View videos from ISA about topics within the sign, graphics visual communications industry, including potential career paths and technical issues.
The Changing Face of Signs
Seventy-five years ago, the International Sign Association (formerly known as NESA) was founded. From the “tavern bush” to personalized digital signage, see just how far the industry has come, with ever-changing usages and applications for signs on the horizon.
Fulfilling a Dream, Together
It is the passion, artistry and expertise of professionals in the sign, graphics and visual communications professionals that bring the spirit of a business to life.
An international version of this video, “Fulfilling a Dream, Together” is also available.
Life of a Sign
Signs play an undeniable role in helping businesses succeed. People don’t know that businesses exist without signs. They don’t know what they offer—or that they are open.
That’s where the professionals in the sign and graphics industry come in, playing an important role in helping people achieve their dreams of business ownership.
Sign and graphics professionals can help create the right branding look, navigate zoning and regulations. Suppliers and manufacturers create products that help sign and graphics companies better serve the end users. In the end, an eye-catching sign is installed.
Discover a Career in the Sign & Graphics Industry
Educating, inspiring and recruiting the next generation of workers is an issue facing companies within the sign and visual communications industry. But ISA’s innovative and fast-paced video is set to become a vital outreach tool as it highlights the variety of jobs, skills and opportunities our industry has to offer. The International Sign Association produced this video as part of our long-term commitment to helping members find and keep qualified workers. The video is a highly energetic animation that targets high school, vocational and college-aged students.
We encourage you to check out this lively animation and communicate it through all your communication channels, particularly social media.
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This “Discover A Career in the Sign & Graphics Industry” video is now available in French and Spanish!
- Une Carriere dans l’Industrie de l’Enseigne des Communications Visuelles (French)
- Una Carrera en la Industria de Carteles y Mensajes Visuales (Spanish)
Custom Logo Ending
Email mmc@signs.org to receive a customizable version of the English, French or Spanish videos that you can add your company’s logo to.
5 Factors of Sign Visibility
Many factors impact the effectiveness of an individual sign. We have identified 5 of the most important: size, sign angle, location, luminance, contrast. This video introduces and explains about these five factors. Additional explanation of the science involved can be found in the technical reports linked below.
Every design choice in the construction of a sign has an impact on visibility, conspicuity, and readability. And every restriction on how a sign is built and where it is located can diminish the visibility and its effectiveness.
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ISA supports the application of good design principles to maximize visibility and to create more effective signs. ISA also opposes the imposition of aesthetic regulations on sign design without fully considering the impact of those choices on sign effectiveness.
Links for additional information:
- Federal Highway Administration Sign Visibility Research
- History of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, includes Links to 2009 MUTCD
Measuring Sign Area
One of the most common misconceptions about local sign regulations is the belief that ordinances regulate the area of permitted signs.
Very few municipal codes regulate the actual face area of signs. Instead, they often regulate an approximation of the face area of signs. This happens for several reasons; the most commonly cited is ease of administration within the permit approval process.
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The impact of this choice is that the area stated on a sign permit can differ from the measurements of the installed sign. Depending on the specific formula used to approximate the sign area calculation, the penalty can be more than 60 percent.
ISA supports the use of a measurement formula that measures the actual area of a sign. If an approximation formula is used, it should closely match the actual measurements for signs of any shape.
Sign Height
In order for a sign to be effective, it first needs to be seen. Even before color, lighting, and other design considerations, a direct line of sight to the viewer must be assured. When signs are too low to the ground, they often are blocked by other objects, like cars, pedestrians, and landscaping. This interrupts that direct line of sight.
In situations where low signs are required, special care must be taken to place those signs in the best position to be seen by potential viewers. A focus on setback location, landscaping, and placement of information on the sign face can maximize the effectiveness of a sign that has been impeded by a restrictive code.
