Signage glossary
Plain definitions of common signage terms used in UK surveys, schedules and rebrands: fascia, totem, monolith, wayfinding, ISO 7010, reface and more.
- A-board
- A free-standing, folding pavement sign shaped like an A, usually placed outside a shop or venue during opening hours.
- Advertisement consent
- Permission from the local planning authority to display certain signs, such as many illuminated or larger signs. In England it is governed by the advertisement regulations; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules. Read more
- Aluminium composite panel (ACM)
- A rigid sign board made of two thin aluminium sheets bonded to a plastic or mineral core. A common material for flat signs and fascia panels.
- Built-up letters
- Three-dimensional letters fixed individually to a wall or fascia, often illuminated from inside (face-lit) or behind (halo-lit).
- Directory board
- A sign listing the occupants, departments or rooms in a building, usually near the entrance or lifts.
- Fascia sign
- The main sign above a shopfront or entrance, showing the business name. Often the largest and most visible sign on a building.
- Fire exit sign
- A green safe-condition sign showing the way to an emergency exit, usually with the running-man pictogram from BS EN ISO 7010. Read more
- Halo-lit
- Illumination from the back of built-up letters, which lights the wall behind them and creates a glow around each letter.
- Hoarding
- A temporary board or fence around a construction site, often printed with branding or project information.
- BS EN ISO 7010
- The international standard of registered safety sign pictograms, used in the UK for fire exit, fire equipment, warning, prohibition and mandatory signs. Read more
- Monolith
- A tall, free-standing sign, usually solid and slab-shaped, used at entrances and car parks. Often used interchangeably with totem.
- Projecting sign
- A sign fixed at right angles to a building so it can be seen by people walking along the street. Also called a hanging or blade sign.
- Reface
- Replacing only the face or graphics of a sign while keeping its frame, structure and wiring. Often cheaper than a full replacement in a rebrand.
- Safety sign
- A sign giving health and safety information through a set combination of shape, colour and pictogram: prohibition, warning, mandatory, safe condition or fire equipment. Read more
- Sign schedule
- A table listing every sign on a site or project, one row per sign, with its reference, location, type, content, size, material, condition and action. Read more
- Signage audit
- A complete record of every sign on a site or estate, with its location, type, content, condition and the action needed, usually made by walking the site and pinning each sign to a plan. Read more
- Signage survey
- The site visit where signs are located, measured, photographed and described. The survey produces the information an audit or sign schedule is built from. Read more
- Statutory sign
- A sign that a law requires, such as fire safety signs, health and safety notices or premises licence notices.
- Totem
- A free-standing vertical sign, often double-sided and sometimes illuminated, used at site entrances, car parks and retail parks.
- Vinyl graphics
- Self-adhesive printed or cut film applied to glass, walls, vehicles or sign panels.
- Wayfinding
- The system of signs, maps and cues that helps people find their way around a site, such as directional signs, directories and room signs.
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