Step out onto almost any UK high street on a Saturday morning and the pavement tells its own story: a row of A-boards, swing signs and poster frames all fighting for the same few seconds of a passer-by's attention. The choice of Outdoor Advertising Boards really is about which of those seconds a business wants to win. Which format to choose is more important than most shop owners expect going in.
A lot more than most people think goes in this category. A-boards, swing signs, poster frames and hoardings are all under the same umbrella but each is appropriate to a different type of business and location. A mistake that is common and easy to avoid is picking the wrong style for the setting.
A-boards, otherwise known as sandwich boards, are still the most common option on British high streets. They fold flat for storage, set up in seconds every morning and usually hold a printed poster behind a snap-open frame or anti-glare cover. Cafés and restaurants love it for daily specials, because you can change the insert easily within minutes without tools.
The outdoor life of the board depends on what material is used. Aluminium frames don't rust and are light enough to carry in and out each day, which matters for businesses that bring signage inside overnight. Wooden A-boards tend to have a more traditional look which works well in pubs, boutique cafes and independent shops but generally require more maintenance to keep them weather resistant than a powder-coated metal frame.
Before buying you might want to consider wind resistance, especially if you are in an exposed or coastal location. This is why swing signs have been popular for decades as a flat A-board can act like a sail in a strong gust. Instead of resisting it, their panel is free-hanging in a metal frame, rocking with the wind. A base that can be filled with water or sand keeps the whole unit stable without having to bolt it down.
Poster frames provide another type of flexibility and is a format to consider apart from other Outdoor Advertising Boards if a business runs frequent promotions. Instead of a solid printed panel, they hold a paper or vinyl poster behind a protective cover, which makes updating a seasonal promotion or a change of opening hours much cheaper than reprinting an entire board. Businesses that run frequent promotions, such as estate agents or gyms, are likely to favour this format, specifically because the insert is disposable and the frame is not.
Larger format hoardings and free-standing advertising boards are more suitable for businesses that are further away from the pavement such as those on a forecourt or behind a car park. These need a more solid base and depending on their size and location may be subject to local planning regulations in a way that a small pavement sign would not be. Make sure you check with the local council before installing anything bigger than a standard A-board to avoid an unwelcome removal notice further down the track.
Visibility is not only a matter of size. Big, plain text looks better from a distance than a busy design full of info. Contrast between the text and background matters more on a grey UK street than most people realize. Too wordy, and your boards are often skipped over entirely. A short, concise message with a strong call to action can stop people in their tracks.
It's more effective to use a variety of formats than to rely on just one sign. A café might have a chalkboard A-board right outside the door listing the day's specials, and a fixed poster frame a little further down the pavement advertising a loyalty scheme or upcoming event. This way there are two individual reasons for people passing by to stop, instead of one crowded board trying to say it all at once.
Given the budget and type of business, it is usually obvious to choose from the available outdoor advertising boards. A cafe with changing daily specials may want a chalkboard or an A-board with interchangeable posters. A shop with seasonal sales may prefer a snap frame poster board. A business in a windy or coastal location is usually better off with a swing sign. The difference between a sign that pays its way, and one that goes into a storeroom to gather dust, is usually matching the format to the real conditions outside the door, rather than choosing whatever looks smartest in a catalogue photo.
Conclusion:
Outdoor signage works best when it is chosen for that particular street, weather and message that a business really needs, not as one generic product. A-boards, swing signs and poster frames are all designed to solve a slightly different problem and the time it takes to match the format to the location pays off much more in the long run than the sign's price tag might suggest.