Signs that could have used another set of eyes are abundant. Some mistakes are just funny, some are embarrassing, and more than a few end up to be crude or insulting. Proofreading your signage is more than just looking for spelling mistakes. Here’s what you need to know before you hit Print!
Start with logic. Does your sign say what you want it to? Read it out loud to be sure that you aren’t missing any conjunctions, pronouns, verbs, adverbs…you get it. If you don’t get it, you need to edit. Then hand your work off to someone else and hear their interpretation. To get the best understanding of your sign’s impact, don’t provide details about your promotion to your editor and get their candid thoughts. If they don’t get, ask a few others, but consider that you may still need to make some edits. In this phase of editing, also consider whether the content of your sign is insulting, cultural appropriation, racist, prejudice, or will otherwise depict your business in any other way but 
professional. You can be playful without putting your integrity in jeopardy.
Once you have your message perfected, look for spelling and grammar mistakes. Hopefully these will already have been caught while you were having the sign edited for content, but what happens is that when we read something we created, or have read before, our brains tell us that were reading what we want to read rather than what’s actually there. Did you notice the spelling mistake in that last sentence? Don’t trust proofreading in the hands of your word processing spelling and grammar checker, because if you use the wrong word but spell it correctly you won’t see any squiggly lines indicating a mistake. One proofreading tip that works quite well is to read your message backwards to force your brain to concentrate on the construction of each word rather than the message. Another tip is to set the content aside for a few days in order to look it over with fresh eyes.
We’re putting this in a separate paragraph because it’s very important and commonly missed. Double check phone numbers and addresses. Triple check them. Check them again before you send your material to the printer just be make sure all of the numbers and east/west/north/south are right.
Finally, look at the esthetics. Is it eye-catching? Does it suit the display? Will people be able to read it from wherever you need them to read it from? Do the colours suit? Is the font easy to read? Does it look professional? Will it physically fit in the space it’s destined to be placed?
Take the time to ensure that your sign reaches its full potential. You want to do this once. Particularly if you’ve cut yourself short on time, a mistake on your signage could be costly. Rush orders are available, but they have limitations and they aren’t cheap!
Grand River Sign Design is here to help ensure your signs are the best quality from every angle, for every event. Get ready for holiday sales, community events, family reunions and more with our friendly, talented team of designers. Stop into our showroom at 25 Struck Court unit 5 in Cambridge, Ontario or call us at 519-740-7272 to book an appointment.
