Get Creative with Vinyl Banners

Vinyl banners are an exceptional marketing tool – they’re affordable, eye-catching, portable, and reusable. And best of all, they’re completely custom and are ideal for promoting everything from farmers markets to political campaigns to the newest business to join your community, and everything in between. Let your creativity be your guide!

Vinyl Banners Are an Ideal Advertising Tool

Whether you’re promoting a one-time event or focusing on long-term marketing strategies, vinyl banners are an ideal medium for marketing your business (or event!) to the masses. Made of high quality vinyl, banners are cost-effective, lightweight, durable, easily portable, and reusable.  Available in a variety of sizes, personalized text and custom designs, vinyl banners are a tried and true marketing tool that works.

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite innovative uses for vinyl banners that will get your creative juices flowing:

Bands, Stages, and Backdrops

Whether you’re promoting your up-and-coming indie band or you’re headed out on tour, vinyl banners are a terrific option for easily portable, eye-catching custom signs for outdoor venues, stages, and even as custom backdrops for wherever you’re playing your next gig.

Artists and Arts Festivals

The perfect ‘canvas’ for promoting artists and local arts festivals, vinyl banners are the perfect artistic avenue for drawing attention to arts, crafts, and other one-of-a-kind handmade goods made by talented artisans from near and far.

Farmer’s Markets

Custom Coming Soon BannerAccording to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are more than 8,000 farmer’s markets across the US offering a variety of organically grown produce, select meats, fresh seafood, artisan cheeses, local honey, and more. A brightly colored backdrop to showcase your local farmer’s market, a design-your-own vinyl banner is a vibrant venue for advertising the best your community has to offer!

Small Businesses

Whether you’re a brand new corner café or coffee shop or a local hardware store that’s been in the community for generations, vinyl banners are a professional, polished way to advertise to everyone passing by, inviting them to stop in and see what’s new!

Sporting Teams and Local Sponsors

From colleges to high schools and even grade schools, sports teams are everywhere! Whether you’re supporting your local football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, or other school sports team, custom vinyl banners are a popular and effective way to secure sponsorships while economically advertising local goods, services, and small businesses. A win-win for everyone!

Local Running Events

What better way to promote your local running event – from 5k’s to marathons and everything in between – than with custom banners? Flying high above the crowds, banners will easily show runners where to find registration, pick up running packets, and, most importantly, cross those start and finish lines with ease!

Political Campaigns

Name recognition is the name of the game! Political campaigns work tirelessly to make their candidates known and this grassroots method of promoting a nominee to the masses is an economical way to get the word out. Designing eye-catching, reusable political banners will rally voters to the booths every Election Day.

Holiday Events

Bring on the holiday cheer! Give your storefront a merry makeover or promote your local holiday celebrations with a richly colored, festively designed vinyl banner or two. Whether you’re promoting seasonal sales or your community’s annual winter wonderland extravaganza, your ho-ho-holidays are sure to be filled with merriment.

 

Whether you’re designing a banner for your local festival, a community extravaganza, or your small business to use all year long, Customsigns.com makes it easy and fun to create vibrantly colored, high quality banners that are made to last. Start from scratch or choose one of our templates. With our custom design tool, your perfect banners are just a few clicks away. Our Customer Focus Team is here to answer any questions you may have. Simply email us or call (877) 251-9444.

Create Custom Signs & Banners with our Online Design Tool

Not sure how to create your custom signs? Our design wizard is perfect for quickly and easily creating your own custom signs, banners, name plates, stickers, and more. Here, we share our most frequently asked questions and answers to get you on your way to easily designing and placing your order!

What is the Customsigns.com Design Wizard? 

Our design wizard is a tool that allows you to design your own custom products, including signs, banners, name plates, license plates, stickers, and more. Customers are able to choose from a wide variety of custom options (depending upon the product) including size, personalized text, font type, color, size, and style, and the option to upload custom art, images, photos, or company logos.

What kinds of files are best for uploading logos or images?

PNG and JPEG files are best for uploading logos or other images because they produce clear, accurate results. PDF files are not recommended since this format produces low quality images and inaccurate colors. For a precise color match, please include exact color codes.

