Appendix C Sign Design Guidelines Sign Types ... - Schoharie County

Windows provide an excellentarea for signs that will notinterfere with the architecturaldetails or overall appearance ofthe building. Such signs shouldsimply state the name and functionof the business. Covering thewindow with long lists ofproducts, prices, and otherinformation can create a clutteredand unattractive appearance.Freestanding signs are perhapsbest used in areas of slow movingvehicles or pedestrian activity.Freestanding signs work well inintimate settings, such ascourtyards.If two businesses share a commonstorefront (Figure 4 No. 1), bothshould use the same basic signformat. Signs relating to streetlevel establishments should be placed within an information band (No. 3) immediatelyabove the storefront or should be applied directly to the display window (No. 2). Theinformation band should not be longer than the overall length of the storefront. If itcannot be confined to the width of an existing band defined by the building, its heightshould not exceed two feet, six inches.Second floor businesses should be identified by a street level directory or sign that isplaced directly beside (No. 4), immediately above (No. 5), or directly on a relatedwindow (No. 6). A sign placed beside the window should be no higher than the height ofthe window opening. A sign placed immediately above a window should be no longerthan the overall width of the window.Third floor businesses should be identified either by a street level directory or sign that isapplied directly to a related window (No. 7). No signs should be placed on the façade ofthe building above the second floor.All figures from the Village Planning Handbook, Bucks County Planning Commission, 1989.Most text taken from the Waterbury Zoning Regulations, Waterbury, VT, 1994.