“What size should my letters be on a sign?” This is a common question, so we thought we’d take a deep dive into sign letter height visibility. Signage plays a key role in attracting new customers and potential clients to your business. Hence, it’s so important that your signs can be easily read, even at a distance. Here are some rules and tips to follow when designing signs. Be sure to download our handy Sign Letter Height Visibility chart future use.
How big should letters be on signs?
1 inch of letter height provides 10 feet of readability with the best impact. For example, 3” tall letters make the best impact within 30′.
Why Use a Sign Visibility Chart?
Using a sign visibility chart ensures that your signage can be read. No need to try to memorize the details when we’ve provided a handy chart for you!
What are these calculations information based on?
Our letter sizing calculator is based on research done at The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, Penn State University, and The United States Sign Council (USSC).
What affects sign visibility?
FONT STYLE:
There are tons of different font styles and types. Strong bold fonts are easier to see from a distance. Thinner letters will be harder to read and decorative styles can cause readability issues from a distance.
FONT COLOR:
To make sure your signage is visible from long distances, consider the font color scheme. The best combination is a light and dark color combination.
WHITE SPACE:
White space is the open area around the copy. White space will help correctly-sized letters contrast with the background and stand out to the reader. Recommended 40/60 relationship between the copy area and whitespace.
SIGN PLACEMENT
Letter visibility will be affected by where you place the sign in relation to sidewalks or roadways.
Have any questions for the VisualPro team? Leave them below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. Download a copy of the Letter Visibility Chart. Ready to get started on your project? Click here and let’s work together.
