If your client has an exterior signage problem, a backer panel might be the answer. Here are 4 benefits of backer panels for outdoor signs.

Is your client an entrepreneur or business owner looking for better ways to attract more traffic to their building? Ask them to take a hard look at their business sign on their building and ask themselves if it draws attention. If the answer is ‘no’, one of the best ways to make a sign more conspicuous is by adding a backer panel. Here are four of the top benefits of using a backer panel, along with some considerations and warnings.

What Are Backer Panels?

Perhaps you may have heard of backer panels but aren’t quite sure what they are. Also known as backer plates, backing boards or simply backers, backer panels are basically flat structures that are mounted behind the letters of a sign.

They’re somewhat like a picture frame. In most cases, the panels are painted with a colour that highlights and compliments the rest of the sign. Usually, the letters are mounted on a flat, rectangular panel. However, backer panels can also be custom-designed into a variety of other shapes.

  1. Provides a High-Contrast Background Colour for a Sign

The main benefit and function a backer panel is to provide a sign with a high-contrast background colour. Consider how a set of channel letters can pop or stand out much more when mounted onto a surface that gives it a halo effect, compared to a sign that’s simply mounted against the facade of a building. As a result, the sign is more effective.

  1. Hides an Unattractive Building Facade

Does the front of your client’s building look unappealing? Then it would make sense to use a backer panel for your sign. Another perk of the backer panel is that it can conceal building facades with visual problems. Just think about how a building that has visual defects can negatively impact the sign that’s attached to it.

  1. Covers Up a Raceway Mount

Backer panels can hide a raceway mount, which the box that houses the electrical components and wiring of the signage. In fact, channel letter mounting that’s raceway-based is a requirement for some property owners. Even painting the raceway mount so that it blends in with a building façade can still hurt a sign’s effectiveness. Fortunately, including a backer panel in the design can help minimize this problem.

  1. Can Be Used on Any Kind of Channel Letter

You can use backer panels with any type of channel letter. One of the most common applications is to support reverse lit letters. Consider how a backer panel can produce a base that provides an excellent halo surface.

What’s more, you can also backer panels for both back lit and front lit letter signs. However, as a word of caution, don’t mount reverse-lit channel letters on a glossy backer panel surface because this produces a mirror image of the back of your letters. Instead, use a satin or matte finish.

Considerations and Warnings

  • It’s critical that you carefully plan your backer panel.
  • When deciding on a backer panel, consider factors, such as colour, the various design possibilities and placement since all of these things can impact a sign’s effectiveness.
  • The additional cost of adding a backer panel can depend on letter size, as well as the specific project scope.
  • Consider cutting a panel from a single aluminum sheet because this is generally cheaper than needing several sheets.
  • If the front of your client’s building contains multicoloured bricks or has a pattern that looks “busy”, consider how a backer panel can hide this problem.

The Bottom Line

  • Although it’s an optional feature, a backer panel is highly effective in improving the appearance of letters on signs.
  • They can make a sign significantly more visual and stand out, which can draw more traffic to your client’s building.
  • As a result, your client’s business is more likely to grow.

At Channel Letter Depot, we offer a wide range of sign lighting and installation options. We also produce signs for other sign companies as well as large franchises. For more information on backer panels on outdoor signs, or any of our products and installation options, please contact us.