Signage is an essential feature of any new commercial development, but just when should you install commercial signs?

There are a couple of factors to take into account when making your decision – although as a general rule of thumb, it’s never too early to install commercial signs.

At worst, you’ll raise so much awareness that customers might expect you to be open for business sooner than you actually intend to be, which is no bad thing – either they will come back when you are ready for them, or else you haven’t lost any actual business anyway.

The best outcome, of course, is that even during the construction phase, the local customer base get to know what is being built, which can build a real buzz around the opening date, especially for big-name stores.

One factor to keep in mind is whether you have any temporary building site signs erected in the meantime, as you possibly don’t want to send out mixed messages.

If your construction site fence is wrapped with advertising and information about the project, then it might make sense to buy your permanent commercial signage so it’s ready for installation, but only erect it towards the end of the construction phase.

This scenario would make standalone signs like totem signs into one of the finishing touches for the site, so you would want to erect them just before the building site fences come down.

At the same time, you can install flex face signs over the doorways of the finished commercial premises, along with any window vinyls and driveway stone works as appropriate.

There’s a degree of personal preference of course – if you want a sign up to start spreading the word about your development, then go for it – but it’s certainly never too early to make enquiries and place your order for signage, so it will definitely be ready in time for your grand opening.