Accessible, On-Brand Signs for Commercial Facilities
We help Duluth-area businesses plan ADA Signs for new facilities, renovations, and updates to existing sign programs. Depending on the facility and the sign’s purpose, a project may include tactile room identification signs, restroom signs, directional signage, and signs marking stairwells or means of egress. Requirements vary by sign type, so we review the project details before production rather than applying one specification to every sign.
Our ADA compliant signs combine accessibility features with your brand identity. Restroom signs with gender symbol pictograms, braille directional markers, room identification signs, and safety signage at fire exits can all be designed to complement your interior rather than clash with it. Some signs have specific requirements for tactile characters, braille, visual contrast, or placement, while others leave more room for your business’s colors and visual style.
We use the latest sign-making systems and full-color printing to produce durable, highly visible signs tailored to the space. Pictograms, which are graphic symbols used to communicate information without relying on words alone, can be incorporated where the applicable standards call for them. When a pictogram identifies a permanent room or space, the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design may also require a tactile text descriptor.
Coordinated Design, Production & Installation
Before production begins, our team reviews the sign schedule, intended locations, content, accessibility features, and other project requirements. This step is especially important for bulk orders, where the same design or specification may be repeated throughout a commercial facility. We can also coordinate graphic design, project management, content development, production, and installation through one local team.
Federal ADA provisions aren’t interchangeable with local fire, building, zoning, or facility requirements. We provide design and production support based on the information available for your project, but we don’t provide legal advice or guarantee approval by an authority having jurisdiction.
Project support available through our full-service production model includes:
Online ordering: Place orders for any number of signs at any time through our online system
Bulk order review: Review sign specifications and project requirements before production starts
Free consultations: Discuss your facility’s signage needs and possible gaps with our team
Whether you’re opening a new facility, renovating, or reviewing existing signage needs, we coordinate design, production, and installation through one local team. Contact FASTSIGNS® of Duluth - Suwanee, GA to get started, or call (770) 954-8081 to speak with our team directly.
ADA Sign Types for Commercial Facilities in Duluth
ADA compliant signs fall into several functional categories. Each serves a distinct purpose, and a commercial facility may need signs from more than one category based on its layout, use, and applicable requirements.
Identification Signage
Identification signs mark permanent rooms and spaces within a facility, including restrooms, storage areas, conference rooms, and numbered rooms. Under the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, signs identifying permanent rooms and spaces generally require tactile characters and braille. Restroom signs may also use gender symbol pictograms with the required text descriptors.
Directional Signage
Directional signs guide people through offices, retail spaces, and public buildings. Properly placed directional ADA signage can allow people with disabilities to navigate a facility independently, without needing to ask for assistance. These signs are generally governed by applicable visual-character requirements rather than the tactile specifications used for permanent-room identification signs.
Informational Signage
Informational signs communicate rules, restrictions, and instructions that aren’t self-evident from the environment alone. Parking payment instructions, restricted-access notices, and operating hours can fall into this category. The required design features depend on the sign’s content, location, and purpose.
Safety & Regulatory Signage
Safety and regulatory signs may identify fire exits, emergency exits, hazards, accessible entrances, or accessible parking. Exit doors at exit passageways, exit discharges, and exit stairways have specific tactile-sign provisions under the federal standards. Other signs may be governed by separate fire, building, parking, or facility requirements.
Overhead Signage
In larger spaces such as warehouses, lobbies, or open floor plans, overhead signage can support visibility from a distance where wall-mounted signs would be difficult to see. Overhead placement is a wayfinding option, not a universal ADA requirement, and it doesn’t replace required tactile signs at permanent rooms or specified exit doors.
ADA Sign Specifications & Placement
ADA signage standards are specific to the sign’s function. Permanent-room identification signs, directional signs, informational signs, and pictograms aren’t all subject to the same requirements. We use the applicable project specifications to guide design, production, and installation.
Common considerations under the 2010 ADA Standards include:
Color contrast and finish: Applicable visual characters and their backgrounds need a non-glare finish, and the characters need to contrast visually with the background
Font type: Tactile characters use sans-serif letterforms, and applicable visual characters use conventional letterforms, both without decorative features that interfere with legibility
Tactile characters: Signs identifying permanent rooms and spaces generally include raised tactile characters and braille
Character height: Tactile lettering is uppercase and between 5/8 inch and 2 inches high
Braille placement: Braille is positioned below the corresponding tactile text and separated from raised borders and decorative elements as required
Character clearance: Raised characters and braille maintain the specified clearance from raised borders and decorative elements
Pictograms: A pictogram identifying a permanent room or space requires the applicable tactile text descriptor and pictogram field
Mounting height: Tactile characters are positioned between 48 inches minimum and 60 inches maximum above the finished floor, measured according to the specified character baselines
Mounting location: A tactile sign at a door is generally installed alongside the latch side, subject to the door type, approach, and available wall space
Clear floor space: The location needs space that allows a person to approach and read the tactile sign without standing within the swing of the door
Limited wall space: When the standard latch-side location isn’t available, placement depends on the nearest permitted location under the applicable provisions
Correct production is only one part of an accessible sign program. Sign purpose, mounting height, placement, door operation, and surrounding clear space can all affect the installation plan. Our team can review these details with you before signs move into production.