 

 

Design Tip – If a white background appears behind the uploaded logo or other image and you have chosen a different background color, be sure to upload an image with a transparent background. If you don’t have a file with a transparent background, simply request, in the special instructions section, that the white background be removed. If using vector art, be sure to convert it to a PNG file.  Some design your own products include an option to remove the white background. To do so, click the “remove white box” button on the options tab of the design wizard.

What is the best way to enter multiple lines of text on one design?

To add text, click the “add new text box” from the text tab in the design wizard. As text is entered, it will appear on the design template on the left. For multiple lines of text, use a separate text box for each individual line.

Can duplicate items be created from a single template in the Design Wizard?

Once an item has been designed and added to the shopping cart, simply select “order a new design based off this design” and a duplicate product is created. Simply edit the text and/or image(s) needed and add to shopping cart. Don’t forget to use the design wizard’s “save” button to conveniently save individual designs to your account for future use.

To easily make changes to your text, select each individual text box, then edit the text in the design wizard on the right. We recommend using the backspace button for removing text. The delete button will reset the font.

What is the Bulk Item Wizard and how is it used?

The “bulk item wizard” button allows duplicate products to be created once an original has been designed. When the original design is complete, choose “show bulk order form” (green button below design field) to view the “bulk order builder”. Simply insert new text and/or image for each new design, as shown in the image below.  This is an efficient way to ensure that each individual item contains the appropriate text and/or image.

Reordering saved designs is as easy as 1-2-3!

To reorder a previously saved design, simply log into your account and choose “my saved designs” from the bottom of the list shown on the left. Choose “order design”, make any desired edits, and save changes. When the new order is submitted, your new design will be created. If you would like to save this new design, remember to select the save button.

 

Banner Design Tips – Marketing Your Business or Event in Style

From local small businesses to national companies that are looking for an economical way to market to the masses, vinyl banners are an ideal choice. Vibrant, colorful, and attention-grabbing, banners are versatile and offer a creative channel to communicate with potential customers or clients. Banners look beautiful while hanging and, when thoughtfully designed, can influence the behaviors of local consumers.

 

Banners offer a variety of benefits –

  • Custom designed for your specific message or promotion, banners are a colorful, eye-catching way to attract the attention of hundreds of people a day
  • Available in custom sizes to fit your needs, banners are ideal for small shops, big business spaces, and everywhere in between
  • Banners are a cost-effective method of marketing your message to multitudes of people within a given time
  • Lightweight and durable, our flexible banners are easy to install, weather and fade resistant, and neatly roll for compact storage
  • Reusable and easily movable, banners are perfect for displaying messages precisely when and where they’re needed

Vinyl Banners 101

How Are Banners Constructed?

Our banners are made from high quality 13 oz. woven fiber vinyl with gloss finish, ideal for repeated indoor/outdoor use. Our vinyl is tear and fade resistant, providing exceptional print quality and affordability. Our banners include a reinforced hem to prevent fraying.

What Are Grommets?

Grommets are small metal rings placed on vinyl banners that provide reinforced holes for hanging. These small metal rings provide extra stability and help protect banners from tearing while hung. Grommets are placed in all four corners; additional grommets are added around banner perimeter as required for proper fastening.

 

printastic.com

 

What Are Wind Slits?

Wind slits are small, half-moon shaped cuts made directly in the vinyl that allow wind to easily pass through the banner while reducing wind pressure and stress.

Banner Cleaning and Storage

Clean with mild soap and warm water on a slightly dampened soft cloth and dry thoroughly before storing. To avoid wrinkles or creases, store banners loosely rolled in a cool, dry place.

Displaying Your Banner

When installing a banner, do not overstretch or pull the material too tightly. Especially when hanging outside where wind or rain may tug at the banner, leaving a bit of ‘play’ for the banner to gently move will prevent unnecessary damage.

Popular Banner Sizes and Costs

With our custom Design Your Own Banner tool, creating the perfect banner is ideal for whatever merchandise you’re marketing or event you’re promoting.

Popular banner sizes and costs are –

  • 2’ x 3’   $19.95

Ideal for small spaces, windows, or hanging above merchandise or behind registers. Smaller banners can leave a big impression.

