The following article originally appeared in the August 1987 issue of Signs of the Times magazine. By R. James Claus, Ph.D., Karen E. Claus, Ph.D. Donald W. Large, L.L.B. The history of sign-control legislation shows that certain approaches are successful and produce fair regulation, which benefits the entire community. Industry representatives who utilize positive strategies […]
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The Economic Values of the On-Premise Sign
The following is excerpted from a pamphlet that was published in 1983. As a member-service project, the National Electric Sign Association (now the International Sign Association) has teamed up with a well-known researcher to produce a 22-page study that underlies the importance of the on-premise sign. Here is an encapsulation of Ray Anderson’s findings, which were […]
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The Dollar and Cents Value of the On-Premise Sign
The following article originally appeared in the February 1977 issue of Signs of the Times magazine. By R. T. Anderson, Director of Research, National 3M, Bedford Park, Ill. This is the first of three comprehensive installments being presented as a service to the sign industry in general and to individual sign salesmen in particular. Based […]
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Senator Orrin Hatch Discusses Signs and Property Rights
Excerpts from Sen. Orrin Hatch’s keynote address at the National Sign Users’ Conference on Sign Regulation and Marketing The following article originally appeared in the August 1998 issue of Signs of the Times magazine. By Wade Swormstedt “I believe government regulation [of signs] has been burdensome, often times unconstitutional.” At the Intl. Sign Assn.’s (ISA) […]
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First Amendment Aspects of Takings
The following article originally appeared in Signs of the Times magazine. By Karen E. Claus, JD Phd This month, the author examines the First Amendment aspects of takings by looking at the cases of Linmark Assoc., Inc. et. al. v. Township of Willingboro et. al., which concerned real-estate signage. and Omni Outdoor Adv Inc. v. […]
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Establishing the Worth of an On-Premise Sign
How to apply the market-comparison and cost-of-replacement valuation methods to an on-premise sign This article originally appeared in the October 1999 issue of Signs of the Times magazine. By Dr. R. James Claus and Thomas A. Claus In last month’s column, we examined a car wash’s new, $15,000 pole sign and began assessing its economic […]
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Villanova Study Examines Value of Illuminated On-premise Signs
Professor Charles R. Taylor, a marketing professor at Villanova University, and a Research Fellow at the Center for Marketing and Policy Research, conducted a survey of business owners as to the value of illumination for their on-premise signs. Surveys were sent to 750 business owners, and 333 useable responses were received. Here are some of […]
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Can a Changeable-copy Sign Help a Business?
A car wash in California had a two-color, freestanding, rectangular ground sign. It replaced it with a sign of the same proportion, which constituted a multi-color, dimensional cabinet sign on a pole, with a manual, changeable-copy sign below it. The sign cost $15,000. In the first year after the new sign was installed, gross revenue […]
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How Did One Car Dealer Succeed When Three Others had Failed?
Melvin Tuchez worked as an employee in the auto-sales business, and then he purchased his own dealership, Aztec Motors, in San Fernando, California. He believed three other auto-sales companies on the same site had failed due to inferior branding and weak management. He immediately began spending $16,000 per month on print and on-air advertising. A […]
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How Does an Angled Sign’s Effectiveness Compare to a Parallel Sign?
The difference in conspicuity for parallel and perpendicular signs has been calculated by Penn State research, along with the requisite minimum sizes for the letters of each. But what if the local sign code won’t allow a bigger sign, and not enough projection length for a legible perpendicular sign? Would a sign with at least […]
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