How to brief a signage job so the quote comes back fast
When a signage quote takes days instead of hours, it is rarely because the job is complicated. It is usually because the first message was “how much for a sign?” and everything else had to be asked for one question at a time.
A good brief does not need drawings or technical language. It needs the details below. Send as many as you have and the rest can be sorted on a site visit.
1. Photos of where the sign will go
Take one photo straight on, standing back far enough to see the whole wall, and one wider shot showing the building or shopfront around it. If the sign is inside, include the floor and ceiling so the height is clear. Photos answer questions a description cannot: what the wall is made of, where the doors and windows are, and whether anything is in the way.
2. Rough measurements
The width and height of the area available, and how high off the ground it is. A tape measure is fine. Precise measurements are taken during the site survey before anything is made, but rough numbers let a quote be built around the right size.
3. What it is mounted to
Glass, aluminium composite panel, block wall, stone, gypsum board or an existing sign box. Each one needs different fixings, and some, like glass, change the whole approach.
4. Your artwork, in the right format
This is the single biggest cause of delay. A logo saved from WhatsApp or a website is a small picture, and it cannot be enlarged to a two-metre sign without falling apart. What a signage workshop needs is a vector file.
- Good: AI, EPS, PDF exported from design software, or SVG.
- Not enough on its own: JPG, PNG or a screenshot. It still helps as a reference, and a logo can be redrawn, but that adds time.
- Include your brand colour codes if you have them, such as Pantone or RAL references.
5. Indoor or outdoor, lit or unlit
If you want it illuminated, say whether there is a power point nearby. If you are not sure which style you want, say so. Face-lit, halo-lit and plain letters can all be priced so you can compare.
6. Quantity and deadline
How many signs, and when you need them installed. If there is a fixed opening date, give that date rather than “as soon as possible”. A real deadline lets the workshop plan the approvals, production and installation backwards from it.
7. Approvals
Malls and many commercial landlords want drawings to approve before any sign goes up, and external signage in the UAE generally needs a permit. If your landlord has sent you guidelines or a signage specification, include it. It often sets the maximum size, lighting type and fixing method before design even starts.
A brief that gets priced quickly
- Two photos: straight on, and wide.
- Width, height and mounting height.
- What the wall is made of.
- Logo as a vector file, plus colour codes.
- Indoor or outdoor, lit or unlit.
- Quantity, and the date it has to be installed.
- Any landlord or mall signage guidelines.
If you have only a photo and a rough idea, send that anyway. It is enough to start, and the missing details come out in one conversation instead of ten.
