Signage has always played a very important role in businesses all over the world. It is particularly important for businesses in the retail market (using storefront signs) and the hospitality industry, such as restaurants and café bars.
Without signs, we wouldn’t be able to differentiate one business from another, and when it comes to the local high street, how would you know which store is which?
Signage throughout history
The use of signage for business can be traced back to the ancient years in Rome and Greece, where various symbols were frequently used to denote places of business and entertainment.
Over the centuries that followed, signage was used throughout the world and was also being used for advertising purposes. By around 1700, almost all businesses were using at least one sign for display or advertising reasons. It wasn’t until the 1800’s when lighting appeared, with gas-lit signs shortly followed by electric light bulbs.
The discovery of neon
It was in 1898 that two British chemists first discovered neon gas from a sample of argon. When they exposed the gas to high voltage, they observed that it changed color to a glowing red. A few years later in France, the inventor and engineer George Claude created the first neon light, using neon and other gases inside a glass tube. When he applied an electrical current to the gases, they would change colors.
The first neon sign to be made for advertising purposes was done so by Claude in 1912, who created it for a barbershop in Paris who wanted to promote his business. Since then, companies all over the world have been developing neon signs and lighting such as Neon Mama, who offer a great selection of quality neon signs.
The popularity of neon lighting for signage, decoration, and advertising continued over the passing decades and reached its peak during the 1950s and 1960s. From then on, its usage and demand gradually began to decline, helped in part by the new popularity of LED lights.
Digital Lighting of the 1980’s and 90’s
During the 80s and 90s, digital signage started becoming very popular and was being used by many retail stores as a way of promoting their business and attracting new customers.
Digital signage has changed greatly over the years as technology has come along heaps and bounds, and today, there are so many possibilities that can be offered by digital signage.
LED Neon lighting
The new generation of neon lights, created with LED technology, is something that is gaining more and more popularity throughout the world. There are lots of advantages of using LED neon signage over the original type, and it’s a form of signage that is making something of a comeback for places of business and marketing.
The great thing with LED neon lighting is that it is very tough and much more durable than the old version with glass tubes filled with gases. As signage is mainly used outside, most LED neon signs are waterproofed and can handle all of the natural elements from rain to wind and snow.
For signs outside of retail stores and restaurants and eateries, they are extremely effective, and their brightness and unique designs and color combinations can attract a lot of attention from people passing by. For retail and hospitality businesses, which rely heavily on foot traffic, having signage that grabs people’s attention and curiosity is a very powerful tool to behold.
Benefits of LED neon signage
As previously mentioned, LED neon signs are extremely durable, and can handle all types of weather. This means that they require less maintenance than other forms of lighting and signage. LED neon signs are also a lot easier to clean, and the lack of glass tubes and gases means that cleaning them when compared to traditional neon signs, is a lot quicker and easier.
Another benefit of this type of signage is that LED neon lights do not generate any additional heat when being used. Unlike more conventional lit signage, the longer they are on, the hotter they can get, which can lead to accidents, short-circuiting or even fires breaking out. LED neon signage completely eliminates the chances of any of these things happening, as well as saving on electricity.
Attracting the attention of potential customers
When walking down a high street packed with various stores and places to eat and drink, how do you determine which establishment to visit? Unless you know specifically where you want to go, you are going to be relying on something grabbing your attention and getting you interested.
Good signage is one way that is a very easy way to achieve this, as store signs are something that everyone will take a look at when visiting a shopping district.
If your sign is one that stands out amongst the others, then your place of business is going to the focal point in the high street and is what is going to generate a buzz and interest. LED neon signs are the perfect solution for this and you can create a truly unique, colorful, and attention-grabbing sign that is going to really take your business to the next level.
Some final words
LED neon signs are a lot more affordable than you might have thought. Technology is advancing all the time, and this has led to costs being made in production or certain products, which can then be shared with the consumer.
When it comes to something such as signage for your place of business, you need to consider it as an investment. An LED neon sign has the potential to last you for a very long time.
Some calculations were made that worked out the hours an LED neon sign would last when in use, and the figure was somewhere in the 50,000 hours region. That is a lot of hours and means that your LED neon sign could possibly last you two or more decades. That’s a lot of mileage out of one thing, which will in turn be attracting a lot of new customers to your business, which in turn will be generating you revenue and profits. So, the next time you are in the market for new signage for your storefront or restaurant, you really should consider the potential of an LED neon sign.
