When deciding on
letter colors consider which direction the sign will face.
Shadows from building
elements and the letters/raceways themselves can
dramatically affect the daytime readability of a channel
letter sign.
For signs facing
East, South or West consider using a backplate in a
contrasting color to break the effects of shadows.
The human eye does not discern dark blues, greens, violets, etc. These colors are "fuzzy" from a distance, making them poor marketing choices for a sign, even though they are great for a letterhead, unless you are using LetterLites™ or PinLights™ LED first-surface lighted faces. Then you will have striking signs different from all your competition.
Otherwise, light-colored lettering on dark
backgrounds appear larger and are easier to read.
Letter "Return" Colors
The side (“return”)
should never be the same color as the face unless the
letters are VERY large. The same color makes the
letters very hard to read.
Usually a color close
to the wall or backplate color works well.
When we design signs for you we
consider all of the variables.
32,807 painted colors are available. See "PMS Colors" below.
Jewelite Trim-cap Colors
Jewelite® trim-cap is a continuous
metal strip inside a plastic covering, making the product
much more durable than all-plastic imitators, some of
which are only ¾”.
Twenty "factory" colors and 32,807
painted colors are available.
Factory colors are: Black, Blue (Solid, Intense Blue, Brown, Bronze, 313 Bronze, Brushed Chrome, Chrome, Gold, Burgundy, Hi Green, Green (Solid), Hunter Green, Ivory, Metallic Silver, Orange, Teal, True Red, White, and Yellow.
Acrylic Colors
Cyro Acrylite® impact-modified
acrylic sheet has a 8,900 psi tensile strength, high
impact strength (0.63#/" of notch), a 90%
light-transmission ratio, and only a 1.49 refractive index
(Glass is 1.5.) In other words, it is stronger,
brighter, and clearer than the standard acrylic (unchanged
since about 1940) used by most sign companies because of
its lower cost.
Sometimes we use clear faces so that internal neon is visible. These are
often called "Open Channel" letters. Clear faces are important in these
instances so that birds do not nest in the letters.
