North America is host to some wild weather. This continent sees everything from blazing high-desert sun to tropical hurricanes to frigid polar vortexes. Obviously, our first concern is staying safe and healthy regardless of what the weather throws at us.
After that, it’s worth thinking about your outdoor signs and vehicle wraps, and what effect the weather might be having on them. The durability of your outdoor signs will vary depending on several factors:
- Materials used. Outdoor signs can be fabricated from many materials. While it’s true that materials like stone and brick will stand up to the elements for years, they may not be appropriate for every business. Materials like acrylics will need more frequent maintenance.
- Local climate. Every area has unique weather to consider. If you’re in the Southwest, humidity likely isn’t an issue for you, but the constant sun and high heat are. Businesses located in coastal areas benefit from beautiful weather and lots of tourism, but their commercial signs are exposed to saltwater in the air.
- Temperature range. Wide swings in temperature – say, from 0° Fahrenheit in winter to 90° in the summer – are much harder on exterior business signs and vehicle wraps than consistent temperatures.
- Human factors. In cold climates that receive a lot of snow and ice, salt is often sprinkled on roads for safety reasons. While this is to the benefit of drivers, it can be very rough on your wraps.
Here are a few ways you can tell if your outdoor signs, vehicle wraps, or wayfinding signs need a refresh.
- Outdoor sign colors have faded and are no longer crisp and vibrant. Color is such an important aspect of your brand – your commercial signs should match as precisely as possible to your brand’s color values.
- Visitors are having trouble reading your wayfinding signs and getting to their destination quickly. This can become a real problem when you have a larger facility or a business complex with multiple offices and tenants.
- Your fleet’s vehicle wraps show signs of wear. Some of the symptoms to watch out for include tears and holes, dirt and grime accumulating under the surface, graphics abrasion and scratching, and sub-surface rust.
