Different Types of Custom Illuminated Signs
Lighted signs can help you stand out in a crowd, broadcast your presence and showcase the uniqueness of your brand. There are several stylistic variants of lighted displays, but they all offer similar advantages.
Digital lighted signs are programmable, which means you can easily display changing promotional deals, catchy slogans and other marketing messages.
LED Lights
LED lights are a great alternative to traditional neon signs. They have the same iconic look but they run cooler, have a longer lifespan, and they can even be reused!
LEDs are also a better option for a business that’s environmentally conscious. Unlike neon, they don’t contain any argon or mercury and their bulbs don’t leak. They’re also a lot more energy efficient, which means they won’t affect your building’s thermostat or overclock your air conditioner!
Another benefit of LEDs is that they can display multiple colors. Unlike neon, which only displays solid colors, LEDs can display color changes, animation, fading, and flashing features. This gives your business more options to make the perfect sign for your brand and will help you stand out from the competition.
Adding backlighting to your wall mounted logos will elevate their visibility, giving them a bold and luxurious appearance that’s hard to miss. This type of signage is ideal for attracting new customers and creating an eye-catching brand image.
You can backlight any custom illuminated sign that’s mounted to a wall or a flat surface. You will need to have access behind the wall or in the ceiling custom illuminated signs above your display to run wires for power. These wires will connect to a low voltage transformer, which in turn will run your LED neon flex lights.
Neon Lights
Neon lights are eye-catching and attract attention to businesses, restaurants, bars, and even homes. They produce a glowing red-orange glow when an electric current passes through them. They have been around for over a century and are a marketing staple that can catch the eyes of people passing by your business.
Aside from their luminous appearance, neon signs are also very versatile and can be made into many different shapes and sizes to fit any space. They can also be combined with other lighting mediums to create an interesting visual effect.
They are typically made from a mixture of neon and argon gases with a small amount of mercury. They are then sealed and “aged” with electricity to remove impurities and ensure a constant luminosity. They are also designed and manufactured with safety in mind to meet stringent quality standards and use mercury in a safe way.
They use far less energy than standard light bulbs, consuming only about 3.5 to 4 watts per foot when on. The total power usage depends on the transformer used, the color utilized, and your typical electricity cost per kWh. They can be a great option for businesses that want to cut their electricity usage while maintaining the iconic ambiance of their business. These lights are safer to touch as well, since they do not overheat like traditional glass neon signs.
Halo Lights
This type of lighting creates an attractive “halo” effect around the sign or letters. The LED lights are placed inside the sign and project onto the wall behind it, giving it a glow that attracts attention. Halo signs are ideal for a business that wants to stand out from the competition at night.
The halo effect is also often used on channel lettering signs, giving them a 3D look that stands out from the typical flat storefront sign. Adding colored or blinking lights to your sign can further catch the eye of passersby and help you promote specific sales or events. For example, pizza restaurants might want to use red lighting to imitate a glowing oven for a special promotion.
While neon lighting was traditionally used to create the halo effect, LED lights are now a popular alternative. They provide the same dramatic look as neon but require less energy and are more durable. Wired4Signs USA can supply you with a wide range of LED halo lights, including cool white (5000K), 3000K warm white, and even custom color RGB lights.
This type of illumination is best suited for businesses custom illuminated signs that are open after dark, such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and many retail stores. It is a great way to announce your presence, and halo lit signage looks sleek, sophisticated, and professional.
Channel Letters
When you think of illuminated channel letters, you probably envision the large three-dimensional fonts and logos that are often used on storefront windows and signs. They provide a unique flare that grabs attention from passersby and conveys to potential customers that they’re at the right place.
They can also serve as a beacon to bring in new business and enhance the authority of your brand. These signs are a cost-efficient way to advertise your business and brand and use less energy than neon lights (LED lights use up to forty percent less power).
These types of signs are precision cut with a CNC router and can be fabricated in a variety of sizes, shapes, fonts and colors. They can be front-lit, reverse-lit or a combination of both with an aluminum face and acrylic back. They can be painted with a catalyst two part paint or custom printed using pressure sensitive vinyl.
The faces of the letters can be a solid color or made from clear acrylic with a translucent back. The face of the sign can also have a halo effect created by placing a light behind it on the wall.
These signs can be mounted to the building facade or on a raceway. They can be mounted individually as well for a more custom look or when local bylaws require them to be installed that way.