Design the Right Street Sign System for Your Community
Creating a custom street sign system involves more than choosing a street name and color. From materials and reflectivity to mounting hardware, shapes, finishes, and decorative details, each choice plays a role in the appearance, visibility, and long-term performance of your signage.
Signature Streetscapes makes it easy to specify custom street signs for municipalities, HOAs, residential developments, campuses, and commercial properties. Follow the steps below to build a street sign system that meets your project requirements while creating a cohesive look throughout your community.
Step 1: Choose Printed or Cast Street Signs
Your first decision is choosing between printed aluminum street signs and cast aluminum street signs. Printed street blades are available with reflective materials and are recommended for applications requiring MUTCD-compliant visibility. Cast aluminum street signs provide a dimensional, traditional appearance well suited for communities seeking a distinctive or historic aesthetic. Printed signs meet MUTCD reflectivity standards, while cast signs are intended for applications where those reflectivity requirements don't apply.
(Cast Signs - Skip to Step 4)
PRINTED street blades
Choose printed street blades when visibility, reflectivity, and traffic-sign requirements are priorities. With customizable colors, fonts, graphics, and mounting options, printed signs can provide both regulatory performance and a distinctive community identity.
Cast Aluminum Street Signs
For a more traditional architectural appearance, cast aluminum street signs provide dimensional lettering and decorative detailing. They're an excellent option for private communities, historic districts, developments, and other applications where reflective signage isn't required.
Step 2: Select Your Street Sign Frame & Mounting Style
How your street blade attaches to the post can dramatically change the finished appearance of your sign system. Choose from decorative blade trims, wing brackets, hanger arms, scroll brackets, and post-top mounting options to create a look that complements your community's architecture. Signature Streetscapes currently offers Classic Blade Trims with or without scrolls, post-top hardware, Wing Brackets, Collar Hanger Arms, and Scroll Bracket Arms.
Step 3: Choose Your Reflective Material
Improve Street Sign Visibility Day and Night
For printed street signs, selecting the appropriate reflective sheeting helps ensure your signs remain easy to identify under varying lighting conditions. Choose the reflective material that best fits your roadway, visibility, and project requirements.
Both HIP (High Intensity Prismatic) and DG3 (Diamond Grade) are available as reflective vinyl options.
For public roadway applications, specifications should be reviewed against current MUTCD and applicable local requirements.
Step 4: Select a Street Sign Size & Shape
Find the Right Profile for Your Streetscape
Street sign dimensions affect both readability and overall appearance. Signature Streetscapes offers a variety of sizes and shapes for printed signs, with custom configurations available for projects requiring something different. Signature Streetscapes
For cast aluminum street signs, choose from distinctive profiles including Bell, Chamfered, Colonial, Dome, Oval, Rectangle, and Scallop. Signature Streetscapes These decorative shapes make it easy to coordinate street signage with neighborhood entrances, architectural features, lighting, and other streetscape elements.
Printed Size Options
We offer just about every size and shape you could imagine for your decorative street signs, and if it’s not shown here, we can usually make it custom.
Cast Street sign Shapes & Sizes
Choose from a variety of cast street sign shapes and sizes to create a look that complements your community’s architecture and character. From traditional rectangles to more decorative profiles, each option offers the dimensional appearance and lasting craftsmanship of cast aluminum while giving you the flexibility to create a distinctive, cohesive streetscape.
STEP 5: CHOOSE COLORS FOR SIGN BACKGROUND AND TEXT
Create a Look That Reflects Your Community
Color is one of the easiest ways to give custom street signs a distinctive identity. Choose background and lettering colors that complement your community's branding, architecture, landscape, or existing streetscape elements.
Our team can help you select combinations that balance visual character with the contrast and readability needed for effective street identification.
Printed Color Options
Create street signs that complement your community’s identity with a wide range of printed color options. Choose colors that coordinate with your branding, architecture, or existing streetscape while maintaining the contrast and visibility needed for clear identification.
Cast Color Options
Give your cast street signs a distinctive, finished appearance with durable color options designed to complement their dimensional construction. Select a finish that coordinates with your community’s architecture, decorative posts, lighting, and other streetscape elements for a cohesive look.
STEP 6: CUSTOMIZE YOUR CAST ALUMINUM STREET SIGN
Make Your Street Signs Uniquely Yours
Take your cast aluminum street signs beyond basic identification with custom design details. Signature Streetscapes offers options such as Glo Bead, custom font selections, and decorative scrolls, allowing you to create signage that better reflects the character of your neighborhood or development.
Signature Streetscapes For projects requiring something more distinctive, talk with our team about additional customization possibilities.
Add Glo Bead
FONT OPTIONS
Add Scroll
Step 7: Complete Your Street Sign Assembly
Bring Every Component Together
Finish your street sign system with coordinated posts, bases, caps, brackets, and accessories. Signature Streetscapes offers 3-inch and 4-inch round or square posts, along with decorative bases and caps designed to work together as a complete assembly.
Choosing components as a coordinated system simplifies specification while creating a consistent appearance throughout your streetscape.
Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Street Signs
What's the difference between printed and cast street signs?
Printed signs are ideal when reflective performance and roadway visibility are required. Cast aluminum signs provide a dimensional, decorative appearance and are better suited to applications where reflective signage requirements don't apply.
Can Signature Streetscapes create custom street sign shapes?
Yes. In addition to standard sizes and shapes, Signature Streetscapes notes that custom printed configurations can generally be produced when a project's desired size or shape isn't already offered.
What reflective materials are available?
Printed street blades are offered with HIP High Intensity Prismatic and DG3 Diamond Grade reflective materials.
Can we customize the colors and fonts?
Yes. Color, font, and other design options allow you to coordinate street signs with the overall visual identity of your community.
Can I purchase a complete street sign assembly?
Yes. You can combine street blades with compatible posts, bases, caps, brackets, and mounting components to create a complete street sign assembly.
Do you help with the design process?
Yes. Signature Streetscapes offers a free Signature Design Service for current and prospective customers who need help developing and visualizing a project. Signature Streetscapes
Not Sure Where to Start? We'll Help You Design It.
Our Signature Design Service helps current and prospective customers visualize their project before making a purchase. Share your requirements with our team, and we'll help you explore product combinations, customization options, and conceptual designs for your streetscape project. The service is currently offered free of charge and without requiring a purchase commitment.
Whether you're presenting a concept to a municipal board, HOA committee, developer, or project stakeholder, we'll help you put together a solution that makes your options easier to understand and evaluate.