Question of the Month: What role does signage play in opening up your new retail destination? - by Richard Poyant

Question: What role does signage play in opening up your new retail destination?

Case Study: Jordan’s Furniture, The Maine Mall 

Signage plays a key role in showcasing your retail store’s brand image and drawing new customers into your door. It is important to develop a vibrant, fresh, and inviting branding package to let shoppers know you are open for business. Signs can be a major indicator to prospective customers that a new and exciting retail destination is opening up in their area. 

It is important to understand how to make the most out of your sign package.

There are multiple factors to consider, including:

• Keep it Consistent, Visible and Legible – Your “streetscape” is your “first impression” and must project and maintain the powerful image you want the public to have of your retail location.

• Tell Your Own Unique Story – Consider what your customers will value about your location, upon opening something new. Determine what they will like about the products and services that you offer and leverage those characteristics in the design. This will help to maintain your strong and successful brand for years to come.

• Design – One of the most important factors for a brand is the design development. Your design must make a commanding statement. A design that can be read and understood with a quick glance will create the most effective sign. Keep it simple. 

A well-researched and well-engineered branding program promotes a better visitor experience, improves traffic patterns to your location, and reflects your overall brand image.

In 2019, Poyant was approached by Jordan’s Furniture to assist in opening their new retail location at The Maine Mall in South Portland, ME. The project was destined to become the largest furniture store in Maine. Poyant worked directly with John Hanley (operations) and his team on several aspects of the project to ensure a successful outcome. This included permitting, design and engineering, manufacturing, and installation. This work aligned with Jordan’s brand standards, highlighting their signature logo and colors. 

Poyant’s team of signage and branding experts collaborated to meet the following goals for this project:

• Maintain the Jordan’s Furniture brand standards and image while creating inviting signage for their new South Portland location.

• Proper placement of signage to ensure visitors can identify the store from multiple mall entrance points.

• Use exterior signage and graphics to highlight Jordan’s exciting indoor ropes course – a major new attraction.

Focusing on these goals, the Poyant team began work on a large, comprehensive signage package that would be visible throughout the shopping mall. Branding elements included three sets of exterior halo-lit/face-lit channel letters, one set of interior face-lit channel letters, two new 23’ tall pylons, a refurbished multi-tenant pylon, and an exterior window mural. 

All channel letters read “Jordan’s Furniture” with their brand colors. The largest channel letter set is 18’ tall and includes a pair of 62’ long decorative stripes that were installed to both the left and the right of the sign, adding further dimension to the exterior of the building. The interior channel letters were placed above the interior entrance of the store. In addition, a total of three pylons were refurbished. The two original “Maine Mall” pylons were replaced with new “Jordan’s Furniture” pylons. The third pylon was a multi-tenant, which was reconfigured to include a Jordan’s header cabinet and other tenants below. Lastly, a window mural was installed above one of the main store entrances, highlighting their new indoor ropes course – the largest in the state of Maine. 

Overall, this signage comes together to deliver an inviting new design that communicates an exciting shopping experience. 

Poyant was proud to have partnered with Jordan’s Furniture on their new location in South Portland. This job was completed in July, on time and within budget. 

Our singular focus is and always has been…Building Your Brand, Building Your Success.

Richard Poyant is the president of Poyant Signs, New Bedford, Mass.