Curb appeal comes down to a few seconds. Someone driving past your building, or a resident pulling into a new subdivision, forms an impression before reading a single word. Signage is one of the fastest and most affordable ways to shape that impression. We build a lot of our business around exactly that moment, from the leasing sign that gets a call instead of a scroll-past to the entrance sign that makes a neighborhood look cared for. For a broader definition, see this overview of curb appeal.
Curb Appeal Starts With What People Notice From the Street
Most of our property management and real estate work comes down to one question: can someone read this from a moving car? For leasing signs, that usually means a large alumalite or Dibond panel on a decorative post. The size and lettering are chosen so the sign reads at a glance instead of a stop-and-squint. It is not glamorous work. However, it is often the difference between a vacant unit and a filled one. See more of how we approach it on our What We Do page.
Sometimes Curb Appeal Needs a Repaint, Not a New Sign
Better curb appeal doesn’t always call for a rebuild. A sign that is structurally sound but peeling or faded can drag down an otherwise well-kept property. In that case, a repaint often costs far less than a replacement. That was true at Ponder Cove in Edgewater, where the sign itself was fine but the paint had failed. A fresh coat brought it back to how it should have looked all along.
Dimensional Letters Read Better, Day or Night
Flat vinyl lettering works. Raised, dimensional letters, on the other hand, catch light and cast shadow, which makes a building easier to identify from a distance. Browse our dimensional letters for examples.
Entrance Signs Set the Tone Before Anyone Reads a Word
For a neighborhood or subdivision, the entrance sign often is the curb appeal. It is the one piece of shared infrastructure every visitor and resident sees on the way in. We have built entrance signs in cast aluminum, like the one at St. Andrews in Arnold. We have also built them in carved cedar and HDU for communities that want a more traditional, hand-crafted look. A well-designed entrance sign tells visitors something about the community before they have driven past a single house. For more ideas and photos, see our page on neighborhood entrance signs.
Curb Appeal Projects to Explore
- Ponder Cove community sign repaint
- Cast aluminum entrance sign at St. Andrews
- Holly Hill Harbor community entrance sign
- Neighborhood entrance sign ideas
Contact Designs & Signs
Not sure what would make the biggest difference for your property? Send us a message through our contact form, or call (410) 798-5115, and we’ll take a look.