Signage refers to a general term for directional signs, guide signs, functional signs, index signs, and indicator signs, among others. Depending on local customs, signage is often referred to as: advertising signage, identification signs, directional signage, guide signs, door signs, floor index signs, road signs, indicator signs, illuminated signage, 3D signage, and more. #Signage#

Signage materials and manufacturing processes are incredibly diverse, and it's precisely the different names given to various materials and techniques that often confuse people. Today, as a signage manufacturer's editor, I'd like to share some insights into signage materials and manufacturing techniques, accompanied by signage images for a detailed explanation. We categorize common signage into the following 24 types:

Identification Plate: Acrylic carved identification plates; base plate in acrylic with a variety of color options; choose the acrylic color based on the base color designed by the artist; the text is also a laser-cut acrylic sticker placed on the surface; the acrylic letters can be sprayed with a matte finish to create a three-dimensional effect contrasting with the glossy base plate; check out the effect of this acrylic carved identification plate.


Acrylic Engraved Signage
2. Type Signs: Acrylic silk-screened or UV signs; signs made by cutting transparent or colored acrylic into shape, with silk-screened patterns or text on the front. Transparent acrylic can have UV-blocking or reverse-printed patterns/text visible on the front, while other colored acrylics can only be printed on the front. The previous set of pictures of transparent acrylic UV-blocking signs is for reference only.


Acrylic screen-printed or UV label signs
3. Third category signs: Painted silk-screened or UV-labeled signs; the painted substrate can be painted metal (commonly iron, steel, aluminum) or painted acrylic, aluminum composite, PVC, or Snowboard panels. The surface paint color can be customized, available in glossy or matte finishes. Text or patterns can be silk-screened onto this, and complex designs can also be UV printed.


Painted metal or UV printed sign
4. Fourth Category Signage: Double-color Plate Engraved Signs; the base plate features single-color characters with double-color plate engraving, while other colors of text or patterns are done using UV or screen printing techniques. The base plate can be shaped or square/circular.


Two-color board engraved sign
5. Category 5 Signage: Acrylic Heat-Bent Signage; This type is quite familiar, as it's commonly used for desk-top L-shaped scanning payment signs, with the content printed UV on the back.


Acrylic Heat-Bend Signage
6. Category 6 Signs: Metal Bending Signs; also known as luminous signs, these are shaped by machine bending, then welded, sanded, painted, and the reverse side is coated with acrylic. They feature LED-lit characters inside, and this technique is widely used.


Metal Bending Sign
7. Category 7 Signs: Perforated Signs; Perforated signs are not limited to metal designs; they also include signs made with PVC embossed board perforated lacquer, acrylic perforation, aluminum-plastic panel perforation, and more. Perforated signs can be designed with illuminated or non-illuminated characters. Even small-sized perforated signs have a wide range of applications.


Hollowed-out signboard
8. Category 8 Signs: Vacuum-formed Signs; Surface material is vacuum-formed acrylic board, supported by a metal steel frame base. Common vacuum-formed light box signs at gas stations. Check out the effect of the vacuum-formed signs.


Blow Molding Signage
9. Category 9 Signs: Corrosion Signs; Traditional corrosion signs are well-known, but when combined with other materials, they can be used to create various types of signs. However, regardless of the designer's design, the main production process is either carving or corrosion.


Corrosion Identification Signs
10. Category 10: 3D Letter Signs; the 3D letters can be made of metal, acrylic, or other 3D precision letters like PVC, combining small letters to form a functional sign, which we refer to as a 3D letter sign. Take a look at the previous set of 3D letter signs to see the effect of the precision 3D letter signs.


3D Letter Signage
11.第十一类 Signs: Bulletin Board Signs. Whether for companies, factories, or even the elevator walls in our residential complexes, bulletin board signs are needed to post announcements. Regardless of the material of the sign, we refer to it as a bulletin board sign; typically made of acrylic, take a look at the previous photos to see how others make them.


