Projecting Signs for Shop Fronts – Illuminated or Non-Illuminated

What is a projecting sign?

A projecting sign sits at right angles to your shop front and reads from both directions. You'll also hear it called a hanging sign, a projection sign or, in the US, a blade sign. The job is the same whatever the name: to be seen by people walking along the pavement.

That matters more than it sounds. From the pavement, your fascia is seen at a steep angle and almost disappears. A projecting sign faces the flow of foot traffic, so it's often the first thing passers-by notice about your shop, long before they reach the window.

Four ways to build a projecting sign

Our rule of thumb: on a bright high street you need a lightbox to compete with shop windows and street lighting. On a quiet side street a fret-cut tray often looks stronger because it doesn't glare. Where the local authority won't allow illumination, a painted plate on a traditional bracket is still the classic.

Do you need planning permission for a projecting sign?

Often, yes. Illuminated projecting signs usually need a permit from your local planning authority, and in a conservation area or on a heritage-listed building you should always check first. The authority also sets the minimum clearance above the pavement and how far the sign may project. Call the planning team before you order.

1. Clearance: your local authority sets the minimum height above the pavement. Plan the fixing height around it.
2. Projection: 50–90 cm is typical. Over the public highway, a separate licence may be needed.
3. Illumination: most consent questions are about light: brightness, whether it's internally lit, and opening hours.
4. Conservation areas and heritage-listed buildings: expect rules on size, materials and lighting; some only accept externally lit signs.
5. Landlord: as a tenant, you need your landlord's consent, because the bracket is drilled into the building.
6. Documents: planning authorities usually want a drawing with dimensions, the fixing height and a photo of the frontage. We supply a dimensioned drawing and a visual on your own photo.

Double-sided design: getting both faces right

A projecting sign has two faces and both have to read correctly. Simply mirroring the artwork rarely works: a logo with an arrow, a script or a figure facing one way would read backwards on the other side. We set up each face separately so your logo reads the right way from both directions.

Shape matters too. A round sign reads the same from both sides; a portrait format leaves more room for a name set over two lines. The bracket and cable enter on the wall side, and we plan for that so the fixing never cuts into your logo.

Installation and power

The sign is fixed with a wall bracket anchored into brick or concrete. On insulated render (external wall insulation) you need special fixings that carry the load through the insulation into the masonry – that's one for a professional installer. Illuminated signs are connected to the mains, always by a qualified electrician.

Your sign arrives with the bracket, fixings and installation instructions. If you don't have an installer, we can help you find one near you.

It pairs well with a lightbox sign above the entrance, illuminated letters on the fascia or a complete shop front sign.