Blog

There were several things that stood out, in a good way, on a recent Sunday trip to Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL.  My wife and I were at the Yellow Box main campus (aptly named since the building is a big, yellow square).  One of the things I noticed right away was the awesome signage.  There were lots of the brightly colored, easy to read signs that made it easy to find our way around.

Throughout my adult life when I visit a church, the lack of signage has been one of my biggest complaints.  Sure, most of us know our churches and can get around them easily.  But for most visitors, coming to a church is taking a big step.  They don’t necessarily want to look out of place by wandering around aimlessly.  Good signage is an important way for churches to feel welcoming. Good signage makes a guest feel more comfortable.

Here are some of our tips for signage.

Don’t hide them.  Sometimes it seems like signage is an afterthought.  It’s not in predominant places that are easy to see or in a place that makes logical sense to where people will be looking for them.  Be intentional about sign placement. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Keep important directional signage above head height. When your church is full of people, signs that are too low won’t be seen.

• Have temporary signage? See if you can hang the signs from the ceiling (ceiling tiles make this especially easy). If you cannot and you need to use a stanchion or easel, think carefully about the traffic patterns in your space. You want your signs so they are naturally where people will walk by but you do not want to actually block people’s movement.

Make signs easy to read.  Big and bold is better than small and hard to read.  Use a strong, clean font that would be easy for someone with less-than-perfect vision or for whom English is their second language. Also consider the colors and patterns in your signage. The more contrast between the words and the background, the better.

The language you use is important too.  For example, if you’re children’s ministry is called “The Tree House” and that’s how you label it on the sign, then it may be good to put “Children’s Ministry” in parenthesis below it.  That way it’s clear for guests who are not already familiar with The Tree House.  At Community Christian, their worship service is called the Experience.  It’s a name that’s consistent with their visitor friendly mission, but it could be confusing to some to know what that means.  Once we were in the building it was pretty clear Experience was the worship service because lots of people were heading that way. However, it did make us wonder if we were missing something.

Follow your own signage.  Start in your parking lot and walk into the building.  Act like you don’t know where you’re going and try to get their just by following the signs.  Can you easily get to the children’s area?  Can you find the welcome center?  Are all the signs visible, or are they hiding behind a fake plant?  Try going in the side door and see if the signage works from there.  Better yet, have a friend who’s never been to your church try to find things by just following the signage.

(Juice on the Loose is a feature where we visit a church and share what we learn from the communication stuff they’re doing.  To read other posts in the series, click here.)