7 Proven Tips to Mastering Neon Signs - Service Head Lights

Personal neon sign are the newest trend in advertising, and there’s not a better time to learn about them than now. Neon is a surprisingly difficult medium to master. It requires careful attention to color saturation, light control, and consistency throughout an entire sign. The only way to perfect these skills is through dedication, practice, and lots of trial-and-error. However, you don’t need to worry about that: we have 7 proven tips that will make this process much easier for you!

1) Understand The Signs Purpose

The first step in learning neon signs is understanding the purpose behind it. You may be working on a sign that advertises a shop, which will be seen by many passersby. Or, you might be working on a standalone sign that greets customers as they walk through the door of your establishment. Either way, you’ll want to think about the message you want to relay to viewers. In your lab, you’ll need to focus most of your energy on learning the art behind creating a high quality sign; but once you have completed it and are ready to install it in your store, try thinking about what emotion or feeling you want that sign to evoke in customers.

2) Think Beyond The Letters

At first glance, working with neon letters may seem like an easy job. After all, you just need to cut the tubes to the right length and solder them together, right? Wrong. To create an effective sign, you must understand the pressure and voltage behind each tube. Each tube should have a different pressure according to its length. It’s also important to know how much power will be required for each tube; otherwise it won’t light up properly in your store. That’s why many designers would advise that you draw out your sign before even touching a glass of mercury!

3) Understand Where The Sign Will Be

Once you decide on what kind of message you want the sign to communicate, think about where your final product will be installed. Signs in shops should be hung at eye-level. If the sign is to be installed outdoors, you may need to heavily weatherproof it. As mentioned above, the power required for each tube will also vary depending on where it will be placed. You’ll want to find the perfect balance of color saturation and brightness for your sign before installing it!

4) Cut The Right Lengths

One of the key aspects of neon signs is how clearly each letter can be seen from afar. For this reason, you need to understand each tube’s length and where it should be placed in relation to others. If a letter is too short or too long, it won’t project as clearly as other letters in a group. You’ll also want to take into consideration the effect the lighting will have on the neon letters; a slight change in saturation may be necessary at night.

5) Don’t Get Lost In The Details

Once you determine how to best position and attach your neon signs, there are still a few details you need to consider that aren’t directly related to the structure of your sign. For example, if your sign is going outdoors, you have to decide if an appropriate enclosure can be used. If your weatherproofing isn’t reliable enough for outdoor use, then winterizing it may be necessary. Since rainwater can destroy your neon signs, it’s important to plan ahead for when this will occur. If your sign is going indoors, you’ll have to consider the flow of foot traffic in your store. Signs that are attached to the wall may need to be hung at eye level; if so, you’ll want to make sure your letters are positioned just right in order for them to be seen clearly.

6) Draw It Out In Advance

The most important step of creating a neon sign is deciding what kind of message you want it to display. Hand-drawing the design can help you decide how best to arrange the letters and what colors you want each tube to glow at different times (such as red for ‘open’ and green for ‘closed’). This will also give you a good idea of how much time is needed to build the sign.

7) Weatherproofing

One of the many things that makes neon signs so popular is their ability to glow brightly and attract attention easily. However, this can also be a drawback if your weather isn’t cooperating: it may seem like your sign isn’t working when its tubes are still dark even though it’s sunny out! This can sometimes be helped by adding more light fixtures to your store, but it’s always better to not have to do that in the first place.

Summary:

You now know 7 proven tips that you can use to perfect your neon signs. These tips will not only help you create the best sign in your lab, but also the perfect one once you are ready to install it!

Neon signs are hot, and let’s be honest here: if you aren’t at least a little bit curious about them — hell, if you aren’t excited about neon signs — then something is wrong with us. Neon is one of those things that turns heads and catches eyes everywhere it goes.