What Color to Choose for Your Illuminated Neon or LED Sign Message

Choosing a color for your illuminated sign, whether neon or LED, can seem like a no-brainer. When considering what business sign to purchase, buyers typically spend a lot of time deciding on certain aspects of their new sign (such as what the sign will say) and much less on others (like the sign’s color). However, the color of your sign is just as important as what it says, if not more so. This is because the color significantly impacts the visibility of your sign and how many potential customers you’ll be able to reach. Visibility is the most important piece to consider. If nobody can read your sign, it doesn't matter whether or not your sign message is the most effective ever. 

When it comes to choosing a color for your illuminated sign, there’s a lot more to take into account than your favorite colors, or even your brand colors. Below, you’ll find some of our best advice for selecting a sign color.

What Sign Color is the Most Visible?

When talking about illuminated signs, certain colors are visible than others. For example, a red light is more visible than white or green. These are in turn more visible than blue, especially in direct sunlight. (The caveat here is that a high-quality, premium LED sign from a reputable company will generally be more visible than a low-quality, cheap sign that cuts corners, regardless of what color is chosen).

You can see this for yourself by looking at red and blue “Open” signs in business windows. Be careful of nearby cars, and slowly walk away from the sign. You’ll notice that the blue orbit disappears long before you can’t read the words “OPEN.” This is why so many Open signs are red…and in turn, why red Open signs tend to be more effective than any other color.

For this reason, if you’re looking for a bright, highly visible sign, red is the best color to choose, followed closely by green and white. This is especially true when using your sign during the daytime, when other colors, like shades of blue, can have trouble competing with the brightness of the sun.

The Science of Light and Human Perception

Why are red signs brighter? Why are blue science dimmer? Science. The longer a color’s wavelength is, the further it can travel before being diffused by small particles in the atmosphere. Since red light has the longest wavelength of any color, it can travel the furthest. Therefore, a red light will visible from further away than any other color.

In turn, the shorter a color’s wavelength is, the closer you must be in order to see it. Blue light has the shortest wavelength of any color, meaning it is visible from the shortest distance. In addition to this, blue light is particularly difficult for the human eye to see, and for the brain to process. This makes it a good choice for signs that should be dim, like illuminated interior restroom signs, but a less effective choice for storefront signs trying to attract new customers.

What About My Brand Colors?

It can be tempting to select a sign color based on your company branding. However, this is not the best approach when it comes to illuminated signs. Though it can be nice to have your brand colors and logo match your sign, it is much more important that your sign can be seen by potential customers.

If your brand colors include a bright illuminated color, like red, green, or white, you’re in luck. These colors of light are incredibly bright, and if you’d like to select the color that matches your brand identity, that’s an easy choice. If, however, your brand colors feature shades of less visible colors like yellows, blues, pinks, or purples, then you’ll want to choose a different color.

Safety Differences (Applies to Neon Sign Colors Only)

If you’re looking to purchase a sign that uses an LED light source (dot LED, strip LED, neon-LED), you can ignore this section. For these signs, the level of safety is determined by the company and the quality of the signage itself, not by the color of the LED lights.

For illuminated neon signs, however, the color you choose can have an impact on the safety of your sign. While some of the safety concerns about neon are consistent across sign colors (like breakable glass and high voltage), certain colors are more dangerous than others. This is because different gases are used inside the glass tubing in order to create different colors. Only red neon signs actually use neon gas (which is non-toxic). Blue signs, for example, use mercury, which can be dangerous if the sign breaks.

Sign Photography

Are you intending to take pictures of your eye-catching illuminated sign to boost online reach? Or are you considering placing your sign on an internal wall to create a photo booth for customers? The color of your sign can also have a huge impact on how pictures of the sign turn out. On the whole, signs that are in warm colors (red, orange, pink) will generally photograph better than cool colored signs (blue or green).

There are additional considerations to keep in mind when looking for a sign that photographs well. For example, you may want to look for a sign with a dimmer or dimming settings. Regardless of the sign color chosen, brighter signs can blow out the image, ruining the photograph for you or your customers.

If you are taking photographs for social media, the time of day can also have an impact on the quality of the image. The best time of day to take photos of illuminated signs is right after dawn or right before dusk.

Contact Us

Interested in purchasing an LED sign for your business? Browse SpellBrite’s range of ultra-bright LED signs by industry, or create your own custom sign message. You can also reach out to us via email at [email protected] or by phone at (312)575-9620. Alternatively, you can also find reviews from previous satisfied customers here. We are here to help you decide what sign color might be best or to answer any questions or concerns.