  • 3’ x 6’   $37.95

Ideal for posting on storefronts or promoting special events, these banners are versatile and visible.

  • 4’ x 8’   $67.95

Ideal for hanging high atop buildings or storefronts, these signs are designed to attract attention from travelers from a distance with a message they’ll remember.

Designing an Effective Banner

To promote your brand effectively, designing a banner with a valuable message is essential. Here are our five key tips for designing an effective banner –

Perfect your message!

Less is more. Messages that are short, clear, and concise are more readily remembered by potential customers or clients who are busy and often distracted. For large, outdoor banners five to eight words is ideal, indoor banners should not exceed 15 words or a few short phrases. Keep images and embellishments to a minimum. Too much visual clutter will detract from your core message.

Size matters.

Whether your banner will be read closely or from a distance, choose a banner size that will easily convey your message. Banners that will be read from the street should be larger and include text that is easily readable, while for interior spaces, smaller signs will pack a big punch.

 

Location, location, location.

Banners should be hung where they will get consumers’ attention, yet not distract from your message. Avoid placing banners over your store name, for example, or in hard to see places. Indoor banners should be strategically placed to lead customers and clients further inside or encourage them to ask questions or for additional information.

 

Consider color and contrast.

Ideally, the colors on your banner should match or complement your brand’s identity. A single color background will create a more polished, professional look. The greater the contrast between the banner background, font, and graphics, the better its readability will be.

Fonts and graphics.

When choosing font styles, simplicity is key. Stay away from fonts that are too elaborate or challenging to read. No more than two complimentary styles are best. Graphics should be high resolution and clearly relate to your message.

Whether you’re promoting a grand opening, a special event, that spectacular sale or professional services, Customsigns.com makes it easy to create the banners you need for your business. Design your custom banners from scratch or choose from one of our templates. With our custom design tool, your perfect banners are just a click away.

For more information on how to make banners work for you, please see our related blog posts:

Making Temporary Signs Work for You

Custom Banners for School Events

Tips for Designing Visually Effective and Interesting Signs

Making Temporary Signs Work for You

Chances are travelers notice hundreds of temporary signs as they trek through neighborhoods and cities, urban and suburban areas. Whether traveling by automobile, bus, train, taxi, or bicycle – even walking or jogging – public and private properties are teeming with temporary signage competing for attention.  If getting your signs – and your message – noticed is the name of the game, understanding the ins and outs of making temporary signage work for you is key!

What Are Temporary Signs?

Temporary signs are those designed to provide information for an event limited by a specific time frame. Examples include: political campaigns, real estate sales or rentals, construction sites, civic events, or any type of promotion aimed at the general public.  Temporary signs are also used as short-term signage solutions announcing “Coming Soon!” or “Remodeling Underway”, virtually any reason that permanent signs are not in place.

Custom Coming Soon Banner

Temporary signs come in many forms, including:

Banners – Signs made of durable, flexible materials that can be attached to walls or windows, hung from ceilings, and can be used indoors or out, depending upon the material the banners are made of

Political/Election Signs – Signs made especially to promote a candidate or a political agenda; typically these signs are only permitted to be displayed on private property and must be removed a specific number of days after voting has taken place

Real Estate Signs – Signs designed to advertise the sale or rent of specific properties, whether private or commercial; these signs are non-illuminated and are generally limited to one sign per property

Construction Signs – Signs erected at construction sites displaying individuals or businesses that are associated with a project; usually only one temporary sign is permitted per construction site

Directional Construction Signs – Signs directing those visiting construction sites and/or making deliveries to proper entrances and exits

Wayfinding Signs – Signs strategically placed to guide and/or direct pedestrian or vehicular traffic when temporary detours are required

Yard Signs – Outdoor signs that can be single or double sided, designed to display a message to passersby; these signs are free standing and often supported by H-stakes

Light Boxes – Illuminated boxes of various sizes that can be free standing or affixed to a wall; interchangeable letters, numbers, and symbols allow temporary messages to be displayed and changed as needed

Indoor Temporary Signs – Signs made to inform people of temporary situations, such as when something is “Out of Order” or “Temporarily Out of Stock”; custom temporary signs that can easily be attached with Velcro give a much more professional appearance than a handwritten or computer printed piece of paper affixed with tape

What are the Benefits of Temporary Signs?

