.

Outdoor signs are essential for promoting your business. Businesses consider just being noticed by their potential customers as already a win. Channel letters are one of the most common and effective outdoor business signs. These signs are commonly used in storefronts to attract both new and returning customers.

Channel letter signs, like lobby signs, are a great way to impress your customers. These signs, as eye-catching as they can be, are however very challenging to design. These 3D signs are also ideal for displaying your company’s name, tagline, and other important details. They are usually made of aluminum or acrylic and are illuminated by LED lights.

If you’re not sure what type of custom channel letters to choose, at Michigan Custom Signs, we will help you in deciding the right sign for your business. Continue reading to learn about the different types of channel letters that we offer:

Standard Letters                  

Also known as front-lit letters, these are the most common type of illuminated channel letter sign. Front-lit letter signs are visible all day because they are illuminated from the inside. This provides your company with excellent visibility around the clock, thus promoting your brand even at night.

Halo-Lit Channel Letters

These are also known as reverse channel letters. They are mounted away from the wall, allowing LED lights from within to shine out and cast a glow around the letters, creating a halo effect. This distinctive, iridescent glow to your signage is great for brand recognition.

Front and Backlit Letters

This is a combination of standard and halo letter signage. With an illuminated face and a “halo effect” background, they give your sign an appealing look that will be difficult to ignore. Given its durability and effectiveness, this signage is cost-efficient.

Non-Illuminated Letters

These signs are typically used in commercial properties where there is no need for illumination. They are aluminum channel letters with a low-cost option that will provide you with brand exposure for years to come. They are extremely durable and simple to install.

3D Channel Letters

As the name implies, this type of channel letter signage is designed to protrude from the outside of a storefront or wall. This added depth dimension creates a contrast to help attract potential customers’ attention with or without the use of electrical components.

The Best Channel Letter Signs Near You

When looking for the best sign shop in Michigan, there is one name to trust: Michigan Custom Signs. We are dedicated to guiding you through the entire design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of a sign that best represents your brand.

In and around Michigan, we provide high-quality, custom channel letter signage at reasonable prices. Call us today or contact us online.

If you take a moment to think about the most memorable and impressive signs you have noted, there is a good chance it is a channel letter sign. These are the signs that creatively use lights, colors, and modern design to get your attention and create a positive impression for the business it is promoting.

Well-designed and executed channel letter signs provide superb opportunities to build your brand, communicate with customers, and have your business stand above the clutter of other signs and advertisements. In today’s hyper-competitive and cluttered marketing environment, the channel letter sign allows your business to stand out from that clutter.

Channel letter signs are three-dimensional signs that utilize individual letters and symbols to create exactly the effect you desire. There is an almost unlimited variety of colors, fonts, materials, and lights that are available for creating your channel letter sign. Thanks to these options, you can customize a channel letter sign to deliver the exact message you desire.

Whether you want to replicate your logo, a unique design, or a special message, individual custom channel letters are created and assembled to create your channel letter sign. A variety of materials are used, but it is common to create the sides of a letter (often called a “can”) with sheet metal or aluminum. This letter or symbol is then faced with acrylic.

The face of the “can” can be custom colored but left transparent enough for light to pass through. This aspect of versatile lighting is another exciting dimension for creating custom channel letter signs. You can backlight, highlight, or create halo effects for the entire sign, individual letters or symbols, or your logo for an especially dramatic effect.

Modern LED options provide an enhancement to the traditional spots and internal lighting that allows for more dramatic signage. When your custom channel light sign is designed, it will incorporate the materials and lighting that best deliver your message and branding.

The use of lighting provides the opportunity to achieve this visibility 24/7/365 and maximize the return on your signage investment. Also, thanks to the low power consumption of most LED lighting and the long-term reliability it provides, your cost for keeping your sign constantly lit is much lower than ever before.

The channel letter sign is an ideal outdoor signage solution. However, many of our clients find the channel letter sign is an effective and impressive addition to their indoor signage. It can separate departments, highlight special promotions, or simply add a brand-building impression.

