Neon Signs - For Business Signs With Atmosphere

Neon signs have been going strong for the last 100 years as the top choice in the signage industry. Their bright inviting glow and infinite possibilities of shape and design have allowed for ever more creative signs vying for attention in the bright lights of Broadway and city centers worldwide. However, now there is a challenger on the scene - LED display signs are being advertised as the signage medium of the future. So what do neon signs have to offer that LEDs can't yet provide?

Artistic

First of all neon aesthetic signs have artistic flexibility and flow that LEDs haven't yet matched. They are made from glass tubes that can be bent into any curve, shape, or loop in a continuous line of light, for any custom-made design imaginable. LED signs tend to be made up of dots of lights joining up to create the design, so are less flowing and artistic in design.

Retro appeal

Any business that has a clientele with retro sensibilities will want to stick with neon, which has its own timeless appeal. Once neon was the wave of the future and equated with all that was modern - now ironically it is often the choice of those looking for the good old days, who want signs with atmosphere, rather than the cooler, more clinical, and sharp light of LED signs.

Colors

While LEDs have a huge range of colors to choose from the general consensus is that the colors in neon signs are warmer and more inviting. The nature of neon is that there is a softer blur or halo of light around the tube, giving the colors soft edges, whereas LEDs have a much crisper edge to the light. One is not better than the other, it just depends on the effect you are looking for, and which you will prefer.

Long-lasting

Good quality LED and neon signs are fairly even on the longevity front, both having about 10 years of bright life in them. The main difference is that LEDs will gradually lose brightness over the years, reaching the 'half light' stage after about ten years; neon signs will shine just as brightly for the whole of their life, burning out altogether when they finally do fail.

Energy consumption

Advocates of LEDs over neon will cite reduced energy consumption as an enormous advantage in their favor. This is true, especially when you are running large signs or a whole raft of them. In that case, energy consumption does become a real factor. But if you are talking about one or two smaller signs, the difference in consumption is in cents rather than dollars, so it does not have to be a deciding factor.

At the end of the day, a choice depends on the application and personal preference. There is plenty of life in neon yet and it still makes up a large part of the business sign market, so go ahead and choose neon if you are looking for signs with atmosphere.

Tec-Know Signage specializes in supplying signs wholesale to the Australian market and neighboring countries.

Check out their LED lightboxes, neon signs, display signs, and banner stands, as well as all the tools, hardware, and electrical components to make the graphic producer's work easier, faster, and safer.

Attracting Business With Neon Signs

One of the best ways to attract walk-in or drive-around traffic to a small business is with a neon sign. There's something charming about the way a neon sign looks at night. Maybe it's a feeling of nostalgia, maybe it's something about the way they catch the eye, but there's no doubt that a neon sign can attract customers.

The beautiful thing about neon signs is that they are almost infinitely customizable. They can be designed in pretty much any color and shape imaginable. In addition, due to the nature of the design of a neon sign, they are actually very reliable, and a business can usually get many, many years of service out of one neon light.

Neon signs are great for mounting in windows or inside the place of business. From simple, text-only 'OPEN' signs to signs to signs with graphics and the name of a business, there are definitely signs for any and every application. In addition, signs can be ordered that flash, drawing attention to them, or if a person wishes, signs can even be ordered that have two or three frames of animation, drawing even more customers.

What gives this type of sign its unique charm? The design is complex and it's something that isn't seen much anymore. These signs are still mostly handcrafted, and they consist of glass tubes filled with gases that glow when electricity is applied to them. It is the combination of the color of the glass and the type of gas used in the tube that gives each neon tube its unique color. It is a craft that not many people participate in anymore, and as such, neon signs have become even more popular as the people who make them become rarer and rarer.

Any small business, whether it be a bowling alley, a small restaurant, a bar, a pool hall, or even a small retail store can definitely attract customers by utilizing neon lights in their design. As said earlier, there is just something magical about the warm glow of a neon light, and that majestic glow can definitely attract new customers. Imagine walking down a street in a big city and seeing nothing but the dull grays and browns of the buildings and streets lit by standard white lights. Boring. Now, imagine walking down that street in that same town and seeing a brightly colored sign a few across the street making it perfectly clear that there's a business open and waiting to serve whoever walks in their doors. A person will naturally be drawn to that, and that is why a neon sign is a great investment for a business.