Electric & Light Up Signs in Chicago

Name: FASTSIGNS® of Chicago, IL - Magnificent Mile
Address: 447 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
Telephone: (312) 728-8038

Custom Illuminated Signage, Designed & Managed from Concept Through Installation

A sign that goes dark after sunset stops working for your business. Electric and light up signs in Chicago keep your storefront, lobby, or entrance visible and on-brand around the clock. At FASTSIGNS® of Chicago, IL - Magnificent Mile, we’re locally owned and operated, with the resources that come from more than 35 years of national brand experience. We handle every stage of your electric sign project, including design, production, and installation coordination.

Chicago’s busy commercial corridors, from the Near North Side to neighborhoods across the city, place many businesses in close proximity. Well-placed electric signs in Chicago help customers find your business during evening hours and in low-light conditions. You can share your project details through our online quote form.

Ready to put your brand in the spotlight? Call us at (312) 728-8038 to get started on your custom electric sign project.

Electric & Light Up Sign Products We Offer

We offer six categories of illuminated signage, each suited to different visibility goals, building types, and brand aesthetics. Our team works with you to select the right product for your space and objectives before production begins. Options are available for storefront signs in Chicago, property entrances, interior branding, and directional needs.

Lighted Cabinet Signs: Internally lit cabinet signs deliver bold, large-format storefront impact with consistent brightness day and night. They’re a reliable choice for high-traffic retail and service businesses.
LED Signboards & Displays: Dynamic LED displays let you update messaging without replacing the sign, making them well-suited for promotions, events, hours changes, and announcements indoors or outdoors.
Illuminated Channel Letters: These three-dimensional letters mount directly to a building facade. Channel letters are a common choice for storefront identification and add architectural depth to commercial exteriors.
LED Digital Monument Signs: These freestanding, programmable signs sit near property entrances or at street level, combining a permanent structure with flexible digital messaging.
Backlit Signage: This option is ideal for lobbies, menu boards, trade show displays, and point-of-sale environments where a clean, evenly lit graphic panel creates a polished impression.
Custom Exit & Directional Signs: These code-compliant exit and wayfinding signs meet safety requirements while remaining consistent with your brand identity throughout your space.

Every product can be customized for size, shape, finish, and illumination effect. We determine the right dimensions based on your location, viewing distance, and brand guidelines.

Chicago Sign Permit Considerations for Illuminated Signs

A Chicago Department of Buildings sign permit is generally required before placing a sign on a parcel, building, structure, or place of business. Building-mounted flat signs, projecting signs, freestanding signs, printed awnings, and monument signs each require a separate sign permit.

Electrical work for a sign, sign structure, or associated lighting requires a registered electrical contractor listed on the permit application. Signs extending over the public way also require a Public Way Use Permit and a City Council Ordinance in addition to the standard sign permit.

Additional approval applies to larger or taller installations. Signs exceeding 100 square feet in area or extending more than 24 feet above ground level require a City Council Order in addition to standard permitting. These requirements should be reviewed for the specific sign type, dimensions, mounting location, and electrical scope before installation.

Why Chicago Businesses Work With FASTSIGNS® of Chicago, IL - Magnificent Mile

A custom electric sign involves many moving parts, including design proofs, material selection, sizing approvals, and installation logistics. With one team managing the process, we coordinate the work and keep important details on track. That’s how we work.

Our Full-Service Process

Our process covers four areas:

Custom Design & Branding Alignment
High-Quality Manufacturing
Installation Coordination
Project Management from Start to Finish

We work one-on-one with each client to align every element of the sign with existing brand guidelines before production begins. Sizing, finishes, and illumination effects are all confirmed upfront.

Experience, Reach & Technology

We hold a 5.0 average customer rating on Google and serve businesses of every size, from independent storefronts to national retailers with locations across Chicago. We also offer graphic design and content development services, giving you one team for visual communication and production.

