7 Reasons You Might Need a Sign Variance
For many business owners, hanging an unobtrusive sign on the front of their place of business seems like no big deal. But in the eyes of your local government, you could be breaking the law. Before hanging any sign, it’s very important to check with your local municipality to ensure you comply with all requirements. And depending on the type or placement of your signage, you may need to apply for a variance – or legal exception from the code.
According to the International Signage Association, here are 7 of the most common reasons you might have to apply for a signage variance:
1. Permitted signage would not be able to be easily seen by passing motorists in one or both directions because existing buildings, trees, traffic (particularly large trucks), or other obstructions would block it from view.
2. Permitted signage could not be seen by passing motorists in time to safely react and stop at the business.
3. Existing signs on nearby parcels would substantially reduce the visibility or advertising impact of a conforming sign on your parcel.
4. Construction of a conforming sign would block motorists’ view of the road or otherwise endanger the health or safety of passers-by.
5. Natural land features would have to be removed or severely altered if a conforming sign was constructed (such as removal of trees, alteration of the natural topography, filling of wetlands, or obstruction of a natural drainage course).
6. Variance from certain sign regulations would be offset by increased building setback, increased landscaping, or other such enhancements, so that the overall effect would make the parcel look much better than it would if the sign was built according to code.
7. A taller or larger sign than allowed by the code would be more appropriate in scale because of the large size or frontage of the parcel or building.
When applying, you should be able to explain in detail the reason why you have selected this particular sign design, demonstrate how the sign will help your business and the local community, how it will improve the appearance of your property and any other benefits that may result.
Navigating this process is tricky business, but remember the sign experts at your local Signs By Tomorrow are always available to help guide you.
Give and Take: 5 Steps to Getting Your Business Involved in Community Service
Did you know April was National Community Service Month? According to the Corporation for National Community Service, volunteers provide a powerful economic and social benefit to communities across the nation. But just as in your personal life, the benefits you get by giving of your time can make volunteering professionally as rewarding for you as for those you’re helping. From making connections to bolstering your reputation in the community, corporate community service can have a positive impact on your bottom line as well as on the people or groups you’re supporting.
With this win-win scenario, it’s no wonder that research from the National Conference on Citizenship shows the national volunteer rate reached a five-year high in 2012. So if you’re looking for ways your business can get involved in community service, here are 5 ideas to get you started:
1. Research Your Options. There are numerous online resources you can use to find volunteer opportunities in your local community, including Serve.gov, Volunteer.gov and Volunteer Match. Also consider options that align with your business, whether that’s donating professional services or supporting a non-profit that’s also a client.
2. Know What You Have to Give. What’s realistic in terms of what you can offer: One time support from one person? Multiple days with larger groups of volunteers? Regular weekly or monthly support? Different organizations need different levels of commitment so be clear from the start about your availability and make sure it meets their needs.
3. Make It a Group Effort. Volunteering with others is personally enriching but can also strengthen connections with customers and staff. In fact, promoting your company as being committed to community service can be a great way to attract new employees as well as clients.
4. Be a Virtual Volunteer. If you have a computer and the necessary skills you could lend a hand to a local organization over the computer, or offer to participate in advisory sessions via the phone or video conferencing.
5. Serve On a Board. If you really want to give back, consider serving on a board for a local non-profit. Contact an organization you feel passionately about to see if there are board openings, or turn to online resources like Monster’s boardnetUSA.
Don’t let April pass you by without getting out and volunteering for National Community Service Month!
“Top Jobs” Announced
For the first time ever, Signs By Tomorrow partnered with leading trade publication Wide-Format Imaging to present its annual “Top Jobs” awards, given out at the company’s national meeting. Open to all SBT franchise members to honor and recognize the best of the best of custom signage, this year’s grand prize winner will receive a cover feature in an upcoming issue of Wide-Format Imaging while category winners will each receive coverage plus $200.
This year’s “Top Jobs” winners are:
Most Prestigious and Best in Show: Mary Lou Goehrung, SBT Rockville, MD
Winning the Most Prestigious category, SBT Rockville also captured the grand prize with their work for the World Basketball Festival, which hosted representatives from 10 different nations at the Washington, DC Armory last July. Mary Lou and her talented crew provided 45 large format fabric banners (10’ x 15’) and sprayed each one for fire retardancy. But the work didn’t stop there – SBT Rockville also delivered fabric frame systems, 3D routed letters, hundreds of feet of floor graphics and the fabrication of 12” wide, floating, hollow, self-standing letters that were – what else? – lighted!
