If you run any kind of craft business, from making handmade jewellery to pottery to candles or anything else, then you might decide to try out a craft show – you’ve probably been to a fair few as a customer or potential customer, so it makes sense to do the same when you’re on the other side of the counter – after all, it could be the ideal way to get noticed. 

There’s a lot to think about if you’re going to attend a craft show and you want to get the most out of it, but one thing that’s really important is that you’ve got to stand out, no matter what else happens. With rows of fantastic and talented vendors all trying to get the attention of the people who’ve come to browse, it might be that great signage makes all the difference and is what gets you noticed faster and better. 

And the good news is that it’s not too hard to create signage that works as long as you remember it’s about more than just having something that looks pretty. That’s a good start, yes, but you’ve got to communicate well and quickly and let people know what you’re selling and why you’re different, and if you can do that, you’ll soon have a crowd at your stand. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about some useful design tips for eye-catching craft show signage. 

Photo by lil artsy

Know Your Brand And Stick To It

When you think about it, your signage is the face of your brand at a craft show (and anywhere else you decide to use it), so it really needs to reflect your business’s personality and make sure it all makes sense to someone who’s never heard about or seen you before (that’s the category most of the people at the show are going to fall into, so you need to remember you’re not just talking to loyal customers who already have some information about what you do). So what kind of business are you and what is your brand like? Are you modern? Vintage? Minimal? Bright and colourful? Whatever it is, all the fonts, colours, and graphics you use need to match to that branding and then you won’t be confusing. 

There’s a word you’ve got to remember at this point, and that word is “consistency”. In other words, you’ve got to use the same colour palette and fonts on everything you’re using to advertise your business, so not just signs but also your business cards, website, social media, and so on. If you’ve already got these things in place, you can use those ideas to make your signage not just stand out but be consistent as well. 

Keep It Simple But Bold

When it comes to signage, less is usually more – after all, you want people to notice it, understand the message, and take some action all within the space of a few seconds, and that’s especially true in a busy place like a craft show where there’ll be loads of distractions. People just don’t have time to read a lot of text or understand complex instructions or confusing images when they’re literally just passing by. 

The best thing to do is to focus on one or two main details and messages and stick with that. One message should be your business name, of course, and the other needs to be something you can condense down into a short tagline that’s catchy enough to get people’s attention and intriguing enough to get their interest. It’s also crucial to use large, easy-to-read fonts and don’t make the text too decorative, no matter how nice it might look because it’s just making it trickier to read, especially from a distance. 

Think Vertical 

What does a craft show look like? Well, although they’re all unique in their own ways, there are sure to be some similarities, and something that all shows like this will have in common are that there’s going to be an absolute sea of tables and horizontal banners and displays. Once you’ve visited a few of these events (which you should do before you sign up to be in one yourself because it’ll give you lots of ideas about what to do and how to get the most out of the day), you’ll see what we mean – it’s all very flat. 

Don’t join in with that and make all your signage flat as well. Yes, a banner across your stand makes sense, but do more – do things vertically. If you use vertical signs, it’ll definitely make your stand noticed more than others, even from all the way across the room, and it could be something that helps guide people towards you because you’ve piqued their interest and they’re keen to know more about you – you’ve already shown you’re different, after all. 

Feather flags are an excellent option if you’re looking for good ways to go up rather than out. They’re portable, and if you go for good quality ones, they’re durable as well, so that makes them good value for money. Of course, if you buy high-quality feather flags, you’ll need the message on them to be something you’re happy to tell people about for years to come because that’s how long the banner is going to last, which is yet another reason to keep things simple as we mentioned above. And remember, because it’s a vertical design you can probably include a bit more useful info, such as your logo and website if you plan it carefully. 

Prioritise Readability 

Your signage should be easy to read from close up and far away – you want people to see it from across the room, but the last thing you want is for those who are actually near your stand to miss what you’re trying to tell them and wander off because they’ve noticed someone else’s stand. It’s a good idea to use large fonts for your main message, and ensure there’s plenty of contrast between the text and the background colours, otherwise it won’t matter what else you do because no one will be able to read it. 

If you’re not sure it’s working, test your design by standing a little way away – as far away as you can go if possible – and see what you can read. If you can’t read it easily or quickly, potential customers won’t be able to either, and you’ll need to make some changes. Just avoid trying to cram too much information onto one sign, and if you’ve got a lot to say, make a few different signs, each with a different message. 

Use Images To Tell A Story

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, don’t they? Well, that’s a phrase you should repeat to yourself as you think of a design for your signage because it really does make sense and will work in the right way. High-quality images of your products can give customers all the information they need (or at least a lot of it) and immediately show them what you’re selling and what it looks like. If you need to add some text to explain a bit, that’s fine, but ideally the image should be doing most of the heavy lifting for you.

Always keep the images professional and totally focused on what you’re trying to say. It’s easy to get carried away when you see what’s available, especially if you’re browsing stock image sites, but although images are preferable to text, too many will still give you the same problems as too much text would – it’s hard to understand and takes too long to look at. Keep it simple and, if you can, get your own unique images taken by a professional so you know you’re going to have completely different signage to everyone else. 

Don’t Forget About Lighting 

Good lighting shouldn’t be ignored, and no matter how great your signs are, if you can light them in the right way, they’ll be even better. Now it might be that the craft show you’re attending has some great lighting, and your signs can be seen in literally their best light, but that’s not always going to be the case, and you might end up somewhere that has dim or uneven lighting that undoes all your hard work. That’s why it’s never a bad idea to bring your own lighting with you, just in case. 

You could add clip-on string lights or even LED strips to highlight not just your signs but the products you’re selling or advertising as well, and that might even draw more people to your stand, especially if you’ve got the only stand with that extra glow about it. And if you ensure the bulbs you use give off a warm light, your stand will look really inviting as well, and that’s bound to help. 

Final Thoughts 

When you go to a craft show, it’s a reflection of your brand and you need to show people exactly what you’re all about, and your signs are going to be the first thing a lot of people notice. That’s why it makes sense to think about them beforehand and spend time getting them right so you can really make the most of the event.