LED neon signs: what to know before you order one

A neon line on the wall changes a room. It is the corner people photograph and post, which makes it one of the few signs that advertises you on other people's phones. Almost all "neon" signs made today are LED neon, and that is good news for shops, cafés and salons.

LED neon or glass neon?

Traditional neon is a glass tube filled with gas and lit with high voltage. It glows beautifully, but it is fragile, runs hot and needs a specialist to repair.

LED neon is a flexible strip of LEDs inside a soft silicone cover that diffuses the light into a smooth line. It:

• runs at low voltage and stays cool to the touch,
• uses a fraction of the power of glass neon,
• is light and hard to break, so it is safe in cafés, shops and homes,
• bends into fine script, logos and Arabic calligraphy.

Choosing the size

Start from the wall, not from the words. Measure the space and decide how far away people will stand. A slogan for a photo spot reads well at 60 to 120 cm wide. A logo behind a counter usually needs 80 cm or more to read from the door. We show you a mock-up of the neon on a photo of your wall before we make it, so you can judge the size in place.

Colour and brightness

Warm white, cool white, pink, blue and red are the most asked for, and many more colours are possible. Two tips:

• Pick the colour on a dark wall and a light wall. The same pink looks stronger on navy than on white.
• Ask for a dimmer. A sign that is right at night can feel too bright in the afternoon. A dimmer or remote lets you set it for the room.

Backing: clear, coloured or cut to shape

The neon is fixed to an acrylic backing. Clear acrylic almost disappears and lets the wall show through. Coloured or mirror acrylic makes the backing part of the design. Cut-to-shape backing follows the outline of the letters for a cleaner look.

Indoors and outdoors

Most LED neon goes inside: feature walls, counters, windows and events. It can go outside too, with outdoor-rated neon, a sealed backing and a protected power supply. Tell us where it will hang and we choose the right build.

What to send us

1. The words or logo file (we redraw logos from a photo if needed).
2. A photo of the wall with a rough width.
3. Your colour and whether it hangs inside or outside.

We send a mock-up on your wall with a price. All our neon has a 2-year warranty. See more on our neon signs page, or send us your idea.