By  Ashley Bray
艾希礼布雷

Channel letters look great, and innovations in recent years have created new opportunities for their use—with more applications and locations in play than ever before.

围边标识看起来很不错，近年来的创新为它们的使用创造了新的机会，比以往任何时候都有更多的应用领域和场景。
But there are several factors to consider when planning a sign involving channel letters, and here are three questions in particular you should ask before buying:
但在计划涉及围边字母的标识时，需要考虑以下几个因素，尤其是在购买之前，您应该问三个问题：

Question #1. Are you incorporating company colors in the sign?
问题1。你是否在标牌上加入了公司的颜色？
There are two ways to look at this. If the company color is a priority, then that choice likely will influence the materials used in the sign. In that case, color determines materials.
有两种方法来看待这个问题。如果公司颜色是优先考虑的，那么该选择可能会影响标识中使用的材料。在这种情况下，颜色决定材料。
The other way to approach it is to consider materials first, making a choice based on material properties (size constraints, durability, light transmission and diffusion) and cost. The choice of materials may influence the decision on color.
另一种方法是首先考虑材料，根据材料特性（尺寸限制、耐用性、透光性和扩散性）和成本进行选择。材料的选择可能会影响颜色的决定。
For example, if you choose to use a color that isn’t in wide demand—think pink/purple lettering—that can increase costs. The materials used in the letters is either acrylic or polycarbonate, and the low volume of material needed isn’t going to justify special runs in that color.
例如，如果您选择使用的颜色不受欢迎，请考虑粉红/紫色字体，这样会增加成本。字母中使用的材料是丙烯酸或聚碳酸酯，所需的低体积材料不足以证明这种颜色的特殊用途。
That means you have to apply a vinyl cover to the letters to get the color you want. That not only increases costs, but it adds another, less durable layer to the sign—a layer that is vulnerable to scratches and tears.
这意味着你必须在字母上加上乙烯基封套才能得到你想要的颜色。这不仅增加了成本，而且增加了另一层不太耐用的标识层——一层很容易被刮擦和撕裂。
If you’re comfortable going with more common colors, you can choose standard acrylic or polycarbonate with no vinyl covering. Those signs typically appear either white or red at night.
如果你喜欢更普通的颜色，你可以选择标准的丙烯酸或聚碳酸酯没有乙烯基覆盖。这些标识通常在夜间呈现为白色或红色。
Doing so keeps the costs down, however it unavoidably limits color choices. Still, if your colors are closely associated with your company, that extra investment may well be worth it.
这样做可以降低成本，但不可避免地会限制颜色选择。不过，如果你的颜色与你的公司密切相关，那么额外的投资可能是值得的。
Question #2. How big is the sign?
问题2：标识有多大？

This is a more straightforward answer than an actual question.
这是一个比实际问题更直接的答案。
If the letters are taller than three feet, polycarbonate is the best choice. Acrylic letters larger than three feet are difficult to manipulate and transport because they run a higher risk of breaking at that size. Polycarbonate holds up well even with large letters.
如果字母超过三英尺，聚碳酸酯是最好的选择。大于3英尺的丙烯酸字母很难操作和运输，因为它们在该尺寸下断裂的风险更大。聚碳酸酯即使是大字体也能很好地支撑住。
If the letters are three feet tall or smaller, either acrylic or polycarbonate are viable choices. In these instances, the choice comes down to other properties.
如果字母是三英尺高或更小，丙烯酸或聚碳酸酯是可行的选择。在这些情况下，选择取决于其他属性。
Acrylic has become a popular choice due to its light diffusion and transmission properties. As channel letter signs increasingly turn to LED lights in the letters, acrylic’s ability to allow a lot of light to pass through, while simultaneously diffusing that light across the surface, has become a differentiator.
丙烯酸树脂由于其光的扩散和透射特性而成为一种流行的选择。随着字母符号逐渐转向字母中的LED灯，亚克力能够让大量的光通过，同时将这些光分散到表面，这已经成为一种区分。

Question #3. Are you looking for the “wow” factor?
问题3。你在寻找“哇”的因素吗？
We see a lot of signs, but how many do we really notice?
我们看到很多迹象，但我们真正注意到多少？
If you’re looking for something to stand out from the crowd, there are ways to make it happen. We already discussed some of the non-traditional colors, and there are other options for creating a sign that pops.
如果你想从人群中脱颖而出，有很多方法可以做到。我们已经讨论了一些非传统的颜色，还有其他创建弹出标识的选项。
You might want to consider reverse-lit channel letters. These letters appear black during the day, but at night, when the lights are on, they have a back-lit glow around the black letters.
您可能需要考虑使用反向发光的围边标识。这些字母在白天看起来是黑色的，但在晚上，当灯亮时，黑色字母周围会有背光。
Another option is using perforated vinyl that is the color of the vinyl during the day but appears white at night, as the light shines through the perforations.
另一种选择是使用穿孔的乙烯基，它是白天乙烯基的颜色，但在晚上显得白色，因为光线通过穿孔照射。
Some opt for signs that introduce an old-school look in the channel letters by using neon lights either in the center of the channel or as an outline. These signs do not use a cover over the letters, leaving the neon lights exposed for effect. Of course, that introduces certain complications, but it can create an attention-grabbing sign.
有些人选择在围边标识中使用霓虹灯或在字体中央或作为轮廓的标识来引入一种古老的学院风格。这些标识不在字母上加封皮，使霓虹灯暴露在外以达到效果。当然，这会带来一些复杂的情况，但也会产生吸引眼球的作用。

Bonus Question: How deep (or shallow) can you go?
额外的问题：你能走到多深（或浅）的地方？
There was a time when depth mattered a lot, but the introduction of LED lights ushered in shallower designs. Still it’s a question worth asking.
曾经有一段时间，深度很重要，但LED灯的引入带来了较浅的设计。但这仍然是一个值得问的问题。
There are some businesses and designers who see channel letters up to six to eight inches deep as a feature rather than a bug. If you have the space—and permission, either from the deed owner or the local zoning body—using depth as a design feature may help with the aforementioned wow factor.
有些企业和设计师把6到8英寸深的围边标识视为一个功能而不是一个漏洞。如果你有空间和许可，无论是从业主或当地分区机构使用深度作为设计特征可能有助于提升标识的整体形象。
Bottom line: It’s easy to forget because innovation moves quickly, but the introduction of LED lights in channel letter signs was a major step forward. It reduced heat, which allowed designers to reduce the depth of the letters. That made light diffusion and transmission even more important as designers sought ways to avoid that pin-lighting effect behind the letters.
底线：很容易忘记，因为创新行动很快，但在围边标识中引入LED灯是向前迈出的一大步。它减少了热量，这使得设计师可以减少字母的深度。这使得光的扩散和传播变得更加重要，因为设计师们正在寻找避免文字背后的针状光效应的方法。
Today we are seeing additional innovation in materials that will allow even more creative use of light in channel letter signs and other applications. Stay tuned for these results.
今天，我们在材料方面看到了更多的创新，这将使光在围边标识和其他应用中得到更具创造性的利用。请关注这些结果。