Zenful U, a yoga studio in Jamestown, NC, faced a challenge many businesses are familiar with: being tucked away in the back of a building, not within eyeshot from the street.
The front of that building is a restaurant, and one that did not allow Zenful U to place signage letting people know to come around back.
They had been using a flat aluminum panel sign on the side of the building up until the point they hired us to help. It looked nice, but visitors could only see it after they’d already pulled into the rear of the parking lot.
A rebrand was on their list, with a new logo and signage to go along with it. But they knew that just as importantly, they needed some expert help to figure out how to overcome this visibility hurdle.
Understanding the Visibility Problem
We came out on site and thoroughly inspected the lot. Indeed, it seemed tricky to conceive of getting visitors from the front of the lot to the back cleanly. But after thinking through the traffic flow into the lot and looking at the building, we had a plan.
If we used blade signs on key parts of the building in tandem with some directional signage, it would be enough of a signal from the street that there was more to this building than just the restaurant. And with the directional signage, once a visitor was near the building, they would see where else to go.
Like so:
From here, it was a matter of working within city guidelines for the right balance.
Jamestown, NC Sign Guidelines At Play Here
Signage solutions are as much about design as they are an execution that falls neatly within local regulations.
Jamestown would not allow Zenful U signage on the front of the building since the restaurant was there. This was the reason blade signs were so intriguing: they extend perpendicular from the building, making them visible from the road even when the business itself is set back. A blade sign would technically be on the side of the building, but facing the front pretty visibly.
This would catch attention from the front, and allow some other cleverly placed wayfinding signs to do the rest. An approach like this is all about flow.
The owner of Zenful U also had tenant space on the other side of the building used for massages. Once we’d established the rhythm for the lot, it was pretty straightforward to incorporate parking signs to guide folks over there, as well. Everything was addressed, and no element was competing for attention with another.
The Result
Often in guides about business signage we talk about big monument signs that sit front and center. This project was a good example of creative workarounds to craft a similar end result.
In summary, Zenful U ended up with:
- A newly redesigned panel mounted to the coffee shop’s main road sign, next door to her building for a bit more visibility
- A side-mounted Main ID blade sign to guide those entering the lot to that section of the parking area.
- Seamless directional signage for both sides of the building, for the yoga studio and the massage suites.
We’re proud of this project, and truly believe Zenful U ended up with the best case scenario given their complex setup and rear-facing location.
Come see them yourself!
115 E Main St STE D
Jamestown, NC 27282
If you’re a business owner in the Jamestown, Greensboro, or High Point area looking for these types of solutions, give us a call today! We’d love to collaborate.
