Creating the right atmosphere and bringing in customers is a big part of running any successful café. Part of that comes down to how you design the look and feel of your place. Undoubtedly, one of the most important parts of this are the signs and lighting that you employ throughout your property.
Shop Front Signs
Perhaps the most important part of any store, restaurant, bar or café is the front. How you look from the pavement is almost as influential as the coffee and food you serve and the staff you employ. Walk past any of the big coffee stores nowadays and they are all easily recognisable. The signage, from the front to the very back, is tightly geared towards their personal branding.
Whether you are a café chain or just a single outfit, serve your coffee from a shop or have a stall in a market place, you want to have that same power delivered by your signage. This is probably one of the best investments you can make.
It’s not just in the design, you name and which font you choose – you need to create something that people associate with you on a deeper, emotional level that drags them through the door. A great shop front can bring in customers and the more thought you put into this design area the better.
Window Signs
Most cafes don’t just think about the facia and stick up a single sign. There’s the whole glass front of the property that can be utilised with great signage. Do you want a menu board there or a neon sign that attracts the eye and brings people through the door? Do you want to create a certain atmosphere from the outset and really tell your potential customers what sort of place you run? Window signs can range from the standard café fayre to intricate, tasteful stencils and quirky advertising slogans.
Indoor Signs
From the menu board to other information, you want all your signage to match as much as possible. That doesn’t just include the font but also the idea behind your café brand. If you’re a busy outfit you might want a ‘wait to be seated sign’, for larger establishments you could need a few directional ones such as where to find the rest rooms. The key is to make sure these all complement rather than work against each other.
The Importance of Lighting
Combined with great signage, the other most important thing for any café is the lighting. You want to make sure that this not only sets the mood but also achieves its proper function. For instance, do you want a spotlight over the menu board so that it attracts attention immediately? This is usually a great idea particularly if you run daily specials. Good lighting can make your café look more intimate, sophisticated and produce just the right atmosphere that you and your customers are looking for.
The great news is that there are plenty of choices out there – all you have to do is settle on the right design for your café. There are 3D signs, bold shop front facias, neon signs and various lightbox effects that you can add in to make your café much more attractive. Technical Signs can design and manufacture all the signs and lighting you need for your new café, from the straightforward and simple to the complex and complicated.
