Minnesota Signs, how does the cold affect lit signs?

What affect does cold have on Minnesota signs?

Great question. Weather does have a huge impact on how electric signs in Minnesota operate. In Minnesota, we have both extremes, very hot and very cold. Let us look at each.

Hot Minnesota weather affect on sign:

Lit signs need to disperse the heat that builds up inside of the sign. The light bulb, or neon tube isn’t so much troubled by the heat, but the sign ballasts and transformers are affected by heat. In most cases, having air movement inside of the sign can dramatically help disperse the heat. Heat buildup will shorten the life of these sign components.

Electronic message centers (EMC) have a potential heat problem. These electronic signs have on board computers, and as anyone knows computer processors hate heat. These message centers have cooling fans that work just like your cooling fan inside your personal computer.

The LED’s bulbs themselves are also suseptible to heat and are designed to disperse the heat. LED’s aren’t overly effected by heat as long as they are installed the way the manufacturer instructs.

The heat, in particular, the sun also fades colors and otherwise has an effect on outdoor signs in Minnesota. But you knew that.

How about the Minnesota cold?

Cold definitely helps to cool things down. : -) But, now the bulbs start to show a problem. First, a little more about bulbs than you want to know. Most light bulbs found in signs, ie. Neon & Flourescent, have an element present inside that needs to be vaporized by heat in order to get the white color of light. In the extreme Minnesota cold, this element doesn’t vaporize as well and then the bulbs grow dim. This is why you see some lighted signs that look very dark or splotchy at night when lit up.

A good sign company compensates for this by using cold weather components to give the bulbs enough power to vaporize the element and therefore give you a nice bright light. Some sign guys go cheap and put in a cheaper part because you won’t notice it until much later.

LED’s love the cold. Yeaah! Another reason to request LED light for your sign in Minnesota.

So, how do you get a lighted sign to work in Minnesota?

My recommendations is to contact a good Minnesota sign company that is familiar with the extremes, who will build your lit sign in such a way as to protect your sign from the heat, and will light your sign brightly in the winter. Ask for sign components that will withstand the Minnesota weather. It can be done and you need it done.

If you have a lit sign in Minnesota and it is dim in the winter it can be fixed without very much expense. 

Good Signing

What is the maximum wall sign I can have?

How do you find out the maximum size wall sign?

Most cities in Minnesota use a percentage of the height x width of the wall to which the sign will hang. This percentage of wall area is usually 10% or 15%. Your wall sign must fit within that area, including any logos, ascenders and descenders.

For example, let’s look at a retail space in Coon Rapids, MN:

If your retail space is 20ft wide and 15ft tall then the total area is 300 sqft. Coon Rapids, MN allows 10% of the wall area which means you are allowed a 30sqft sign. There are some other rules that also come into play such as which zoning area your business is located and the landlord rules.

Also, you are not allowed to have your wall sign come too close to the neighboring tenant space.

How large is your wall sign:

Wall signs come in many shapes and sizes. Minnesota cities will draw an imaginary box around the tallest point to the lowest point and from the widest point to determine how large your wall sign is.

What I suggest:

First, read your lease. Those rules from your landlord are usually more restrictive on size of a wall sign than the cities.

Second, make a quick call to the Minnesota city your store is in and ask what the code is. Ask for someone in Community Development. This person will usually be able to direct you to the right section of the sign code.

Third, Call a professional sign maker with the experience to make sure you have the maximum size wall sign.

good signing

What should you expect from your sign manufacturer?

When selecting a sign manufacturing company, what should I look for?

