External retail signage in San Francisco and Los Angeles

The value and importance of signage in retail should not be understated.

External retail signage is the first impression a potential customer has with the store.

It can also be an effective way for retailers to make an impression, attract customers, and stand out from the crowd.

In fact, quality external retail signage effectively communicates what products or services are offered in store, as well as capture the brand’s identity and personality.

Twenty-seven LFRA members joined the 2022 US Overseas Study Tour, with more than half attending the Overseas Study Tour for the first time.

The contingent, led by Phil Schoutrop, Principal and Sector Lead – Precinct at Buchan and LFRA’s Philippa Kelly and Michelle Wong, travelled across San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles.

Overall, the signage observed on the Overseas Study Tour across the three cities were miles behind the signage in Australia.

The three common traits across most of the sites visited were a lack of illuminated signs, lack of dynamic, digital signage, and a lack of large and distinguishable signage.

Two case studies will be used to examine these observations further, namely Santana Row in San Jose, and The Market Place in Tustin/Irvine in Los Angeles.

Santana Row

The 42-acre (equivalent to 170,000 sqm) “village within a city” was developed as a luxury residential, commercial, dining, and shopping district in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Stores include national and international apparel, accessories, and home brands including Crate and Barrel, Best Buy, and Sleep.

Santana Row offers locals an array of residential options from town homes for a family to studios for the young professionals on top of retail stores.

This unique destination is also home to a movie theatre, a luxury hotel, and a Tesla dealership.

 

Although it appears that some external signs are illuminated, the majority were not.

All retail signage were static with minimal additional branding on windows or other promotional signage.

And although each design was clear, crisp, and ‘on-brand’, the external retail signs were not modern or innovative.

If the retailers installed larger and bolder illuminated signage, the brands could have elevated the store as a retail destination and have the potential to attract additional foot traffic.

Each Santana Row tenant also had an additional flag sign which is attached to the façade of a store.

These flag signs were smaller than the flag signs we usually see in Australian Large Format Retail or homemaker centres.

The small size makes it difficult for customers to see the retail branding from a distance, particularly if they are walking along the shopping strip.

The Market Place

The Market Place covers an area of 670,000 sqm and is California’s largest Large Format Retail centre.

It has more than 120 stores, restaurants, cafes, and theaters and straddles the borders of the cities of Tustin and Irvine.

Large Format Retailers at The Market Place include American national brands Bath & Body Works, Dick’s Sporting Goods, PetSmart, REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.), and The Home Depot.

The Market Place was built in three stages over eleven years.

However, to the naked eye the three phases are indistinguishable because of the intentional consistency in build and design across the whole centre to make people feel a part of the same complex.

Buildings are painted uniform earthy, desert colours with a pop of purple with its signage.

The uniformity of the font and colour of each retailer’s building and signage makes it difficult for the brand to showcase its brand identity.

Similar to Santana Row, The Market Place lacked modern, digital signage.

However, the main Market Place centre sign has colourful neon lighting which stands out at night along the two busy roads of Jamboree Rd and Santa Ana Freeway.

Although they are big and clear, the wayfinding signs with the store names do not appear to be illuminated or have any surrounding lighting.

Anchor stores at The Market Place are marked by massive towers roughly 20 metres high.

The towers are an additional form of signage and display the store name, branding, and images of their products or some other way of showcasing their brand identity.

These towers also have floodlights installed to illuminate the car park.

 

Signage plays an important role in the way customers remember and perceive brands.

 

If done well, they can add tremendous value to a store by enticing customers into a store, build brand awareness and build customer loyalty. This will ultimately lead to an increase in sales.

 

This article is a part of a 10-segment series covering the 2022 LFRA Overseas Study Tour.