Bulletin Board Sign
12. Category 12:匾额 Signs; Authorization Badges, Medals, Dealer Authorization Badges, or various plaques issued by the industry, which we categorize under "Plaque Signs." These are special signs with varied styles, materials, and size specifications. Below is a collection of plaque sign photos for your reference.


Signboard
13. Category 13: Nameplate Signs; Nameplates include machine nameplates, tree nameplates, etc., which are easy to understand. The key point is that machine nameplates are generally made of zinc alloy, stainless steel, and aluminum plates, while acrylic, dual-color boards, and aluminum-plastic boards are more common. Take a look at a series of photos showcasing nameplate signs.


Branded Signage
14. Category 14: Parking Signage; whether it's a shopping mall, skyscraper, or any location with parking, there must be a "P" parking sign to indicate where the parking entrance and exit are for drivers. Therefore, the "P" parking sign is a standard required signage for every parking space. Let's take a look at the previous set of parking signage.


Parking Signage
15. Category 15 Signs: Underground parking entrance signs; typically, when entering an underground parking garage of a building, a nearly 6-meter-high directional sign is mounted above the entrance on the wall. These signs can be reflective or non-illuminated, primarily serving as indicators for the parking entrance.


Underground parking entrance sign
16. Category 16: Tag Signs; Suspended signs are commonly used in shopping malls and supermarkets, serving as area identification cues; they are typically hung with two rods, available in both simple and decorative styles; most supermarkets use illuminated versions. View a set of suspended tag sign photos.


Hanging Tag Label
17. Category 17: Side Wall Signage; Besides being commonly used in restrooms, side wall-mounted signs are also frequently applied in various public areas. They are essential in places like administrative units, libraries, parks, and other public venues where clear, distant visibility is required for signage. A set of photos would illustrate the side wall-mounted signage more clearly.


Side wall sign
18. Category 18 Signs: Directional Signs; Most of these signs are made of metal with powder coating, laser-cut, and sheet metal craftsmanship, featuring built-in LED illuminated signs; commonly used as advertising directional signs indoors in shopping malls or complexes.


Guidance sign
19. Category 19: Underground Parking Signage; Many multi-story buildings have interconnected underground parking garages. The sense of direction underground differs from that above ground, so there are usually more directional signs in underground parking areas, especially in large complexes. Underground parking directional signs are specific to the environment and are mostly illuminated due to the dim lighting underground. These illuminated signs can also serve as lighting.


Underground parking lot directional sign
20. Ten Types of Signs: Hotel Signs; Hotel signs are part of a systematic design scheme; Room number signs are an integral part of each hotel's identification system.


Hotel Signage
21. Eleven types of signage: Traffic signs; Traffic signs are further divided into various types, including safety warning signs, reflective signs, informational signs, and road signs, which we collectively refer to as traffic signs; the road name guide signs commonly seen on highways or main roads can be categorized under this broad category. Traffic signs are mostly made of aluminum plates, with 3M reflective film applied to them; the reflective film comes in advertising grade and engineering grade, with different quality levels affecting prices.


Traffic Sign
22. Twelve Types of Signboards: Painted Signboards; Painted signboards are closely related to vehicles, used in parking spaces, parking lot pillars, parking lot walls, major roads, etc., where vehicles are present. They indicate where the vehicle owner parks, as well as solid and dashed lines, and the distinction of different areas in underground parking lots.


Painted Signage
23. Thirteen types of signage: LED electronic signboards; large LED display screens cannot be categorized as signage, but small ones placed on desks or viewed at close range are referred to as electronic signboards. Why are they included in this category? Because as digital technology becomes synchronized in the future, their usage will increase, as they can synchronize with mobile data. Therefore, they are also known as digital signboards.


LED electronic display sign
24. Fourteen Types of Name Tags: Chest Name Tags; Although used less frequently, they are still in use by some, and they cannot be omitted from the statistics. Chest name tags are also known as chest cards, available in acrylic etched silk printing, aluminum alloy, and stainless steel etching. Shapes include irregular, round, square, and more.


Name Tag
Here we have shared 24 common signage types. If my insights have been helpful, remember to follow. Next time, I will delve into the detailed manufacturing process of signs, stay tuned!