
Welcome to 2022. We greet every year with optimism wondering what good things the months will bring. Some of us use January as a personal ‘reset,’ perhaps changing the route we jog or editing our wardrobes to update our own personal brand. What about your business’s brand? Is it time for a refresh there, too? After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Make that first impression count! The Effectiveness of Exterior Signage You could think of on-premise, outdoor signs as the durable workhorse of all advertising types since they’re promoting your business 24/7 for years to showcase your company and brand. Exterior signs generate a strong ROI by helping define your brand while driving

Signage offers a visual and branding advertising strategy with tremendous power. Essential for building brand visibility and increasing awareness, well-designed and thoughtfully placed signage can last decades and will attract thousands of customers to a brand over time. Exterior signs stay evergreen, delivering continuous, repeated impressions to help reach business goals by: Attracting prospective customers—76% of consumers enter businesses because of the signs. Creating brand value—68% of consumers believe a business’s signs reflect the quality of its service and products. Driving impulse sales. Establishing a brand—a sign can attract up to 50% of a new business’s initial customers. Giving customers a first, and lasting, impression of a business—75% of consumers told others about businesses they noticed because of the signage.

While we don’t have a handy Magic 8 ball able to reliably predict the future, it hasn’t stopped us from making some educated guesses about next year’s signage industry trends. They include: Minimalism in design. We’ll continue to see signs focused on clean, crisp images that evoke elegance. Improved sustainability. As more companies embrace ESG (environmental, social, and governance) policies, they’re incorporating eco-friendly initiatives into their buildings, including signage construction, materials, and power. One of Metro’s recent clients, TÜV SÜD—a Germany-based company offering safety, security, and sustainability solutions—opted to use an innovative wall sign for its U.S. headquarters, for example. Metro’s partner, CityScapes, recommended the preserved moss material featured in the sign. Initially, the clients asked to use real wood

With vaccines readily available and the post-COVID landscape evolving, businesses will continue examining and creating policies to ensure the safety of their employees returning to in-person work — and the safety of customers and visitors, too. In many cases, companies have also recognized the value of offering their employees a hybrid approach: working part-time virtually and part-time in person. This strategy makes sense for companies who’ve incorporated virtual meetings as a complement to in-person meetings with clients and visitors. More than a year of remote work is challenging the way we view traditional work models. A Microsoft 2021 report found 73% respondents desiring flexible, hybrid work options after the pandemic ended, and 66% of businesses indicating a plan to redesign physical

One of the easiest ways to get recognition is to put up a sign. We’ve all seen those iconic signs that garner instant attention: The Citgo Sign in Kenmore Square, Cask ‘n Flagon next to Fenway, McDonalds’ golden arches. Target’s bullseye. A quick glance at these signs tells us immediately what store we’ve found. But these globally recognized icons—like any sign, really—needed serious planning and strategy to work effectively. Most people—even smart businesses who hire a company like Metro—don’t realize all the steps involved with designing, building, and installing signage. Adding signs requires more than simply hanging a sign on an interior wall or erecting a sign on a pole outside. Developing a signage strategy, from conceptualization through installation, often
Since the beginning of hunting and gathering, people have relied on signs for information. Very early sign markers, often just a pile of stones, helped guide people traveling through the wilderness to find game or communities. The Scots used rock cairns—Gaelic for “heap of stones”—as signposts to mark trails across the grassy moors. People living in Mongolia and the Andes Mountains used similar rock cairns to mark routes between villages and food supplies. Gradually, signs expanded to include marks left by hunters and wayfarers on rocks and trees. It’s why hikers today still rely on blazes along the Appalachian and other trails. As populations have increased, communities have grown, and technology has evolved, signage has similarly transformed. Signs have evolved

How design helps the new town center create an identity and convince target audiences to stay longer.

Presented by: HotelExecutive Author: Felicia Hyde, Hendy The “live-work-play” lifestyle is a growing priority for modern consumers. Renters and travelers alike are in search of accommodation that offers

The restaurant industry has always operated on a shoestring budget. When COVID-19 arrived in early 2020, restaurant owners and operators had to stretch budgets even further. The pandemic—and its necessary social distancing—required owners to rethink how to serve their customers, keep staff and patrons safe, and generate profit. The past 17 months haven’t been easy. With severely diminished profits—restaurants have struggled to pay their bills. According to a new survey from the Alignable Research center, nearly 40% of restaurants couldn’t pay June’s rent this year. While a slight improvement over the 49% of restaurants struggling to make rent in May, the picture remains stark for this industry in recovery. In June 2021, Congress sent an amendment to the floor that

Imagine this scene: A giant arena filled with tens of thousands of screaming fans. Bright lights flood the stage. The bass thrums from giant speakers. The colorful crowd bobs and weaves in time to the music. Or imagine a convention center. Row upon row of booths and tables create a labyrinth of paths weaving through the cavernous space. Giant industry signs hang from the ceiling, on the walls, and suspended from elaborate frames. Professionals move among the displays to network, share expertise, and learn about the latest innovations. What do these two environments share? They both see thousands of visitors at a time — millions of visitors each year. Concert goers and convention or event attendees have specific expectations, including
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