Eye-catching commercial signs play an integral role in attracting patrons to businesses and increasing annual revenues. Signs with a vintage flair can evoke a sense of nostalgia, potentially attracting more people to your products and services. Below, you’ll learn more about what types of businesses can benefit from retro signs, and how to use design elements to achieve a beautiful result. 

“Vintage” Defined 

“Vintage” typically refers to clothing, objects, and designs made anywhere from 20 to 100 years ago. People often enjoy feeling a sense of the past, whether they lived through a particular time period, as it generates warmth and historical significance. 

Vintage commercial signs are appropriate for barbershops, diners, and cafes, as these types of settings can naturally call to mind bygone eras. However, more modern businesses, such as tech companies, might incorporate retro design elements into signage to show an evolution from the past to the present. 

Retro Design Elements

Minimalism is key to vintage designs for commercial signs. Two-dimensional graphics, two or three colors, and simple wording will correspond accurately with signage from pre-computer decades. A distressed look will make your sign appear weathered in an aesthetically pleasing way. Consider scratched tin or splintered wood with worn edges to achieve a broken-in and warm effect for the background. 

Using vintage fonts for your business name and slogan can make your signage feel like it’s from another time period. Calligraphy typefaces are a good all-around choice for achieving an old-school aesthetic, thanks to their elaborate, hand-written scripts. Art Deco fonts call to mind the roaring 20s and turn-of-the-century modernism, while curvy bubble fonts invoke the “flower child” era of the 60s and 70s.

Color Scheme

Vintage-inspired signage often has slightly dull or washed out colors to mimic natural fading over the years. Black and white is a popular combination due to its ability to make virtually anything look like an instant classic. However, if you want to use color, choose muted shades and hues with sepia undertones that offer age-old warmth and timelessness. 

Boost your sales and increase foot traffic with sign services from M & J Signs, LLC. They provide colorful and engaging custom signs to commercial clients throughout Elm Creek, NE. Call (308) 293-0101 to get started on a sign design, and visit the website to learn more about classic and contemporary options for commercial signs.