Large Scale/High Impact: Gary Schellerer, SBT Bloomingdale, IL
Talk about stopping traffic. Gary and his staff at SBT Bloomingdale literally did just that with graphics they produced as part of the biggest public art installation in Chicago. In just two weeks, despite having to work with over 70,000 square feet of vinyl, four different types of material and an occasional downpour from Mother Nature, SBT Bloomingdale transformed a bustling city intersection into a 3-D multimedia explosion.
Design and Craftsmanship: Scotty Hager, SBT Richmond, VA
Scotty and his team at SBT Richmond set the bar high in the competition by creating a beautiful acrylic stand-off sculpture to recognize donors at James Madison University. Comprised of nine 96”-high acrylic panels of gradually narrowing width, each panel is engraved and bent to produce curves and waves, then mounted on a stainless steel track on a curved wall and suspended with braided steel cables.
Congratulations to all the winners and entrants, and let us know if you have an upcoming project you think could be one of next year’s Top Jobs!
Halloween Ghosts, Goblins, Stats and Sales — Oh My!
Americans love a good party, and according to RetailWire, Halloween is the third largest party day in the US behind New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday!
And leading market research firm IBISWorld ranks Halloween as the sixth largest retail sales holiday, behind Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day. Any way you look at it, the approximately $6 billion a year spent at Halloween is frighteningly relevant for retailers, with many considering Halloween spending a predictor of sales for the upcoming holiday season.
The good news is, as shown in the chart below from the National Retail Federation, average Halloween spending per person has been on the rise since 2009.
So what does this mean for retailers? If you are not positioning your retail business as a key supplier of Halloween items, you are missing out – and that’s a terrifying thought! Don’t let missed sales haunt you; here are some ideas to help ensure you scare up your share of this year’s Halloween sales.
Product Add-Ons
Even if your core business is in a completely unrelated retail segment, consider bringing in seasonal items customers can add on to their regular purchases – or that may entice customers to stop in who otherwise might not. Pet supply store - why not sell those cute little pet costumes? Trendy apparel store? Add some of this season’s hottest Halloween accessories to your offerings this month. And for virtually any business, a temporary candy display at the register is a sure winner.
Popping Up Sales
If you really want to get ambitious, you can always consider a Halloween pop-up store or kiosk. Last year the Chicago Tribune reported that the number of temporary stores dedicated to Halloween merchandise rose an estimated 8 percent in 2011 from 2010. If you are already a retailer, it may be worth the extra effort to open a seasonal location to really stake your claim on Halloween.
Shout It From the Rooftop
Or the window, or walls, or display windows – wherever potential Halloween shoppers are likely to get their first impression of you!
Whether you are launching a pop-up store or just decorating your main location for the season, Signs By Tomorrow has custom signage and graphics to get you noticed. From creative three-dimensional custom promotional displays to oversized fabric banners, your local Signs By Tomorrow signage center can help you generate the curb appeal you need to capture your share of seasonal sales.
And don’t forget your store’s interior: indoor custom signs and graphics can be an affordable and effective way of directing shoppers to seasonal displays or encouraging additional sales at point-of-purchase.
Regardless of your strategy this Halloween season, we wish you lots of treats, no tricks, and spooky good sales to kick off your holiday season!
It’s Not Easy Being Green
‘Green’ Printing from Signs By Tomorrow
In the infamous words of one Kermit the Frog, it most certainly is not easy being green, but at Signs By Tomorrow, your custom signage and graphics solutions partner, we are taking small steps to make a big change for the better.
From equipping our graphics and signage centers with eco-friendly large format digital printers to participating in programs to recycle printer waste and used customer media, our corporate focus is on switching to sustainable operations wherever possible. We still have a long way to go, and we hope you’ll join us on the journey to continue to make this planet a better place for all of us.
In the meantime, this Earth Month we want to give special acknowledgment to some of our signage centers that go the extra mile to be green in their local communities:
