# Favorite sign styles?



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

I'm curious to know if and what preference people might have for their haunts (their own, or even those of others). I'm not referring to whether it's made of wood, foam, etc., but more of the graphic and design styles, though I'm kind of curious on the type of sign material, or three dimensional aspect too.

Does it vary depending on the haunt or actual haunt theme, where the haunt is located, or...
I tend to think from the commercial end of things, stuff that will be mass produced in tiny to huge sizes (business card or smaller to billboards and large signs) and all of the color spaces (black & white, grayscale, spot color, full color), where and when will it be seen, etc. So my process is different than most people's.

Any thoughts?


----------



## Fiend4Halloween (Aug 28, 2008)

...........guess not!


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Lol.


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I dont think people think enough about their fonts and visibility. A lot of those cool script or stylized Halloween fonts are actually quite un-readable on a tombstone, in semi-darkness...


----------



## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

I think it depends on the sign usage. For me, I find that if you expect the reader to see it from a distance to make sure the letters are large enough to read. Also, have a fair degree of contrast between the lettering and the background will make it easier to read. 

A perfect example is when I see hand made signs on the side of the road for a garage sale or trying to sell something. Many times its hard to read because of the small lettering, poor contrast or even the thin lettering.

I made a sign for one of my props and used a creepy font with thick black lettering on a white poster board. It's easily seen from the street. I know this coloring doesn't work well for tombstones and such. Just offering my perspective.


----------



## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

If nothing else Fontgeek - you have made me think a little more about making everything match up on the night!


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

I know it's easy to get "stuck" on a font, especially for things like holidays.
We think everyone will be able to read something because we know what the sign, flyer, etc. says.
And yes, size matters. The DMV and DOT state that lettering for license plates needs to be at least 4 inches tall to be readable at 40', and that's with the vehicle standing still, and with simple lettering styles and in good conditions.
For us, haunters, we need to be realistic in how and where our stuff will be seen, and how it will be produced/reproduced. As Lunitic ponted out contrast is important, but not just in color, but in lettering styles too. If we use the same lettering style for everything (the date, time, cost, address, etc.) it becomes a case of "the boy who cried wolf" instead of drawing attention to everything, the readers tend to get numb or bored, and they either blow off reading your stuff, or they don't remember the very things you want them to retain. Keeping your font selections readable and and consistant, while keeping the contrast between the title and the info text will help you create good, working signs, fliers, etc. Using something fancy but readable and recognizable for the heading/title, while using simpler for the body text/information text, helps make it easier for the reader to understand and retain what they are seeing in your work.
Consider the smallest and simplest version of your logo art, and think with that in mind when you go to design stuff. If you know it's going to be used at a tiny size for business cards, calling cards, tickets, etc., then designing something that only works and is readable when it's huge just makes your job that much tougher to do.
While I love color, few of us doing small or home haunts can afford to do flyers, etc. in multiple colors. So, if you're trying for a consistant look that will work for all of the different mediums (flyers, websites, T-shirts, etc.) consider doing the basic design as a black and white image rather than in full color. You can always make fancier, color versions from a good black and white image, but often times it's much more difficult make a full color design look good in simple one color/black and white layouts/designs.


----------



## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Consistency is good...don't want the haunt looking creepy and the sign looking like a fairy tale. Beyond that, I always like a bunch of contrasting colors, GITD paint, fluorescents, blood drips, etc. Hit it with a bit of blacklight or a strobe to really set it off.

That being said, I don't really have a sign...figure people already see it for what it is, no need for a sign. Kind of like those 'Warning Fog' signs...do I really need a sign to tell me I can't see the road?!?! I think not seeing the road is warning enough!


----------



## nimblemonkey (Aug 21, 2011)

I usually think about font styles if I'm designing a sign to announce the haunt- then I would use something appropriate for the theme of that years haunt. Actually this year, I had a neighbor volunteer to make a sign for my Motel 666 haunt and while it was quite a departure from what I would have done, (she made it with creepy blood drippy letters) it worked out just fine and the kids enjoyed it. It was just a color printout mod podged to a black painted board with tealight candles attached along the top. Sorry didn't take a pic of it. 
In 2014 I will be doing a haunted hunting cabin for the theme and will probably make a more detailed sign (maybe 2 dimensional rather than flat) using a font that looks like logs or branches. I only have to name the cabin (like "camp bucksnort" or something) and can use a flat image for the big sign out front. Since this is a local haunt I don't have to worry about designing business cards or letterhead so my font can be detailed as it will be produced in a fairly large size for viewing.


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

two dimensional is flat, three dimensional gives you depth.
The log style fonts might work well for this, maybe having human heads and or limbs mounted (like you would a deer head) on either side of the text. Glowing red eyes in the head(s) would really make them stand out.
I'll be curious to see what you come up with.


----------



## nimblemonkey (Aug 21, 2011)

Sorry- meant three dimensional- the mounted heads are a good idea- I was putting those inside the cabin but on the sign would give them a hint at what might be inside.


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Maybe hanging shrunken heads? A lot depends upon the flavor or particular twist you want to put on your haunt theme. Animal heads and or human heads that look like they are possessed (glowing eyes, blood running from the mouth, etc.), demonic looking weapons, a witches coven (ala MacBeth), or even humorous things like Sponge Bob, Barney or Elmo's head mounted on the sign or wall. Heck, maybe even turn the tables on all of the children's fairy tales, and have the "innocents" (Hansel & Gretel, the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.) Stuffed and mounted.


----------



## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

I think a lot of times creative minded people get caught up on stuff looking cool rather than actually functioning to convey information. We have a haunt in our market that every year puts up billboards that are packed full of images, text, and information so when traveling down the road at 65 mph, you're lucky if you catch the name of the haunt or the website!

Clean, simple, and clear are the way to go.

:jol:


----------



## provprops (Jun 18, 2014)

My father had poor eyesight. I would do my first rough draft business card size, print it out, and show it to him to see if everything was legible. He would look at font style, font size, color contrast, and etc... once it was set to where he could read it easily, I would scale it up to the full size banner. It always helped having him look everything over because since I put it together I saw everything clearly. 100% of the time once I went to full scale after dad looked at it, all of the artwork and lettering popped. With his vision, if he could read it and understand everything, people of all ages were able to see everything clearly as well.


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

provprops said:


> My father had poor eyesight. I would do my first rough draft business card size, print it out, and show it to him to see if everything was legible. He would look at font style, font size, color contrast, and etc... once it was set to where he could read it easily, I would scale it up to the full size banner. It always helped having him look everything over because since I put it together I saw everything clearly. 100% of the time once I went to full scale after dad looked at it, all of the artwork and lettering popped. With his vision, if he could read it and understand everything, people of all ages were able to see everything clearly as well.


Very good idea!


----------



## Lord Homicide (May 11, 2012)

Sign selection, as well as fonts, should be a visual supplement and provide a certain feel to the project that surrounds it. Signs of any kind should marry up with what can be seen and be easily read from 30'-0" away.

Study the layout of Disneyland. No one really notices how small it is because of clever layout. You can be in frontier land, look around and not see any other ground-level portion of the park that takes away from that theme.


----------



## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

As to readability and distance, you need to look at the location for the sign and how it would be seen as well as when it would be seen. If it is a sign meant for traffic going by at 25 MPH you can get away with quite a bit, however, if the traffic will be cruising by at 40-50 MPH your sign needs to be fairly big and very easy to read and understand in the split second a passing driver would have to see it. Making the design fit your theme/haunt is helpful for branding, but only as long as the intended viewers can actually see and read it.


----------