Contact the experienced and knowledgeable team at Michigan Custom Signs today to discuss your signage needs. We will carefully evaluate your specific needs, expectations, and budget and propose the most effective signage strategy. We will then work with you to deliver and install your signs to meet your specific requirements.

A business sign is meant to attract the attention of potential customers or to provide them with information. For a storefront sign, channel lettering is created to spell out the name of the business or to present a branded logo. At Michigan Custom Signs, we’re producing customizable signs to suit your business needs. Whether you’re looking for an interior sign or an exterior storefront, here we’ll be covering how our professional team can help you with this goal.

What Do Channel Letter Signs Cost?

Before getting started, you’ll need to order a channel letter sign for your storefront. Some signage services will have you pay upfront, while others will charge you afterward. The average cost of custom channel letters is usually somewhere between $2,000 to $5,000, but it can cost upward of $50,000. The price will depend on the lettering sizes, thickness, design complexity, material composition, illumination, and signage type. Contact our team to get a free quote. 

How to Build a Storefront with Channel Lettering

Because storefront signs are fully customizable, you should provide a design for how the sign should look. You can either hire a professional artist to design the sign or do it yourself using digital tools. When coming up with a sign, you’ll need to figure out the size and dimensions to properly fit the storefront wall. You should also think about the features you want, like a logo sign or illumination lighting. 

The next step will be to present any graphics plans you have to the designers and to tell them what you want from the product. You might be asked about whether you want certain materials for creation, like acrylic or aluminum. Once the design is ready, our team will produce the three-dimensional channel letters or panels. In the final stages of the project, the right tools will be gathered to create and mount the sign. This process could take a ladder, screws, power drills, paneling, or electric wiring to get everything set up. During the sign mounting, either you or the builder will place markers for where you want the letters or panel placed. Then you should drill the proper holes and screws in place. 

Contact Us to Build a Stunning Storefront Sign

Business owners should take advantage of all the promotional tools available to them, including storefront signs. If you’re looking to design a customized sign, contact the Michigan Custom Signs at 248-218-2559. Our team can provide you with the right guidance to get started. 

If you take a moment to think about some of the most dramatic and impressive business signs you have noticed, it is a good chance it was a channel letter sign. These 3-dimensional channel letter signs are often used to maximize visibility and the prominence of company names. If you think of an effective channel letter sign in this market area, there is a good chance our team created and installed it.

Channel letters are individual shapes or letters, single or multiple, to form a sign, word, or message. The letters are usually unique, 3D, lit, and made of metal or acrylic. They are a big, bold, eye-catching, cost-effective option for advertising your business 24/7.

An attractive and unique business sign is one of the most effective tools for creating a positive first impression on new customers. For this reason, choosing the right signage for your business, no matter your size is crucial. As a business owner, you can spend a lot of time and effort weighing your options and deciding which style to choose. You want an eye-catching sign that reflects your brand, is easy to spot by drivers and pedestrians and helps you stand out from the crowd. But you don’t want to spend money on signage that will go out of style or need replacing after you make the investment.

Outdoor signs are an indispensable part of any establishment’s image. A sign identifies the business, projects its branding, and has the potential to draw people in. Personalized outdoor signs can be found above the entrances of virtually all Michigan businesses, on sidewalks, and hanging from lampposts.

Custom outdoor business signs can do wonders for business, but you must choose the right sign. Using a storefront sign for promotional activity is as inefficient as using an A-board to try and advertise to motorists.

Keep reading to find out what makes great signage.

What to Look for in Outdoor Signs

Michigan Custom Signs works with all types of businesses for personalized outdoor signs. Whatever your design, whatever your requirements, we can make it happen. If you are considering external signage for your business, watch out for these basics.

1. Type of sign

Channel letter signs, dimensional letters, blade signs, A-board signs, pylons, vinyl banners – these are just a few types of outdoor signs: which type is right for you depends on your purpose:

• Gas stations and roadside businesses often install pylon signs.
• Main street businesses use one of a variety of storefront signage
• Eateries use easily changeable portable signs.