When calling for bids for your sign project in Minnesota consider the following items:

• Select a sign company in the Twin Cities that makes electric signs – many do not do this work themselves
• Look for a sign company with an UL Underwriters Laboratories registration – required for safety by all Minnesota cities
• Ask for example or photos of their sign work in the Twin Cities – Some people say they have made a sign but haven’t
• Ask them to meet you at your location for a FREE evaluation

Here are some things that you should not expect:

• Free artwork – if you don’t have a logo, buy one otherwise you end up with clip art that they found for free. Remember you get what you pay for.
• A big discount on the first sign – We would love to work on your lit signs for years, but we can’t discount the first sign in the hope that you will bring us all your work. We know that after the first discount, you’ll want the other signs cheaper too.
• Installing your sign without a permit – we have to work in Minneapolis, MN again and cannot jeapardize our sign hangers license
• Free electrical work – we aren’t electricians so don’t expect us to wire the rest of your building

I hope this helps you choose a sign manufacturer in Minnesota. If you find the right guy, he will want to help you and give you the best value for your electric signs.

Good signing 

Are sign permits required in Coon Rapids, MN?

What do you have to do for a sign permit in Coon Rapids, Minnesota?

This question came to me from a client who was in a wharehouse district in Coon Rapids, MN. Yes, sign permits are required in every city in Minnesota. Coon Rapids, Blaine, Minneapolis and elswhere, sign permits are required as well as having a licensed sign contractor perform the installation.

Cities are trying to maintain consistency with regard to sign sizes and overall safety of electric signs. Most Minnesota cities are very rapid in their review of sign permit applications. Some however can take up to 45 days to review an application.

If you are looking to open a business or own one in Minnesota, we recommend you get your cities approval prior to doing any sign installations. If not, most cities will charge you double the permit fee which runs anywhere from $50-$1000 for a regular cost. They may even require you to remove the sign if it is non compliant.

Good signing!

When is the right time to buy a sign in Minnesota?

Is there a right time to buy a sign in the Twin Cities?

The short answer, NOW!

The slightly longer short answer, buy a sign NOW!

How about the more specific short answer? If your about to open a business in Minnesota, buy it now. Do you have a business? Buy it now. Are you in the process of starting your business, buy it now.

Here is the long specific answer. A sign is one of the most important assets to your business, but so many business owners wait until a few weeks before opening to even plan the sign. A sign is one expense that has been proven to bring clients to your door. So why wait?

Let’s look at a scenario:

An entreprenuer decides to open a business and gets a business plan, then begins to build his business. Before he even breaks ground, he has a banner sign installed saying “coming soon”. Then as the outside is finished, and before the inside is done, his permanent sign is installed. This sign creates a buzz in the community about the new business.

Let’s look at another one:

Another entreprenuer decides to open a business. After all the plannning and financing stuff, about 3 weeks before he opens he calls 10 sign guys to get a quote on a quick and inexpensive sign. He is short on cash because the buildout has cost more than expected. He then panicks when he is told the city of Minneapolis can take up to 45 days to review a sign permit.

I know that you don’t always have a lot of time, so don’t wait to get your sign or you may just be waiting for business to show up.

A Business with no sign is a sign of no business!

What colors should my Channel Letters be?

Does color matter with Channel Letters? If so, what color?

Answer: RED

Is that the answer you wanted? Oh,  you want your channel letters to be a different color? Then Why ask, just make it any color you want. But if you want to stand out at night the simple answer is RED, perhaps white, sometimes yellow and never green or blue.

But, if you still want to make your channel letters your special color here are some tips:

BLUE or GREEN channel letters – If you must have blue or green channel letters then have them made with white faces, white internal neon or LED and your blue as a vinyl overlay. Have your sign maker leave a white outline between the edge of the letter and the vinyl.  Heres why; blue and green channel letters when lit at night appear blury. Trust me, it does. Seriously, they’re blury. But, if you do what I say, the blue will be crisp and sharp.

Apply this same rule to all colors in the darker tones. At night the darker tones don’t show very well.

RED, WHITE, YELLOW: Go for it! At night these show up great! Your channel letters will be seen. Have you noticed how many signs use red and white channel letters? Why, because you can see them. It has a high contrast to the dark (which we call night).

