Last week, a potential client came to us with hopes of us making his sign more interesting. He was looking for new ideas on how to make his company’s sign more appealing. The original sign design was very outdated and resembled a driver’s license. It was my job to create a new, more attractive sign.

The original design was flat and boring. In order for me to create a more attractive sign I had to turn to Adobe Photoshop, which provides me with limitless possibilities. I started by adding a small gradient to the bottom of the sign, while making the phone number larger. This makes the phone number stand out more as it is the most important element of the design. I also added a slight drop shadow to the company name to give it more contrast to the orange background behind it. Next, I worked on the company logo. In the original design, the logo blended in with all of the other text because it had no contrast from the elements around it. (more…)

Ordinances usually start as well intentioned responses to improper use of temporary signage other than real estate signs. The law must treat all content equally; so these policies can affect the real estate industry negatively.

This is a story of a group of Realtors who banded together and challenged a potentially restrictive sign code.

Our village was updating their zoning code for the first time in decades. In the past, political signs where not posted even though there wasn’t a law prohibiting them. This particular year a few candidates challenged the village’s “unwritten law”. Since the trustees were rewriting the zoning code, they proposed requiring a sign permit for ALL temporary signage. (more…)

Brochure boxes (sign boxes, info boxes, flyer boxes) have been around for years. Our’s are affordable, durable and attractive. Top agents swear by them.

Here’s some tips on using this important marketing tool:

Home buyers shop neighborhoods, not newspaper listings. People prefer to do drive bys when house hunting. At this early stage, buyers don’t call to gather information. They expect a flyer. If there isn’t one, then they don’t call. (more…)

My name is Jason Russo. I created the website and shopping cart system for RealEstateSigns.com.

I met CEO Jim Calabrese in 2000 and was interviewed for an internship. At the time, RealEstateSigns.com was a mere one page website consisting of just one graphic. Upon completion of my internship I was immediately hired on to continue working on the website.

We were eager to create an ecommerce site tailored to a real estate agents needs. We quickly learned that this could not be accomplished by using a purchased e-commerce application or as we like to call it an “in the can” solution. (more…)

As a sign designer, I’m often asked for suggestions of good sign colors.  I answer with a question: what colors do the large independent real estate companies in your area use? Avoid those. Stay clear of colors used by the franchises. Go for unique. Color is a huge factor in how memorable your yard signs are to buyers.

The biggest mistake I run across is limiting yourself to one or two colors, picked from the 12 main colors of the color wheel. [Flash back to high school art class]. Our graphic artists and screen printers have thousands of colors in their palettes. They love creating color schemes if given the opportunity. Give them the freedom of using three or four colors for your signs…ooooh, they’ll be fighting each other to work on your sign design! (more…)

We’ve improved our brochure box and stand number of times since we first introduced it 10 years ago. Through better tool design, we were able to increase the strength of the lid. We changed the assembling process from adhesives to plastic welding, making it more durable and improving it’s appearance.

Our latest improvement is a magnetic closure in place of Velcro to keep the lid closed. Through testing, we’ve found that the lids stay closed and are easier to open. The magnetic strips have matched polarity for a positive seal.

The majority or our products originated as ideas from our customers. We are always developing new products to help you market your homes. If you have any ideas for the “better mousetrap,” please comment this post, I will personally review and let you know if we can help meet your needs.