What is a projecting sign?

A projecting sign is a sign, symbol or small sculpture fixed at right angles to a building’s facade, often hanging from a metal or timber bracket, that shows with a picture or text what business is inside. It is also called a hanging sign, or a blade sign in North America. In Dutch it is called an ‘uithangbord’.

Trade symbols

Before most people could read, pictures told passers-by what trade was practised inside: a pretzel for the baker, a boot for the shoemaker, a tankard for the inn, a pestle and mortar for the apothecary, and the red-and-white barber’s pole. The Netherlands has its own classic, the ‘gaper’: a carved head with an open mouth, the sign of a chemist’s shop.

Materials

Projecting signs are made of wrought iron, timber, stone, enamel, aluminium, glass or plastic. A small figure may sit on a console bracket. Illuminated versions usually have a lightbox with LED lighting, or separate letters and shapes in neon or LED.

Application

• Shops, pubs, cafés and workshops on busy streets, where a sign at right angles is seen from both directions along the pavement.
• Historic town centres, where traditional hanging signs add character to the streetscape.

Tips and points of attention

• Check permission first: rules depend on country and local authority. In the Netherlands it differs per municipality. In England, for example, signs are covered by separate advertisement consent rules, with some types allowed without an application. Listed buildings and conservation areas usually bring extra requirements. Always ask the local planning authority before you fit one.
• Fixing: the sign’s weight and wind load act through the bracket as a lever, pulling perpendicular to the wall. Fix into sound, solid masonry with suitable anchors, ideally spread over several courses, never into a mortar joint alone.
• Clearance: the sign often hangs over a public footway. Leave enough headroom for pedestrians and deliveries; the authority may set requirements.
• Maintenance: check anchors, hanging eyes and corrosion every year.
• Lighting: steady, non-flashing illumination is more likely to be accepted and is kinder to neighbours.

Related terms

• Console (bracket/corbel)
• Building permit
• Listed building
• LED lighting
• Design review committee

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