Temporary signs provide an exceptional platform for sharing your message with the masses. These signs are a cost effective marketing tool that can help your business – or your candidate – stand out from the competition. These signs can be exceptionally helpful in promoting a home-based business where additional signage is impractical and/or not permitted.

Additionally, temporary signs are easy to install and remove as needed. Durable, lightweight, and often weather resistant and reusable, temporary signs are portable and help to support the tried and true adage that location is everything!

What Are the Challenges of Temporary Signs?

Some of the biggest challenges for posting temporary signs are the varying rules and regulations in place throughout the country. These can be based on the density of a given area as well as local zoning laws. Public safety is also of concern, for both pedestrians and moving vehicles. Rules may be in place limiting the number of temporary signs that can be posted in a given area, as well as standards that specify font sizes and contrast levels to reduce potential accidents caused by those attempting to view hard to read signs. To make temporary signs stand out and effectively relay your message, less is more. Convey your message in clear, concise language with simple graphics and fewer colors to reduce visual clutter and enhance readability.

Historic districts often also have their own set of special regulations designed to maintain the integrity of local historic districts or landmarks. A temporary sign should never take away from the historic character of these thoughtfully preserved areas.

Urban vs Suburban Signs

Urban areas, such as bustling downtown districts, often have greater pedestrian and vehicle traffic than their suburban counterparts. Therefore, it is important to plan temporary signage that has a compelling, effective message that is clearly visible to travelers quickly moving from one destination to another. Successfully, and safely, catching a potential customer’s or voter’s attention is the name of the game.

Creating effective urban signage is not without its challenges. Often, clutter becomes a concern when an abundance of temporary signs are vying for prime visual space. Additionally, urban areas typically have countless permanent (most often illuminated) signs as far as the eye can see.

Customsigns.com carries an exceptional selection of customizable temporary signs sure to meet your needs. Our Customer Focus Team is here to guide you or answer any questions you may have along the way.

For more information on temporary signs, please see our related blog posts:

Tips for Designing Visually Effective and Interesting Signs

Political Yard Signs, What You Should Know

Get Ready For The County Fair With A Custom Banner!

It feels like just yesterday we were shedding our summer shorts, and trading them for a nice sturdy pair of winter jeans. Oh wait, we here at Custom Signs are based out of Florida – so it kind of was just yesterday! Even those of us who have lived here our whole lives get thrown off by the constant weather shifts that seem to occur within the blink of an eye. One minute it’s raining the next it’s hot and humid; one minute it’s freezing and the next we’re headed to the beach. You would think I was making this stuff up, but sadly I’m not – Florida has some moody weather.

Already October is on its way out, as it continues to get cooler and cooler outside. In just a few short day’s we’ll already be in to November! Where does the time go? And while September and October may have gotten all of us reacquainted with the fall season, by this point we’ve been opening our windows at night, carving pumpkins, and figuring out our plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. But before we all gather round the table to carve the turkey and gorge on homemade mashed potatoes, there’s one more fall tradition to take part in before settling in for the long winter. The county fair!

For patrons and vendors all over the country, the dates have been set, signs erected, and anticipation has been steadily growing to return to the Ferris wheels, fun houses, junk food, and all the vendors we’ve loved since childhood. So for those who happen to run and operate the resident county fair food trucks or carnival game booths, ‘tis the season to start generating those profits”! So what do we suggest? This sounds like a job for a one-of-a-kind custom banner!

The truth is that the use of a custom sign can give your profits a much needed boost! As any business owner could tell you, visibility is one of the many important components to success and what better way to increase your visibility than with a sign! Constructed with high quality vinyl and made in our very own factories here in Jacksonville, FL, our custom banners are capable of any vibrant and colorful images and/or text. Unlike traditional signs, banners can be easily put up and taken down, either at the end of each day, or at the end of the event and then stored away somewhere until you need them again! Our vinyl banners are flexible and can therefore be folded up and stored just about anywhere until next time.

