I Saw the Sign

This sign is the inspiration for today's blog. It's a beauty, isn't it? On my way home from Deerfield to Delray Beach, I saw this gem while stopped at a light. Proofreading is important for any business. I see spelling mistakes on food menus quite often, but this is a whole new level. This sign gets the point across, but with not one, but TWO spelling mistakes prominently plastered across it. "Quater" is a delightful nonsense word to say out loud, but the lack of a second "t" in lettuce is just no fun. It really ruins the brand immediately. Anyone can make a mistake, but two? Did anyone give it a once over? Not to mention, you'd think the company who printed the sign may have taken a look before printing, but I suppose the process may have been automated and printed exactly as typed. In any case, it is a total bummer of a sign and if anyone is a word snob like me, it may actually lose business for those 5 Girls rather than generating it.

Naturally, the misspelled sign I saw inspired me to Google other sign spelling mistakes. The internet, of course, never disappoints, and I was delighted to save some of my favorites to share on this blog. Mostly I wanted to find examples of signs that were similar to the one I spotted in Deerfield to exemplify errors that may hurt a company's brand. But how could I not share this one? Furthermore, I bet if you typed "accident porn" into your browser, the internet may not disappoint with that either. I'll wait if you'd like to try --- I wasn't brave enough.

Welcome back, I hope you found some fun/disturbing stuff. Time to get back on target. Let's take a look at some more misspelled signs that could affect how people perceive a company's brand.

I'm really sorry, but Pop-tards is hilarious. Please excuse me for not being politically correct, but does anyone else see the irony of this? Moving on...

No spelling mistakes here, but sometimes proofreading also requires a bit of editing as well. It's really important to think through the message you are trying to deliver when you're creating copy meant to advertise or market your business. Who is your audience and what do you want your message to convey? Now put that down into words. Try to look at those words objectively. Do those words potentially lead you to being legally obligated to inform your neighbors when you move into a community? If so, then maybe get a second opinion.

While we're on the subject, let's rewind. Before marketing your business, you should have a strong brand. Customers need to know what kind of business you are, what you represent and how you fit into your industry and community. Branding can be anything from your business name, to your logo, website, mission statement --- basically everything that you put out into the world to represent you or your business. You want to be memorable, stick out from competition and tell customers why they should chose you. Think about this carefully before moving forward because there are many ways to be memorable. Just, uh, make sure you chose the right one.

And finally, always remember --- don't drink and sign.