Today’s sign companies must remain current on a wide array of technical and regulatory issues relating to the sign industry, including sign component specifications, safety and environmental regulations and many more.
ISA and the Sign Research Foundation offer research white papers, economic reports and industry trends for the sign, graphics and visual communications industry to assure customers and improve sign regulations.
Click on the name of a resource below to read a description and see purchasing options. Reach out to education@signs.org with any questions.
Note: On-demand webinars are accessible only by the purchaser.
ISA Research
Explore emerging technologies that could transform the sign industry. The paper examines materials for interactive displays, AI and automation for leaner operations, and new ways consumers interact with signs. It showcases how static signs can become responsive, displaying additional information through phones and windshields when viewers look at them.
- Price: $25 for ISA members; $100 for non-members
Executive Summary of the ISA-commissioned survey provides an overview of the industry’s influence on the US economy and helps communicate its significance to government officials and stakeholders.
- Price: $0 for ISA members; $50 for non-members
Executive Summary of Keypoint Intelligence report on opportunities in graphic communications and specialty printing.
- Price: $0 for ISA members; $25 for non-members
The International Sign Association (ISA) leadership, in partnership with InfoTrends, produced a white paper to identify the benefits of innovative curing technologies with a review of both UV Cured and Latex Inkjet. Today’s sign companies are searching for new revenue sources and improved production efficiencies. New products with UV-curable and latex-based inks present a growth opportunity. The white paper’s objectives include: 1) Examining market trends and opportunities in wide format printing 2) Describing the benefits of UV curable and latex ink technologies 3) Examining two successful case studies of sign and print shops that have implemented these technologies.
- Price: $0 for ISA members; $25 for non-members
This ISA White Paper examines the growing wide format printing market, which shows a 13.1% CAGR in North America driven by aqueous single-pass and sublimation devices. Using InfoTrends data and 2016 ISA Sign Expo survey results, it identifies key opportunities and promising applications for sign, graphics and visual communications companies.
- Price: $0 for ISA members; $25 for non-members
Sign research foundation
Consumers learn, and assume, all sorts of things about a business based on its sign. This study by Dr. James Kellaris from the Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati offers a wealth of insight into consumer behavior and provides key findings for retailers.
- Price: $15 for ISA members; $20 for non-members
University of Cincinnati, 2012
Signs act as silent salespersons; branding businesses, providing information about products and services, and pointing customers to exact locations. In short, an on-premise sign’s economic impact on businesses, directly and indirectly, is significant. Researchers tackled the topic by exploring how changes in on-premise signage affect business performance. Part of the study is also focused on the impact on consumers and the surrounding community.
- Price: $30 for ISA members; $40 for non-members
University of Cincinnati, 2012 – Executive Summary
This executive summary distills our comprehensive research on how signs act as silent salespersons; branding businesses, providing information about products and services, and pointing customers to exact locations. In short, an on-premise sign’s economic impact on businesses, directly and indirectly, is significant. Researchers tackled the topic by exploring how changes in on-premise signage affect business performance. Part of the study is also focused on the impact on consumers and the surrounding community.
- Price: $15 for ISA members; $20 for non-members
University of San Diego, 1997
To help promote understanding of the value of signage to businesses and by extension, to communities, The Signage Foundation, Inc., (now the Sign Research Foundation) re-published this scientific study conducted by the University of San Diego in 1997. This study represents the first scientific research based on thorough, state-of-the-art statistical analysis, which provides clear evidence and conclusions that on-premise signage does, indeed, have a positive and significant impact on businesses and local governments.
- Price: $15 for ISA members; $20 for non-members
Full Report
This work explores the connection between high-level design practices and successful strategies for employing signs to support business success. It includes interviews with executives, consultants, designers, and fabricators to develop an overview of sign best practices in areas such as management, design integration, and case studies. The report highlights leading design-focused organizations, management strategies central to ROI, and collaborative projects. It also examines the impact of signs on various retail sectors, including restaurants, apparel, banks, convenience stores, and historic districts. The document provides insights into how effective sign design can enhance brand equity, customer experience, and overall business performance.
- Price: $30 for ISA members; $40 for non-members
Executive Summary
This summary highlights three best practices for integrating signs into a business strategy to enhance return on investment (ROI). The report also suggests that following best practices for sign legibility, quality, and uniqueness can significantly impact a business’s bottom line. It discusses the integration of signs into management efforts and overall design strategy, as well as the importance of collaboration between designers and contractors. The document includes case studies from various retail sectors, demonstrating successful strategies for increasing ROI through effective signage.
- Price: $15 for ISA members; $20 for non-members
Historic and vintage signs can rekindle fond memories of the past, transporting us to a time and place when nearly all businesses were locally-owned shops on Main Street, USA. Today, these signs represent a one-of-a-kind piece of nostalgia and art, as vivid as a neon landmark. This paper explores best practices from a variety of jurisdictions in regulating and promoting the restoration of iconic community signs. In addition, the paper covers how historic signs can promote tourism and enhance economic development.
- Price: $20 for ISA members; $30 for non-members
The mission of this project was to discover ways to change the perception of 11th Street in Tulsa, OK, through interventions in the built environment, from a negative image to a positive one. Route 66 should promote tourism but at the same time, create a destination for the people of Tulsa.
- Price: $30 for ISA members; $40 for non-members
On-Demand Webinars
In this on-demand webinar you will learn how a variety of jurisdictions regulate and promote the restoration of iconic community signs. In addition, you will learn how historic signs can promote tourism and enhance economic development. Historic and vintage signs can rekindle fond memories of the past, transporting us to a time and place when nearly all businesses were locally-owned shops on Main Street, USA. Today, these signs represent a one-of-a-kind piece of nostalgia and art, as vivid as a neon landmark. The presentation is based on the Sign Research Foundation’s article on Regulating Historic & Vintage Signs, which provides best practices from the communities featured in the presentation. Speakers include Dan Bursick, AICP planner, City of Tucson AZ; Anthony Riederer, AICP, Senior Design and Preservation Planner for Clackamas County OR, and James Carpentier, AICP, Director of Local & State Government Affairs, International Sign Association.
- Price: $10 for ISA members; $15 for non-members
Did you know that local sign ordinances can advance or deter the idea of social equity in your community? For example, in Brooklyn, NY, “Old School” large lettering and repetition generates a sense of inclusivity and openness, while brevity, wordplay and other linguistic elements of gentrifying “New School” signage signal exclusion. The authors of “What the Signs Say” will analyze two critically different types of local retail signage to help planners and local officials examine how sign regulations may contribute to inequity and exclusions. This session will incorporate ethnographic observation, interviews and storefront texts from Brooklyn, New York, to discover signage models and methods that ensure equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Price: $10 for ISA members; $15 for non-members
Tools & Resources
Your business sign is a crucial investment that can increase sales by 10% or more when properly executed. From working with sign professionals and navigating regulations to choosing effective designs and financing options, learn the essential steps to make your signage work for your business.
View videos from ISA about topics within the sign, graphics visual communications industry, including potential career paths and technical issues.