LED-based illuminated signs use less power than traditional neon or fluorescent lighting, and when built with weather-resistant components, they’re designed for long-term outdoor performance with minimal maintenance.

Start Your Chicago Electric Sign Project

Whether you need a single illuminated channel letter set for a storefront or a complete interior and exterior signage program, FASTSIGNS® of Chicago, IL - Magnificent Mile can manage your project from the first design conversation to the finished installation.

Our online quote form is available when you’re ready to share project details. Call us at (312) 728-8038 to connect with our team.

Illumination Styles: Choosing the Right Effect for Your Space

Five primary illumination styles create distinct visual effects. The right choice depends on your brand aesthetic, building type, and where the sign will be viewed.

Backlit (Halo) Signs
Backlit (halo) signs cast light behind the letters or logo rather than through the face, producing a soft glow with no front illumination. This approach suits upscale retail, hospitality, and corporate environments where a premium, understated aesthetic is the priority.

Front-Lit Signs
This style directs light through the sign face for bold, high-contrast visibility. It’s a practical choice for storefronts on busy streets or building facades where readability during both day and evening hours matters most.

Front-and-Back-Lit Signs
This approach combines a bright face with a halo effect behind the letters, creating a dynamic look that reads strongly from a distance. It fits brands seeking significant visual impact regardless of the time of day.

Fully Illuminated Signs
Fully illuminated signage distributes light evenly through the acrylic face and sides, producing a smooth, continuous glow. This modern, minimalist option works well for contemporary brand identities and clean interior environments.

Light Box Signs
Light box signs are three-dimensional cabinet signs illuminated from within by LEDs that shine through a translucent graphic panel. They provide consistent readability after dark for businesses that need a reliable exterior presence in changing light conditions.

All five styles can be engineered for outdoor use with weather-resistant materials and components designed to handle rain, humidity, and Chicago’s temperature swings across seasons.

Indoor & Outdoor Applications for Illuminated Signage

Electric and light up signs serve Chicago businesses in many settings. The right application depends on where customers approach your business and what impression you want to make when they arrive.

Exterior Applications
Exterior electric signage can be used for:

Storefront building facades
Monument signs at property entrances
Blade signs projecting over sidewalks
Pylon signs visible from busy roadways

In Chicago’s high-foot-traffic corridors, illuminated exterior signs can remain readable through overcast days, evening hours, and the short winter days when natural light disappears early.

Interior Applications
Backlit lobby logos reinforce brand identity at the point of arrival. Illuminated menu boards serve restaurants and cafes, while Wayfinding directories in multi-tenant buildings guide visitors clearly. Code-compliant exit signs satisfy safety requirements throughout commercial spaces. Retail, restaurant, hospitality, corporate office, and healthcare businesses use interior illuminated signage to guide customers and maintain a professional appearance from the moment someone walks through the door.

Accessibility Standards for Interior Signs

Under the 2010 ADA Standards, signs identifying permanent rooms and spaces, including restrooms, require raised characters, Grade 2 braille, and visual characters. Raised characters must extend at least 1/32 inch above the background, use uppercase sans serif lettering, and measure between 5/8 inch and 2 inches high.

Raised characters and braille must be mounted between 48 inches minimum and 60 inches maximum above the finished floor, measured to the baseline of the tactile characters. Directional and informational signs that don’t identify permanent rooms require visual characters that meet standards for contrast, finish, and size, but they don’t require tactile characters or braille. Final specifications should be confirmed for the sign type and installation location.

Chicago Window Sign Coverage Considerations

A temporary on-premise sign made entirely from paper, fabric, vinyl, or a similar material and attached to a window may qualify for the window-sign exemption when it’s displayed for no more than 60 days and stays within the 25% window-coverage limit.

Signs painted directly onto a window or applied as film or static cling don’t require a sign permit. Interior signs legible only to viewers on the same lot also don’t require a sign permit. Applicability depends on the sign material, placement, visibility, coverage, and display period.