Every signage business gets asked this question first, and the honest answer - "it depends" - is true but not very useful on its own. What follows is what it actually depends on, so you can arrive at a quote conversation with a realistic budget range instead of a guess.

Size is the biggest single driver. Signage is typically priced by area, so a sign that's twice as wide and twice as tall isn't twice the cost - it's roughly four times the material. This is why getting your size right before requesting a quote matters more than almost anything else; a rough size range at least narrows things down enormously.

Material comes second. Basic non-illuminated acrylic or foam board signage sits at the affordable end. Metal letters (stainless steel, brushed aluminium) cost more per square foot than acrylic due to fabrication complexity. Illuminated signage - LED channel letters, backlit panels, neon-style flex - adds the cost of the light source, driver, and wiring on top of the base material. Premium finishes like mirror-polished stainless steel or multi-layer acrylic sit at the top.

Complexity is the factor people forget to budget for. A straight rectangular panel with printed text is simple to produce. Custom-cut letters, 3D dimensional lettering, curved or wrap-around installations, and anything requiring precise on-site alignment all add labour cost beyond the raw material.

Installation and site conditions matter too. A ground-floor shopfront with easy wall access costs less to install than upper-floor signage needing scaffolding, or an outdoor sign needing weatherproofing and structural mounting. If your site has unusual access constraints, mentioning this upfront avoids a surprise revision later.

As a rough starting orientation rather than a firm quote: simple non-illuminated acrylic or foam signage tends to be the most budget-friendly per square foot, metal and dimensional lettering sits in the middle, and illuminated channel letters or digital signage sit at the higher end given the electronics involved. Actual numbers vary enough by exact spec that we'd rather give you a real number based on your size and material than a table that might mislead more than it helps.

The fastest way to get an accurate figure is to share your approximate size, preferred material (or send a reference photo if you're not sure), and whether it needs to be illuminated - that's usually enough for a same-day estimate.