Which sign fits your business?

Three things decide the type of sign: what you are putting up, where it goes, and whether it has to glow after dark. Dimensional letters, a lightbox, neon, a bracket sign and a flat panel solve different problems, and the choice between them almost always comes down to those three answers.

This is the same selection table that runs inside the order form, minus the contact steps: you can look without leaving anything behind.

The logic is deterministic — the same answers always give the same recommendation. There is no “AI matching” here: there are rules built from our own orders, and every outcome points at a service page, a comparison guide and real work in that category.

Three questions

If you do not know the type yet, pick “not sure yet” and the selector works from placement and illumination instead.

What do you need?

Runs in your browser — no data is sent anywhere.

Tools

Table: the job → the construction type

The full breakdown for anyone who would rather not click: every combination of placement and illumination, with the same outcome the selector gives.

Placement	Illumination	We recommend	Alternative
On the building facade	Yes, visible at night too	3D Letters	Lightboxes
On the building facade	No, without lighting	Signs	Plaques & Door Signs
On the building facade	Advise me	Signs	—
Inside the premises	Yes, visible at night too	Neon Signs	3D Logos
Inside the premises	No, without lighting	3D Logos	Plaques & Door Signs
Inside the premises	Advise me	3D Logos	Plaques & Door Signs
In the shop window	Yes, visible at night too	Acrylites	Window Displays
In the shop window	No, without lighting	Window Displays	—
In the shop window	Advise me	Window Displays	—
On the roof	Yes, visible at night too	Rooftop Signs	—
On the roof	No, without lighting	Rooftop Signs	—
On the roof	Advise me	Rooftop Signs	—
Freestanding — a pylon	Yes, visible at night too	Pylons & Stelae	—
Freestanding — a pylon	No, without lighting	Pylons & Stelae	—
Freestanding — a pylon	Advise me	Pylons & Stelae	—

Tools

How the selection works

The first question is what you already have in mind. If the type is known (neon, a lightbox, letters), the rest only qualifies the order. If it is not, the other two questions decide.

The second is placement. A facade, a shop window, an interior, a roof and a pylon are five different problems with different demands on fixing, weight and approvals. The third is illumination: whether the sign has to work after sunset. For most urban businesses that is what decides how many hours a day the sign does anything at all.

Tools

What to do with the result

A recommendation is a starting point for a conversation. That is why we put the comparison guide next to it: it says where one option loses to another, and when the cheaper one is the better call.

From there you have two routes. Look at our work in that category to see how the construction sits on a real facade — or go straight to the order form, which picks up your answers so you are not asked the same questions twice.

Sources

The numbers and rules on this page come from here. If a source has changed and this page has not, tell us.

TheFace’s own practice: the table is built from our orders and matches the recommendation in the order form

Checked against the sources on 18/08/2026

Related services

Signs

Comparison guide

Illuminated or Non-Illuminated Sign: Which to Choose for Your Facade?

Other tools

Q&A

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between dimensional letters and a lightbox?

Letters are individual characters on the facade: they look more expensive and read better by day, but cost more and take longer to install. A lightbox is a single box with an illuminated face: cheaper, faster, visible in the evening, plainer to look at. A separate guide compares them in detail.

Is illumination compulsory?

No, but without it the sign only works in daylight. For cafes, pharmacies, salons and anything trading in the evening, illumination is not decoration — it is half the point of having a sign.

I do not know what I need. Where do I start?

Pick “not sure yet” and the selector works from where the sign goes and whether it has to glow. Those two answers are enough to land on a concrete construction type.

Does the selector show prices?

No. Cost depends on size, material, illumination, installation complexity and the facade itself, so any figure quoted without seeing the place would be fiction. We come out, measure and quote for free.

How accurate is the recommendation?

These are rules built from typical orders. They handle the ordinary case well, but they cannot see your building, your landlord or the signs next door. We confirm the final option on site.

Contact

Ready to discuss your project?

Tell us about the task — we’ll quote for free and suggest a solution.