Opportunity: A customer is looking for a monument signⁱ for their new shopping center.

Challenge: Although you know your way around pylons, channel letters and wall cabinets, you’re a bit apprehensive on where to start on a monument sign design.

Solution: A guide to the basics of designing monument signs.

 

The following is a short, concise design guide for designers who wish to expand their talents into the arena of monument sign design. Before we begin, however, you should have a working knowledge of the following:

 STEP 1: Gathering Data

If your salesperson has done a good jobⁱ with their consultative fact finding, you will be presented with a plethora of information on what the customer is looking for and what the city or county will allow. There are two basic questions that need to be answered before you canⁱ begin the design process.
 

1)      Based on where the sign will be located on the property, what is the overall height that the city or county will allow?

2)      Regarding square footage, does the sign code include the base as part of the overall allowed square footage? (or do they count only the sign face area)
 

These two questions provide the parameters that you must design within. There are a plethora of other details that you will need; photos in scale, artwork and references to the architecture of the building. The survey data necessary for a monument sign is similar to what is needed for a set of channel letters or a wall cabinet.

 

STEP 2: Understand Monument Components

I have created a simple drawing of the components that make up a typical monument sign. (See Illustration A) The cap, the cabinet or main body of the sign, the base, foundation and support. These components comprise the basics of most monument signs. Your creativity is all that’s needed to make it visually interesting while still being readable and buildable.
 

The goal (in most cases) is to create a layoutⁱ that complements the style and feel of the building. Spend a little time looking closely at the components and features of the brickwork, entryways, rooflines and column treatments. It’s customary to incorporate some part of this into your design.

In the fictitious example I’ve created, the city sign code parameters are as follows:

I am using a 3/8" scale for my drawing. The customer asked to see the design with an LED message center and three tenant panels for secondary anchorⁱ stores. The remaining six tenant names will be displayed in rotation on the LED board. I designed the top cap to resemble the roof line of the main entrance to this imaginary mall.
 

Next, I incorporated the primary tenant's logo, the LED board and the tenant panels. The manufacturer of the LED board along with the customers' budget will dictate the type and size of the display you will use. Each manufacturer has unique “standard sizes” and mounting requirements that you will need to take note of. A quick call to the supplier will provide you most of the information you’ll need.

 

STEP 3: Don’t Overdesign

This is one mistake that every new monument designer falls victim to. Some of the most effective sign designs are basic, simple and stylish. They reflect the look, feel, colors and style of the building without looking like “Frank Lloyd Wright goes to Vegas”.

 

DOUBLE CHECK

At this point in the design process, it’s important to double check the following:

STEP 4: Bases

Here lies the most challenging part of the design process. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the base can make or break a design depending on what it’s made of and its proportions to the rest of the sign. Brick, stone, treated wood, aluminum, faux marble; the options are endless.

 

STEP 5: Foundations

I’m not an engineer, and you probably are not either. How do you design a monument sign without knowing precisely how big the foundation needs to be? Should I use a 4" or 6" pipe? There are plenty of charts and graphs available on the internet to determine wind load and pipe size. I like to over-engineer my designs to accommodate possible future engineering changes. The engineer will dictate the exact requirements to support the sign and indicating “see engineering specifications” will allow you to proceed with the design without worrying about what’s underground. I use a standard foundation/caisson graphic to illustrate what the foundation may look like, per the engineer's recommendation. The more of these you do, the better you will estimate what pipe size will be required.

 

STEP 6: Specifications

Be thorough in your dimensioning and specifications, but don’t go overboard. There is a difference between an estimation drawing and a fabrication drawing. Estimation drawings give the estimator enough info to calculate a price and basic information for landlords or city inspectors to review on how the sign will be fabricated and installed.

I show overall dimensions, letter heights and basic informational callouts. Then all that’s left is to add in some highlighting, shading, sky and landscaping clipart and you’re presentation is ready to go. (See Illustration C)

 

CONCLUSION

This introduction is designed to help you jump in and get your feet wet. Spend time looking at monument signs in the field. Schedule to meet up with the service crew and take a look inside a few monuments. What is used for the interior framework? What do saddles look like? How do they attach steel to aluminum? What is the pipe size used for a 10' sign, a 20' sign? Take photos, ask questions, learn as much as you can by observing how monument signs are constructed, where the seams are and where do the birds like to make their nests?

It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and try a few monument designs of your own. Have some fun, experiment with fictitious layouts in your spare time; you never know when you might get the opportunity to convert one of your practice designs into a paying job.