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In the first of our series of articles on the ‘Pearce approach to corporate sign rollouts' we explore in detail the importance of site surveys and asset audits for a successful company brand activation across your commercial estate.
When we embark on any global brand implementation project, our first job is to ensure consistent high quality, for every sign that we design, manufacture and install.
Every individual sign represents a moment of engagement with your brand. So consistency is everything.
Once we know this, we then focus on de-risking every area of the project - from site access and local permissions to cost control and installation.
With over 200 years’ experience delivering corporate sign rollouts, we know that there’s no shortcut to a professionally designed project.
The stakes are particularly high when we’re working across more than one country, or continent, as we also have to contend with the challenges of different time zones as well as different local planning consents.
As with every global brand implementation project, we’re mindful of the many stakeholders involved in the project, so our detailed process involves identifying their individual concerns and objectives:
Client: Effectiveness and durability of the sign - and sustainable use of materials
Building owners: Integrity of the project, installation methods, duty of care to property
Architect: Design, aesthetics and proposed materials
Branding: Adherence to brand and design protocols
Manufacturing/Engineering: Feasibility of design and materials
Project managers: Logistics, planning regulations, timeframes.
Apart from the obvious purpose of identifying the sites for each proposed design, another key point is to actually question whether there are other more prominent locations that will make your company signs more visible and perform more effectively.
Here, we look at both near and distant sight lines, as well as the user journey from the main company sign to the subsidiary signage that leads you to the main point of access on your property. For instance, what signs are needed from the car park to your reception area or shop entrance.
Site surveys for corporate signs also serve the following key purposes, namely to:
Assess accessibility, and any issues that may affect installation
Survey the walls and surfaces that the signs will be attached to, to assess their condition.
Assess potential risks from extreme weather conditions - wind, heat, rain, ice.
Define a sign hierarchy - identify lead signage, subsidiary signs, interior signs, demarcation signs (for instance, in retail projects)
Accurately document each exterior company sign location for local planning consents
Assess the suitability of proposed materials for the intended location and possible illumination purposes
Quantify the full extent of materials needed, and the people hours to design, manufacture and install.
Meanwhile, our asset audits help us understand the extent of your property estate, and the scale of the project. This is the quantity surveying aspect of our pre-commissioning process which aims to:
Define the full extent of the cost, and build in contingency
Identify costs associated with prototype development for existing company signs that can be repurposed or upcycled, or where a client wants a specific focus on sustainable materials.
Our recent work for Lear Corporation shows how site surveys were critical for us to understand local planning consents and logistics, particularly with regard to their location in Morocco.
Also, our UK-wide rollout for NatWest shows how asset audits enabled us to conduct a detailed cost analysis of an ambitious project where the cost-benefit analysis of sustainable materials was a key driver.
Critical to every successful corporate sign roll out is the milestone planning, and the communication trail that starts the moment that the client gives the go ahead. Company sign rollouts are a major investment, featuring brand assets that are critical to the continued visibility of your business. Our collaborative approach to working with all key stakeholders in the project is our way of ensuring that we get every element of your global brand implementation, at every stage, right.
