Lobby signage that throws a shadow.

Why dimension changes the read

Flat print sits on a wall. Cut letters lifted off it catch light on the face, throw a soft shadow behind, and change slightly as someone walks past. That shadow is the entire effect. It's what reads as permanent and considered rather than printed and temporary. It's also why photos of dimensional signage never quite do it justice.

Materials

• Acrylic: the standard. Crisp cut edges, available in gloss, matte, frosted, and colours, and it can be painted to a brand colour exactly. Thicker stock gives a more substantial edge.
• PVC: lighter and more economical, painted to finish. A sensible choice for larger letter counts or a tighter budget.
• Brushed metal-look: laminated finishes that give the weight and warmth of brushed aluminium or bronze without the cost of solid metal.
• Solid metal: flat cut aluminum, stainless, brass, or bronze, or cast aluminum and bronze, when the wall deserves the real thing. See metal letters.
• Layered combinations: a painted backer with a metal-look logo raised in front of it, for depth on a feature wall.

Every material side by side, with thicknesses and letter heights, is on our dimensional letters page, and acrylic and PVC letters covers the two most common lobby materials in detail.

Flush or standoff?

Flush mounting puts the letters directly against the wall. Clean, tidy, and the right call for smaller lettering, suite numbers, and anywhere a shadow gap would just collect dust.

Standoff mounting holds the sign off the wall on visible barrel posts, typically half an inch to an inch. You get a real shadow line, and the polished standoff caps themselves become part of the look. This is what a reception wall usually wants, and it's the more premium of the two.

Standoffs need a wall that can actually hold them. Drywall with anchors is fine for most letter weights; heavy layered signage may need to hit studs or backing, which is worth establishing before the design is finalized rather than on install day.

Sizing a logo wall

The most common mistake is going too small. A logo sized for a business card, scaled up modestly and centred on a big reception wall, looks apologetic. As a rough start, the sign should occupy somewhere around half to two thirds of the visual width of the wall behind it, and sit at eye level for someone standing. Not centred vertically on the wall, which usually reads too high or too low.

Consider the viewing distance too. A reception desk sign read from six feet is a different size from a logo on the far wall of a lobby read from thirty.

Where it belongs

• Reception and lobby walls, the first thing anyone sees
• Conference rooms and boardrooms
• Office suite and door identification
• Showrooms and gym feature walls

Pair it with a wall mural behind and the whole room becomes one branded moment rather than a sign on a blank wall.

Scope, plainly

We produce and install dimensional signage, plaques included, for interiors. We don't do exterior dimensional signage. Channel letters, monument signs, and pylon signs are a different trade with different permitting, and we'd rather tell you that than take the job and subcontract it.

See our lobby signs, or send a photo of the wall and rough dimensions and we'll scope it.