Making The Most Of Your Interior Menu Board Design
Great interior menu boards do not just appear out of thin air. Although they may appear straightforward and simple at first glance, menu boards actually require careful planning and thoughtful design. In our experience, it’s best to prepare all of the copy before approaching an indoor signage company. So, if you’re creating a menu board, you’ll need to have the food items, descriptions, prices, images, and meal sizes finalized ahead of time. That way, you won’t need to start the entire project over because unanticipated content changes.
Our menu board process has been meticulously honed over the decades that we’ve been in business. Once your interior signage content is ready, we kick off the quote process with a few questions about the placement, size, and look of the board. We also ask you about special environmental considerations (such as the fact that the board will hang over a fryer) as well as anticipated changes (such as seasonal shifts in appetizer prices). With all the necessary information at our fingertips, and an agreed upon proposal, we create a design and issue a final proof for your menu board. We ask customers to go over the proof with a fine-tooth comb; it is challenging to correct mistakes on menu boards, and if you approve the final draft you may be responsible for printed errors.
Design Tips for Creating Exceptional Menu Boards
- Organize by Type of Food. Customers like to quickly scan menu boards to see if what they want is available. Categorizing your food by type (salads, soups, desserts, entrees, beverages, etc.) allows for fast scanning, pleasing diners.
- Provide Informative Names and Details. Special names can be cute, but if the customer doesn’t immediately understand what the dish includes, chances are you won’t get many orders. Be sure to be specific about what each dish includes. For example, if you’re a sandwich shop it’s smart to list the type of cheese, bread, meat, veggies, and special sauces included in each sandwich choice. For unfamiliar foods, consider including attractive photographs of each dish, to help the customer understand what is being offered.
- Make Pricing Obvious & Easy to Understand. No one likes surprises at the register. Design your menu board so that prices for everything—even an add-on cookie or condiment—are crystal clear.
Ultimately, a fantastic menu board requires collaborative effort between an eatery and a print shop. As such, in order to make your menu board the best it can be, we suggest setting up a design appointment so that our S2 Imaging signage gurus can work closely with you to create and maximize your menu design.
