How to Create a Neon Sign for Advertising

Signs using neon gas have been used for advertising for nearly a hundred years, from the Vegas Strip to the sign in a deli window. The glowing gas is even making a comeback in the face of fluorescent plastic signs. Brightening the night sky with a neon sign remains one of the better ways of advertising your business.

Instructions

1. Create a design for how you want the sign to look--especially what words or objects the neon tubes will make. Simple works best--a couple of words in big letters that will draw people's attention.

2. Choose the colors for your neon sign. You definitely want colors that will stand out. If there are many neon signs already on your block, find colors different from them so yours won't get lost in the crowd.

3. Take size into account when designing. A bigger sign may draw more attention, but it will cost more. You will also need to figure out how the sign will be supported and, if it's going in a window, if it will fit there.

4. Take your completed design to professional sign makers and give them all your details and specifications and let them construct the sign. Neon signs involve things like electrodes and vacuum-sealed tubes and precise amounts of gas, so let a pro handle it.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind that neon normally glows red-orange when lit. Any other colors require colored tubing. This is something the sign maker will know and take care of, but it is a good thing for you to know.

• A very big sign with multiple objects and colors will not work well unless you're counting on curiosity and a pedestrian crowd. If the majority of passers-by are drivers, they likely won't have time to read through your complex design.