Half the delays in sign projects come from one thing: the logo arrives as a small JPEG from a business card. Here is exactly what we need to turn a logo into a building sign, why it matters, and the sizing rules we use so the sign reads from the street. Send us these files with your inquiry and the design proof comes back faster.
1. A vector file of the logo
Signs are cut, routed and printed at sizes from 6 inches to 60 feet. A vector file (AI, EPS, SVG or a vector PDF) scales to any size with clean edges; a JPEG or PNG turns into blurry steps when enlarged. If you only have a JPEG, we can redraw the logo as vector — it adds a day and a small fee, and you get a file you will use for years.
How to tell: open the file and zoom in. If the edges stay sharp at 800%, it is vector. If they blur, it is not.
2. Your colors as Pantone or CMYK values
A screen shows color with light; a sign is paint, vinyl or acrylic in daylight. “The blue on our website” has no exact match in vinyl. Pantone (PMS) numbers do. If you have brand guidelines, send them; if not, we match the closest vinyl or paint and show you physical swatches before fabrication.
3. The font, or the letters outlined
If the logo uses a typeface, either send the font file or ask your designer to “convert text to outlines” before exporting. Otherwise the sign software substitutes a different font and the letters change shape.
4. A photo of the building, straight on
We mock the sign up on your actual fascia, wall or window so you approve the real thing, not a drawing. Include something for scale — a door, a person — and shoot from across the street if you can.
5. The landlord’s sign criteria
Shopping centers and office buildings usually have a document listing allowed letter heights, colors, illumination and mounting. Getting it up front avoids a redesign after the landlord’s review.
Sizing rules we use
- Legibility: roughly 1 inch of letter height for every 10 feet of viewing distance. Letters that must read from 100 feet across a parking lot should be about 10 inches tall; from a freeway, several feet.
- Stroke width: for illuminated channel letters the letter strokes need enough width to fit LED modules — thin script fonts often have to be modified or backed onto a panel.
- Code limits: the Los Angeles sign code limits total wall-sign area based on your street frontage. We calculate the allowed area before design so the permit passes the first time — see sign permits.
- Contrast: a logo that works on white paper may vanish on a beige stucco wall. A backer panel or a contrasting return color fixes it.
What the logo becomes
The same vector file produces every sign you will need: dimensional letters for the building, an acrylic lobby sign inside, vehicle graphics on the van, window graphics on the storefront. Consistent files mean consistent colors across all of them.
Frequently asked questions
I only have the logo on my website. Can you use it? We can redraw it as vector from a clear screenshot; you approve the redraw before anything is made.
Can you design a logo? We refine logos for signage and can design simple wordmarks; for a full brand identity we will point you to a designer and then build the signs.
What file do I get back? The final sign drawings, and the vector logo if we redrew it — yours to keep.
Send your files to hello@gblsigns.com, upload them here, or call (818) 723-4047.