Pylon sign or totem sign?
Both are freestanding signs. A pylon sign is tall and is meant to be seen from a distance and from moving traffic, for example along a main road. A totem sign is lower, often between one and three metres, and sits at an entrance, a car park or a building forecourt where people read it up close.
Where pylon and totem signs are used
- Shopping centres and commercial blocks with several tenants, using a directory pylon
- Car showrooms, petrol stations and fast food outlets along main roads
- Factories and offices in industrial areas, to mark the entrance
- Housing projects and show units, to show the project name
Pylon signage for petrol stations, showrooms and factories
Pylon signage works hardest where drivers have to decide quickly: a petrol station before the turning, a car showroom on a busy road, or a factory gate in an industrial area. Lit panels keep the name readable at night, and a directory pylon lists every tenant of a commercial block. For roadside advertising rather than your own entrance, a billboard is usually the better choice.
Planning a pylon sign
A freestanding sign is a structure, so it needs proper planning. The size, the wind it will face and the ground it stands on decide the steel frame and the foundation. Most councils (PBT) require approval for pylon signs, and large ones may need an engineer’s drawings. Tell us the site location and the height you have in mind, and we will discuss what is needed.
What changes the price
- The height and width of the sign
- The number of faces and tenant panels
- Lit panels, lit letters or no lighting
- The steel structure and foundation
- Site access and installation equipment
For signs fixed to a building rather than standing on their own, see our outdoor signboard and shopfront signboard pages.