Want to do something really cool with your channel letters? Make them with white faces and then put a colored lighting inside so at night your sign will be a different color! Most people do the boring, white faces with white neon or LED (spoken in whiny voice). BE DIFFERENT! BE BOLD!  Most of all BE SEEN!

Groing Green with your sign in Minnesota

So you want to go green? Can you make your sign in Minnesota more green?

Yah You betcha! There are tons of low power options for your channel letters, pylon sign or box sign in Minnesota.

Let’s look at a couple:

Channel letters: Low power doesn’t have to mean low light output. Todays LED technologies are providing very bright light with low power usage. Some cities like Coon Rapids, MN were offering tax credits for converting your old power hog for a low power sign.

You can even remove the guts from your old channel letters and replace them with LED’s.

Box signs or pylons signs: These signs are most likely using the most efficient lighting for the cost. In some cases we can light them with LED’s. The cost on LED’s for cabinets is still quite expensive but available.

Going green for your sign in Minnesota can also improve the quality of the brightness in some cases. Some neon lighting in the Minnesota cold goes dim, or requires more energy. The Low voltage LED’s actually perform very well in the winter.

So, going green doesn’t automatically make you a packer fan. You can go green with your sign and still Cheer for the Vikings!

The Greates Business Success Secret EVER!!

Major Corporation Success Secret Revealed………

Thousands of people pass your location less than 200 feet from your cash register. What are you doing to get them off the street, out of the car and into your store?

EFECTIVE SIGNAGE is the MOST POWERFUL, yet inexpensive way to get people off of the street and ringing your cash register.

• Of the THOUSANDS of people who pass you by every day, how many do you want to notice your business?
• Of the 30 or 60 times those THOUSANDS of people pass you by each month, how many time do you want them looking?
• Of the many products and services you offer, how many do you want those THOUSANDS of people to know about?

Most business owners are throwing money away by paying BIG MONEY for a high-traffic location and not having adequate or effective signs. Worse, the only way to combat this problem is to spend MORE MONEY on off-site marketing.

Here is what The small busines administration says about effective signage:

“…good signage can be the difference between success or failure of the business.”

“signs are the most effective yet least expensive form of advertising for the small business.”

“… Without adequate signage, poential customers will not notice your business…”

Don’t let your Minnesota business go under, talk to a sign professional today. Better yet, call Signs by rsg and we can evaluate the traffic at your location to find out the most effective sign you need.

Increase profit with an electronic message center!

Are you making all the money you want from your business? 

Well, are you? The fact is that you probably are not making all the money you need, much less, want. 

Did you know that you could increase sales by 30%-40% each month with an electronic message center? You can get more attention for your business by becoming the most visible business on your street.

LED message centers, (electronic message center) can communicate to your target market immediately and effectively.

Another questions: What is the best way to get a new customer to come into your store? When they are driving directly in front of it! Did you know that the average customer while on there way to a particular store, are “stolen” along the way by the guy with a LED message center. This means that you could be missing thousands of dollars a week by having your clients taken away from you by your competition.

How much money do you spend trying to reach clients through the phone book, radio, tv, mailing coupons and other promotionals? How would you like to replace all of those shot in the dark advertising campaigns and for less money attract your real customers who are driving right past your door?

It can be done. It is being done. Look around you, electronic LED message centers are being utilized by some of the most successful companies. Don’t you want to be successful?

How tall can you have a Pylon sign in Minnesota?

Can you have a pylon sign any size you want in Minnesota?

You can have a pylon sign as tall as you like, as long as you like it to be as tall as the local municipality will allow.

Every city has it’s own rules determining the size and height of a Pylon sign. For example, at the City of Minneapolis code website, you will find rules that are wide and varied. What this jumble of information means is that depending on your specific address and zone determines how large and tall your pylon sign can be.

At Signs by rsg we will help you to determine the size pylon sign you are allowed. We can also help you understand the other rules the city has and establish a budget. We can also help you pick the right size pylon sign. The last thing you want is to have a tall pole with what looks like a postage stamp on top.

What to light it with will be addressed in another blog very soon.