The OFMA Resource Library
Brand & Marketing Toolkit

Signage and Environmental Graphics

Your farmer’s market is a community hub, and you want more foot traffic! How do you create print work and signage that will promote your market and your vendors, build more meaningful relationships with your current customers, and reach new customers? In this chapter we’ll explore how signage around your market can help bring new folks into your market.

Signage and environmental graphics are a way for farmers markets to advertise critical information and to project their brand to community members and customers–both current and potential. It serves as a visual indicator to passers-by that there is a farmers market, and it is open! Or it can be more permanent signage that tells people there is a market in that spot every X day. Within the market, signage helps customers navigate around, find vendors they may have liked when they came in, and build that brand experience that makes the customer feel like they are in a comfortable, familiar space when they return.

Signage can be anything from wooden signs, to sandwich boards, to horizontal banners in front of tables or at the back of stands, to vertical pop-up banners, to individual vendor table signs. It can be custom printed on brand with your market or even executed on chalkboards!

Watch our Print Marketing Workshop to learn more about how to create signage, graphics, printed goodies, and more.

Why does it matter?

Creating signage and environmental graphics at your market that are consistent with your branding will enhance brand awareness, increases visual exposure of the market, and enhance consumer experience while at the market.

Is this right for my market?

Every market should have at least one sign, near the road or at the entry, indicating there is a farmers market, and it is open! The bigger your market, the more signage is important to have throughout, and for different vendors.

Case Study:

Lane County Farmers Market

Lane County Farmers Market has beautiful, permanent, hand-painted signage with lovely typography and illustrations that clearly communicate they are a Farmer’s Market! And bonus, it looks like this signage is on a truck, so it is mobile! Easy to move in and out of a market, and always working to keep their market in the minds and hearts of their community, where ever it is driving or parked!

This photo to the left perfectly illustrates how permanent signage and temporary signage can work together. The Market name is on the permanent hand-painted signage - big, bold and clear. Then on the smaller sign, a white board, is hand-written information sharing the values of their market.

Temporary signage can share different values and perspective, or even fun inspiration and quotes. It can also share changing or evolving information, like seasonal hours. While a white board is a great cost-effective sign you can write directly on, a chalkboard also does the trick!

GETTING STARTED:

There are many different ways to produce signage.

The easiest, as previously mentioned, is with chalkboards.

Second easiest would be craft paper on clipboards that can change week to week.

The most difficult, but most in-line with farmers market values, would be a handmade or hand-painted wooden sign.

You want a material that will endure weather, and last you a long time.

If you want to go with a printed sign, some type of recycled vinyl could be a good solution.

Paper is lovely, but will not endure and wrinkle easily through time.

Permanent Signage
Vs. Temporary Signage

Signage can be permanent, and last a long time. 

To endure, make sure the information you have on your permanent signage is very top level. Your name is the most important thing on permanent signage to signal to people walking by and looking for your market that you are there! 

Your social media handle and web address probably won’t change, so those can also be on permanent signage, though much smaller than your name. 

Information like opening times, vendor information, programs may change seasonally or annually, so those are best to have on more temporary signage, like a printout or a chalkboard. 

See the Lane County Farmer’s Market Case Study above as a perfect example.

Market Signage Messaging: What do signs say?

First and foremost, your signage should share your Market name, big, bold, and clear.

Here is the recommended hierarchy of information on a market sign or series of signs.

  1. Market Name

  2. Inspirational or Value-Driven messaging (optional)

  3. Website, social media handle, or way to find out more information (QR code, or text for updates)

  4. Hours of operation

Value-driven Messaging on Signage:

Messaging that communicates your values can exist on both permanent and temporary signage. For example “Shop Fresh! Shop Local!” could be a permanent mural, or the same message could be on a letterboard, rollout craft paper, or chalkboard. If your market doesn’t have the funds, or permission from the space owner, to hire an artist to do a permanent mural, it’s okay! You can still have fun, inspiring messaging on temporary signage - and bonus - you can change it out regularly to keep it fresh.

Signage as Art!

Consider investing in a mural or hand-painted, permanent sign for your market! This can take time, planning, and the funds needed to fairly compensate an artist or sign-painter, but the investment can pay in dividends! Farmers Market Murals can inspire and empower communities to get involved with your market! They an attract the attention from news outlets and gain positive attention for your market during the making of your mural. They also provide a background for folks to take photos and selfies, which can turn into a fun digital campaign on social media.

If your funds are limited, but you have plenty of volunteer power, you could consider a community mural, painted by volunteers!

Consult your local town, city, or state Art Council for advise and best practices on how to plan a mural at your Market.

Best Practices for
Vendor Booth Signage

If a vendor doesn’t have a sign, a market manager can encourage them to get a sign! The same advice here for market’s applies to market vendors as well. If you see something that isn’t working, talk to your vendors about it. It’s okay to ask a vendor to up their game a bit and problem solve together! Have the courage and confidence to support your market vendors :)

What makes a good sign:

Stability — Sturdy and stable (not blowing in the wind)
Readability — Readable, legible
Portability — easy to open and close and carry (A-boards, can you volunteers carry? Do you need a pushcart so it’s easy for you and your volunteers to install at each opening?)
Durability — Can you signage endure the wind, rain, and elements?
Cleanliness — a clean sign signals to customers your products are clean :)
Simple, Clear Messaging! — Don’t try to cram it all in! Use your sign to share 1-2 key messages. The first should always be, your name.

Creative Ideas
for Your Market

Community murals—Designed under an artist, inspired by the brand graphics, but implemented by the community

Hand-painted corner signage by the road (permanent wooden sign)

Branded signage for each vendor-Customizable signs, chalkboards, business cards, logo stamps, aprons, etc.

Large-Scale standing chalkboard or marquee somewhere with a lot of foot or car traffic opening where the market manager can hand-write info for each week, such as featured products, vendors or events

Markets who have a strong social media presence and can cross-promote accordingly.

More on your own:

Tools & Resources

 

National Online Vendors: VistaPrint

 
 

Online Vendor: Pieces of Sign

 
 

Working with a Sign Painter

FAQ

 

Find answers to frequently asked questions about Signgage for farmers markets below!

  • Everyone that comes to your market!

  • See above section on signage messaging.

  • See above in permanent vs. temporary signage.

  • When working with a print vendor, always ask them their preferred file type to print the best quality signage. Usually they’ll want a high-resolution PDF or vector file for the best quality.

  • Chalkboards, and stickers. I’m a big advocate of well-designed stickers!

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