Neon advertising signs for businesses

What neon advertising gives a business

Neon advertising signs work because they shine with a light that stands out from ordinary illumination. A glass neon sign is visible from far away after dark, and in daylight it shows the shape and colour of the glass. The business gains a landmark: a place customers remember by the neon itself, not just by the name.

Neon advertising works in four places: on the facade, on the roof, in the shop window and inside the venue. Each place gives it a different job and different requirements.

We have been making neon signs for businesses since 2000 in our workshop in Rybie near Raszyn, just outside Warsaw. We are a direct manufacturer of traditional glass neons - one of the few in Europe. Design, hand-bending the glass, production and installation are done one hundred percent in-house, with no subcontractors.

Facade and roof - neon seen from the street

The facade is one of the main places for a neon advertising sign. Lettering or a logo above the entrance says the business is here, and after dark it turns the building into a landmark. Outdoors we use glass neon: a hand-bent tube filled with noble gas. Glass neons last for years, keep their full colour and work well on facades.

One example is the Kulka i Spółka glass neon on a building facade. The letters of the name sit in colourful frames that imitate building blocks, with red lettering glowing underneath. A sign like this says something about the character of the place before the customer even reaches the door.

A rooftop sign must be legible from far away, often from the road. That adds a supporting structure, work at height and power. We install it ourselves, certified for work at height, including the electrical connection.

Shop window - neon for passers-by

A neon in a shop window works on pedestrians. It is seen from the pavement and from across the street, and after closing time it keeps reminding people of the brand. It suits a logo, a short slogan or a name that did not fit on the facade.

We treat a street-facing window as an outdoor location, so here too we recommend glass neon, which works on facades and in shop windows. We do not recommend LED neon there - it is meant for interiors only.

The neon can hang directly on the wall, on a separate structure, or be set into 3D letters. It runs on its own power supply, which should sit close to the neon and be accessible for servicing.

Inside the venue - neon that sets the mood

Indoors, a neon sign is closer to the customer. People see it from a few metres away and for longer than a facade sign: at the counter, at the table, in the queue. A logo above the counter, a slogan on the wall or a neon guests take photos with all work well.

In Hala Koszyki in Warsaw there is a traditional glass neon we made for the Upper Deck venue. Our gallery also includes the neon signage for the Nocny Market food zone.

Only indoors does LED neon come into play: a cheaper imitation made of flexible light strip, recommended for interiors only, good for decoration and quick projects. If the neon is to be the brand's calling card for years, we recommend glass indoors too.

Forms of neon advertising

A neon sign does not have to be just lettering on a wall, and one sign can combine several forms. We match them to the location and viewing distance, and before production we prepare a design and a visualisation. The main forms are:

• —Lettering - the company name or a slogan, in the brand's typeface or one chosen for neon.
• —Logo - the company mark transferred to glass, like the Park & Ride (Parkuj i Jedź) neon logo, the T logo for ZTM or the Wedel neon logo for a location in Zakopane.
• —Neon in a lightbox - open 3D letters with neon run through the centre, as in the ROCKET and ROCKSTAR projects.
• —3D letters with neon along the perimeter - a form we made for Orlen, among others.
• —Projecting sign - a double-sided sign with glass neon, like the yellow projecting sign with a dog logo.

Glass neon or LED in advertising

Two technologies are used in neon advertising. Glass neon is a hand-bent tube filled with noble gas. It gives a deep, vivid glow no other technology can match, and it works outdoors too. LED neon is an imitation made of flexible light strip: cheaper and faster to make, but recommended for interiors only.

So the rule is simple. Everything that is meant to shine outdoors - a facade, a roof, a street-facing shop window - we make as glass neon, 3D letters or a lightbox. LED neon stays indoors, for decoration and quick projects.

Scale - from a small sign to 25 by 5 metres

A neon sign can be a few letters or a large-format installation. The size follows from the location and the distance at which it must be legible.

The largest example from our workshop is the neon for the Lubaszka bakery: the largest animated glass neon in Poland, 25 by 5 metres, with automated control. It shows that neon advertising does not have to be static - a neon can be animated too.

With large formats, structure, transport and installation matter, and we handle them ourselves. Our gallery shows the Neon Studio truck with finished glass neons for the Park Glinianka centre, during delivery and installation.

Neon advertising signs you can see

The best argument for neon advertising is work that shines every day. We also know neon from the other side: we restored 130 glass neons for the Neon Museum in Warsaw.

A few examples of neon advertising signs from our gallery:

• —Empik in the former Cepelia building in Warsaw - signage for the new Empik made as glass neons.
• —Hala Koszyki in Warsaw - neon as the signage of the building. We have worked with Hala Koszyki since its opening.
• —Park Glinianka shopping centre - white glass neons spelling PARK GLINIANKA and a yellow „entrance” neon with colourful icons on a black background.
• —NB stores - neons for the NB shops.
• —Warsaw metro - traditional glass neons at three stations: Płocka, Młynów and Księcia Janusza.

Comparison - where and which neon sign

Where neon advertising works, with the technology and form we use there. A starting point - the final choice depends on the design and the site.

What to prepare for a quote

The quote is free and carries no obligation. Send an enquiry through the form on our contact page or by phone. The more we know at the start, the easier the design and visualisation:

• —The wording or logo - for a logo, ideally a vector file.
• —The installation location: facade, roof, shop window or interior, with a photo of the spot.
• —Approximate dimensions, or the distance from which the neon should be legible.
• —Glow colours, or the colours from the brand's visual identity.
• —Information about the power supply at the installation site.
• —The number of venues, if the neon is to be repeated in several places.