Enhance Your Sign Vocabulary M-Z

As we noted in the first part of this blog, which featured A-L vocabulary words, there’s no reason for you to become a sign expert when you occasionally need a sign, but it can be useful for you to be familiar with some of the terms we might use during the production process. If we ever use words or phrases that aren’t familiar to you, please ask us to define them.

 Matte. A dull surface, not shiny.

 Monument Sign. Also called a freestanding sign, one that sits on the ground and has a low overall height.

Opaque. The opposite of transparent, light-blocking.

 PMS. The acronym for Pantone Matching System, a standardized series of thousands of colors that each have specific formulations and identification numbers.

Sans Serif. A font lacking serifs (see below) that usually has little differentiation between the width of strokes within letters. Examples are Helvetica and Futura.

Serif. A font that includes a small line or embellishment at the end of some letters. Examples are Times Roman and Garamond.

Sign Box. The cabinet that houses a sign’s face panels (primary display area) and electrical components.

Tint. Making a color lighter by adding white to it.

Value Engineering. The process of assessing signs based on the cost of materials, design, installation and maintenance—focused on getting the best value.

Feeling smarter about signs? Don’t worry—there’ll be no test on this material!

 

 

 

 

Enhance Your Sign Vocabulary M-Z