{"id":32948,"date":"2017-06-19T09:45:43","date_gmt":"2017-06-19T13:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.signmedia.ca\/?p=32948"},"modified":"2017-06-19T09:45:43","modified_gmt":"2017-06-19T13:45:43","slug":"channel-letters-common-signage-configurations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.signmedia.ca\/channel-letters-common-signage-configurations\/","title":{"rendered":"Channel Letters: Common signage configurations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photos courtesy Direct Sign Wholesale<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By John Baylis
\n<\/strong>As channel letters are highly customized signage products, specifying their design can become an information-intensive process. While it is impossible to address and prepare for all potential developments, it can be helpful for sign shops to refer to a \u2018fast-track\u2019 guide to some of the most common options and configurations, as follows.<\/p>\n

Front-lit
\n<\/strong>One of the most important variables for front-lit letters is their colour combination. Some retailers, by way of example, are not aware of the three separate colour elements of a front-lit channel letter: the acrylic face, the return\u2014with a standard depth of 76 or 127 mm (3 or 5 in.)\u2014and the trim cap. The specific combination of these three elements can significantly affect the overall effectiveness of a letter set.<\/p>\n

The colour selection and combination should be based not only on the original branding, artwork and design, but also on the colour and material of the mounting location (e.g. <\/em>the building fa\u00e7ade). Indeed, a common mistake among clients is to commission the production and installation of channel letters in their basic branding colours without regard for the site\u2019s characteristics; this can easily lead to poor sign visibility, with too little background contrast (see Figure 1).<\/p>\n

Vinyl-faced
\n<\/strong>While many channel letters feature basic acrylic faces, vinyl offers another option, with the capability to completely change the appearance of a front-lit letter set.<\/p>\n

For one thing, vinyl is available in many hues outside the standard acrylic colour selection. For another, vinyl can also be used to outline a letter within the face, using either a border or \u2018reveal\u2019 configuration, which can help ensure excellent legibility at night in comparison to a \u2018full cover\u2019 configuration (see Figures 2 and 3).<\/p>\n

Day\/night vinyl
\n<\/strong>So-called \u2018day\/night\u2019 perforated vinyl is an innovative technology for channel letters, providing a method for changing the colour of a front-lit face when it is illuminated. As the name suggests, it allows the letter faces to exhibit one colour for daytime and another for nighttime.<\/p>\n

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, perforated vinyl can thus solve the common contrast problem where the colour of a letter face may be optimal by day, but much less visible at night.<\/p>\n