We here at Custom Signs have been in the signage industry for over 60 years! With our business experience combined with the unique and seasoned skilled professionals, there is no limit to what we can create! As an added bonus, all of our orders ship fast, so don’t worry if you think there isn’t enough time to order before the fair comes to town and you’ve got to be out there and set up! We’re here to help you make a difference, so order your new custom banner today and get ready to be open for business!

The Secret To Successful Pumpkin Patches This Fall

Who says that Florida doesn’t have seasons? Yes there are certain temperatures and days in the blistering hot summer where it is just too hot to go to the beach. No, just because it doesn’t snow in the wintertime does not mean it isn’t still freezing outside – and what is that period of time that takes place after the sweltering summer heat begins to subside and all the kids go back to their classrooms around the country? We like to call that wonderful season Fall.

Yes, even way down here at the tip of the continental United States, we experience those famous autumn days – and I can promise you, that we are every bit as excited for them as the rest of the country. From cozy knit sweaters, to pumpkin spice lattes, and relaxing nights with the fall breeze filling our homes through open windows (a rarity in Florida) – words cannot express how excited we get for this wonderfully cozy time of year! Even though our leaves may not change in the same colorful ways that their northern counterparts do, there are still plenty of other seasonal sights, signs, and activities that we have come to associate with Fall regardless of the lack of Fall foliage.

But next to the changing leaves, what else signals the arrival of Fall? Pumpkin patches! Yes, pumpkins appear to be the perfect decoration to add to any home no matter if it’s to decorate for Halloween or Thanksgiving! But instead of buying from your neighborhood grocery store – a pumpkin patch is always the best way to go when celebrating the new season! So when that Autumn season pokes its head around the corner and all the pumpkins have been harvested and are ready to go, how can you make sure that your own particular pumpkin patch gets noticed and makes a decent profit this year?

We here at Custom Signs have never made a secret of our dedication and commitment to helping business owners big and small. With our awesome high quality products, we work hard to make sure that your business gets the kind of attention it deserves with the help of some attention grabbing signs. For the past six decades, we’ve dedicated ourselves to perfecting both our craft as well as outstanding customer service skills.

Whether you want a custom engraved sign, a detailed full color printed sign or a reusable banner that can be used over and over again, we’ve got you covered! Banners in particular are great for small road side stands or businesses! Large, bold, and capable of a full spectrum of colors, our large banners make your stand easy to see from the road when driving past, or even if your potential customers are walking in the distance. While engraved signs work well and will also suit your business just fine, banners easily fold up and can be stored nearly anywhere and when it comes time to take them out again – they look good as new!

Already have your design in mind? Perfect! Just email us your artwork and we’ll do the rest! Here at Custom Signs, we pride ourselves on our stellar turnaround time and look forward to helping your business grow!

The Advantage of Using a Custom Banner at Your Next Function

Here at customsigns.com we make creating and owning your very own custom banner as easy as possible.

With all the fall festivals, pumpkin patches, county fairs, and community events going on this time of year the need for banners has never been so in demand! Not to mention all of the year round school functions, and fundraisers that could also greatly benefit from the use of a custom banner. An awesome tool for advertisers and far more portable than a monster sign, banners are flexible and can be rolled or folded up and easily transported from event to event. Given that banners are so easy to transport, they can also just as easily be conveniently stored and tucked away for the next event that comes along.custom fundraiser banner

What better way to raise awareness for a cause or an event on-the-go, than with the use of a banner? This portable sign will undoubtedly attract attention from passerby’s as well as from cars on the road if you happen to be set up off to the side somewhere.

Whether you just want a banner with some simple text or your own custom artwork, we’ve got you covered! We currently offer four different size banners for you to choose from. To give you the best chance of getting noticed by as many people as possible, we’ve also thrown in a double sided option, in which your text, art, or both will appear (you guessed it!) on BOTH sides of the banner!custom banner

Because these banners can be easily transported and stored, you will have your for years to come if you happen to work for a charitable cause or oversee an annual pumpkin patch or set up your annual booth at your local county fair! By using a big banner you will increase your profits and ultimately be making more money, or gaining more donations than ever before because let’s face it, if your audience can’t see you, then they have no idea what you are selling or trying to raise awareness for. Using a custom banner will increase visibility which will increase profits- and as an added bonus it isn’t just a one-time-use kind of product!

Use one of our custom banner to get noticed!