For a passer-by or a potential new visitor, your building’s exterior plays an important role in the overall impression your church gives off! Amongst all your other outreach programs and systems through mailers, social media, and other ways you attract visitors, effective signage and branding ought to be a strong focus for your church team. Before new guests reach the welcome team or the interior layout, the exterior signage is creating a vital first impression. So, what does effective signage look like? How can you be communicating the right values and spirit of your church? Let’s get into it!
This blog outlines some of our top tips for great branding and communication through your church’s exterior signage. To get started on your own sign designs, contact Signworks today and speak with a friendly team member.
Tip #1: Find Your Personality!
Your church is made up of a unique community and personality that is uniquely and wholly its own. This is precisely what
should be at the forefront of all your branding and marketing! Finding a strong brand to tie together all your signs, décor, and marketing products is a great way to communicate to potential visitors who you are, what you stand for, and what makes you different from other churches in your area. Don’t be afraid to play around with different techniques and designs to find your voice, because standing out from the crowd is the easiest way to attract new potential members.
Tip #2: Use Signage to Direct Traffic
Signage serves a purpose. Having signs to get people into the parking lot is one thing, but have you considered how you can best guide people in the right direction from there? Feeling lost or uncertain is natural for any new visitors. Having clear, direct signage that marks your entrances, exits, bathrooms, welcome areas, and any other important places will make a world of difference in helping people to get comfortable and find their way around. Great signage can make for a great introductory experience!
Tip #3: Provide Updates
Not everyone is quick to sign up for newsletters, social media updates, or email lists. If your church has lots of events, opportunities, and changes going on, then having a variety of ways to express that to your local community is vital. Consider creating different banners, boards, and portable signage that can easily let your staple church regulars and newcomers alike what is going on within your building. Creating unique branding and signage for your different groups and events can elevate the overall experience by a mile!
Tip #4: Get Creative
Signs don’t just have to be words and directions. Using design aspects such as color, shapes, and imagery doesn’t just make for a visually appealing piece of art, but they can communicate the values and history of your church in a unique way. Finding a color scheme and logo can help build up your church’s brand, helping it to become more recognizable and well-known in your local community. Get creative with your designs, and maybe you’ll find an iconic theme or pattern that you can use to tie together all the different signage your church uses for different events, seasons, celebrations, and future projects.
Tip #5: Strive for Clarity
Above all else, simplicity is key. Begin your signage journey by asking very simple questions: Who are we? Who is our target audience? What do we need them to know? Ensure that those answers are clear, and use them as the foundation for all the signage you create for your property. Once you’ve got all of that in place, everything else will fall together afterward. Start with a crystal-clear message and go from there!
Ready to Start Designing Your New Signage?
It’s easy to understand the immense benefits fresh and appealing signage could bring to your church. It’s less easy to know where to start. At Signworks, we pride ourselves on being able to help all our clients find a design that’s perfect for their brand, their message, and their community. Don’t wait around for the ‘right time’ for a brand new church makeover – reach out to our Signworks team today, and we’ll gladly help you find the signage that will elevate your church to the next level.