• Sign design

It is common to hear that a sign must incorporate a business’s branding, but the priority should be design. Creativity in design makes a sign more visually striking and, therefore, more eye-catching. Attractive signage builds confidence in the mind of potential customers and will influence purchase decisions.

• Sign location

Will the sign be placed close to the business or be installed further away from the premises? Regardless, the size of the sign must be maximized for its location, without it appearing awkward. Too many businesses make the mistake of opting for signs that are not big enough, wasting the space available.

• Durability

Is your sign designed to handle the conditions it will face outdoors? Though outdoor signage is designed to bear the brunt of the weather, not all signs are designed with the same durability. A great example is a pylon sign, which is expected to face high winds, snow, rain, and freezing temperatures. A vinyl advertising banner, on the other hand, is designed as temporary signage that should last only a few weeks.

• Cost of the sign

Discuss your budget with the sign company at the outset. It will prevent sticker shock once you start designing your sign and discover optional extras have exceeded your intended spend. Remember, complexity and material choice affect the cost of the finished sign; intricate elements may look good on paper but may not add much value to your sign. An experienced sign builder will be able to tell you what elements to include (and what to exclude). Illuminating a sign also brings an operational expense, but if you opt for LED lighting, it is a lot more cost-effective.

Speak to a representative about your custom outdoor business signs. Our team will work closely with you to understand your requirements and build signs that drive sales.

There was once a time channel letters adorned the front entrances of some of the ritziest establishments in America. From five-star hotels to upscale dining rooms to Broadway. If you wanted to exude elegance and class, you needed a channel letter sign.

Today channel letters are a top choice for all types of businesses in Michigan. Pharmacies, doctors’ offices, office buildings and even condominiums prefer channel letter signs. Why? That’s easy, the signs may have become more common, but their sense of quality has endured. Different types of signs convey a different impression – monuments suggest solidity, banners capture energy – channel letters suggest elegance.

If you are thinking of getting front-lit or reverse lit channel letters, consider how they can make your business look more professional.

Smart Frontage

Channel letter signs are, first and foremost, a handsome sign. The three-dimensional letters, customized lighting and ‘floating’ installation make for a smart sign that enhances the exterior of the building. Offices and residences with channel signs often receive praise for a smarter entrance than ones with ordinary signboards.

Branding

Virtually every facet of the sign is customizable. Letters can be custom cut to any shape; there are plenty of lighting options to choose from; signs can be front-lit, reverse lit, or halo lit. It means a business can realize its branding completely in three-dimensional signage. Even intricate logos can be brought to life with expert fabrication.

Radiate Elegance

We employ intricate lighting and ‘invisible’ installation methods to give the sign a sophisticated look. Lighting is a key component of individual cut lettering and perhaps the biggest reason why signs can look so professional. The halo lighting effect (light reflected off the background), in particular, exudes a real sense of elegance and makes the establishment feel premium.

Modern Signage

Some signs are more ‘with the times’ than others: channel letters are those signs. Since signs are custom designed for every customer, they invariably benefit from modern sign building materials such as aluminum; and LED lighting is easy to conceal and provides a very contemporary glow. Channel letter signs lend a sense of modernity and look ageless even after many years of use.

A Sign of Success

After everything we return to where we started: the subconscious belief that channel letters are a symbol of status and professionalism. Even in today’s pixel-driven age, channel letter signs are associated with upscale businesses. Use channel letters to raise the perceived value of your business and make a great first impression with visitors.

Stand Out with Channel Letter Signs in Michigan

At Michigan Custom Signs we work with business owners across the state for their custom signage. Whether you need design ideas or a completely turnkey experience, we are the team for you. We custom build every sign: design, fabrication, installation, and maintenance are taken care of in-house. Speak to a representative to discuss your requirements and discover how you can affordably energize your exterior space.