A Stone Sign Guide
The Dos and Don’ts when ordering a Commemorative, opening or unveiling plaque
Commemorative, opening and unveiling plaques come in a wide range of materials, and are commissioned for both personal and professional purposes. However, the visibility, durability and beauty of your plaque are components that need to be considered in great detail.
You’ll regularly see commemorative plaques on the sides of structures, in gardens or in a place of importance in memory of an individual who passed away. The plaque should perfectly complement its surroundings yet
additionally stand out enough to be recognised and appreciated by passers-by.
To help you design your next opening, commemorative or unveiling plaque, here are a couple of crucial dos and don’ts that you should be following. These tips are important regardless of whether you’re ordering a personal plaque, a plaque for your home or an unveiling plaque for a new building or business.
Don’t Make the Font/Imagery Too Small
The purpose of a plaque is to be seen. Whether it is for a wedding, a grand opening or an event, your plan should be to make the plaque clearly visible as you want people to read the information on it. A small plaque with small fonts is going to be difficult to read and your guests or customers will have difficulty in understanding the information given. Make sure that the font is as large and as clear as possible so that everyone can read it without any issues. If you find yourself struggling to reduce the amount of text, consider simplifying your message so that it’s more concise.
Don’t Leave It Too Late
Make sure you order your plaque and organize delivery with plenty of time to spare before you actually need it. The last thing you want is to be forced to use a temporary placeholder that looks completely out of place. The nature of designing a custom plaque means that the job can take several days or even weeks depending on your requested design. As a result, delays in the production or delivery can ruin an otherwise perfect event.
Don’t Forget the Fixing/Display Easel
Your plaque isn’t going to float in mid-air, so make sure you have a display easel ready or the fixings bought and installed. We can provide easel hire where we organize the delivery and collection, with easy assembly ensuring a hassle-free process. For commemorative wall plaques, the correct fixings should be arranged well in advance to save on any last-minute hassle. Whatever method you use to display your plaque, make sure you’ve got plenty of space for it to fit in and that you’ve measured the dimensions correctly.
Do remember to get the wording checked
Don’t just check it once. Check it twice, thrice then one more time for good measure. No one wants to receive a plaque that has a spelling error or the wrong information. Make sure you’ve got the perfect message and then check for any kind of mistakes that you may have left in before submitting your final request.
If possible, run your ideas by multiple people to get their opinion on your wording. You can always change a couple of things to make it look a little more exciting or interesting. Checking your wording is incredibly important because you don’t want there to be any incorrect information. Take a couple of extra minutes or even days to ensure the wording is free of errors and echoes the exact message you want it to.
Do Bare in Mind the Material
WELSH SLATE
PORTLAND
BRONZE
Make sure you’ve kept all the materials in mind not just for your plaque, but for wherever you plan to fix it. Depending on the material you fix your plaque to, you’re going to need different fixings and finishing.
For instance, if you plan to keep your plaque on the exterior of a building, then it needs to withstand the elements or else it could risk being damaged or warping.
Welsh slate plaques are a popular outdoor choice due to their durability.
Make sure that the fixings are strong enough to hold the item on your chosen surface as well, especially if you opt for a stone commemorative plaque. You’ll need to consider the weight of the plaque as well as the various methods you have to attach it to the surface.
Do Consider All Shapes and Sizes
You don’t have to go with a simple rectangular plaque that’s attached to a brick wall. Think of all the possibilities you could use instead, such as a plaque attached to a larger boulder or using a natural slate piece instead of a typical traditional plaque.
Consider as many alternative shapes and fixings as you can and brainstorm different ideas so you can get the best look for your money. You want to catch the eyes of people walking past, so an eye-catching design is important.
Finally, remember to contact a reputable supplier
Check reviews from previous customers or look through a company’s previous projects in order to gauge a good perspective on the kind of workmanship and service you can expect from the company. At Stone Sign, we pride ourselves on over 40 years of skilled craftsmanship using a variety of traditions and new methods in our stonemasonry.
Furthermore, you can trust that with the Stone Sign Company you will receive a personalized and friendly service from our experienced and knowledgeable team members.