Salon signs
Custom Salon Signs Chicago That Bring Foot Traffic Through the Door
A salon with a plain window and a dim sign loses the walk-by to the shop next door, and a blade sign hung before its permit is issued can be cited. SignFreaks designs, permits, builds, and installs window, wall, and blade signs for the storefront.
- Design, permit, build, install
- Own shop, own crew, own lift
- Window, wall, and blade signs
- One company, fully accountable
The brief
What stands between a Chicago salon and a storefront people notice
What salon owners run into before salon signs in Chicago go up, and what we do about it.
What usually goes wrong
- A window full of paper flyers makes a salon look temporary from the sidewalk.
- After dark, an unlit storefront hides a salon that stays open late.
- A blade sign hung over the sidewalk before its permit is issued can be cited.
- A landlord rejects the sign design after the order is already placed.
How SignFreaks handles it
- Windows that last. We use film or paint for permanent window graphics, not paper that has to come down.
- Lit and visible. Channel letters or a lightbox, sized so the shop name reads from across the street.
- Permits first. We check how far a sign reaches over the sidewalk and file before we build.
- Landlord checked. We ask for the lease sign criteria first, so the design is not redrawn later.
By type
Salon signs in Chicago, by salon type
A barbershop, a nail studio, and a lash bar each want a different look, so every storefront is scoped to its own brand.
Hair salons and barbershops
Lit storefront letters and window graphics that carry the shop’s name and style to the street.
Nail salons and spas
Entrance signs and window graphics that set a calm tone before a client steps inside.
Beauty and makeup studios
Interior logo signs and backlit lettering that match the studio’s brand in every room.
Lash, brow, and tanning studios
Small-footprint signs for second-floor and strip-mall units that need to be seen from the lot.
Context
Chicago sign rules that shape salon storefronts
A salon storefront is mostly window and a little wall, so the rules for glass, sidewalks, and awnings do most of the work.
- 25%Share of a window’s glass a temporary sign can cover and stay exempt
- 60daysHow long a paper window sign can stay up and remain exempt
- 2inHeight under which painted window lettering does not count
- Window signs
Film and paint last longer
Paper window signs are temporary, while paint or film has no time limit.
Incidental signs with no name or logo are exempt.
- Projecting signs
9 feet over the sidewalk
A sign projecting more than 12 inches needs 9 feet of clearance.
It sits at least 18 inches back from the curb line.
- Awning signs
Flat on the awning surface
An awning sign may not extend beyond the awning itself.
It may not have internal lighting.
- Review fees
$200 plus a size-based fee
An on-premise sign pays a $200 zoning review fee.
The building review fee starts at $50 under 50 sq ft.
Approvals
What salon signs in Chicago have to get approved
A salon sign answers to the city and to the landlord who owns the storefront.
Most permanent exterior salon signs need a Department of Buildings permit, and only a licensed sign contractor can file it. A blade sign or any sign that reaches over the sidewalk also needs a Public Way Use permit and a City Council ordinance, so we check the reach before anything is drawn. Leased storefronts usually come with the landlord’s own sign criteria, so we read those first.
SignFreaks prepares the drawings and handles the sign permits, then builds the sign and completes the sign installation, so the approvals and the build stay with one company.
Landlord approval
Lease criteria often set the size, placement, and lighting before any order.
Building permit
The Department of Buildings reviews the drawings, filed by a licensed contractor.
Public Way Use permit
A blade sign over the sidewalk needs one, plus a City Council ordinance.
Stamped drawings
Channel letters and new sign boxes need stamped drawings, which we prepare.
Proof
Google reviews for our Chicago office
Excerpts from our Chicago office’s Google reviews, quoted as the customers wrote them.
- Illuminated storefront sign
“Sign Freaks did an amazing job, Debby helped from start to finish[,] loved my new sign[,] highly recommend [S]ign Freaks”
Naresh DhamijaGoogle review - Custom signage
“Sign Freaks did a great job helping bring my vision to life. They responded quickly to my requests and really put me and my vision first.”
Jennifer VillamilGoogle review - Channel lettering
“Excellent company to work with. My new channel lettering looks great. Best price, very fast response time and exceptional work.”
Josh SklarGoogle review
The package
The sign package a Chicago salon usually needs
Six builds from one shop for salon signs in Chicago, each with its own page on materials, options, and approvals.
Channel Letters
Individually lit letters for the storefront, so the salon name reads from across the street.
Learn moreLightbox Signs
A glowing sign face for a shop that stays open into the evening and needs to be seen.
Learn moreBlade Signs
A projecting sign that catches walkers coming down the sidewalk from either direction.
Learn moreWindow Wraps
Film graphics that carry the logo and services on glass, without paper that has to come down.
Learn moreAcrylic Signs
Interior logo signs, price menus, and room labels in clean, finished acrylic.
Learn more
Our work
Salon and spa projects we have built in Chicago
Channel letters, a lightbox sign, and acrylic signs, photographed on site.
Channel letters for a spa in Chicago 
Channel letters on a Chicago storefront 
Lightbox sign on a Chicago salon 
Acrylic signs built in our Chicago shop
Get a real quote for salon signs in Chicago
Send a photo of the storefront, the signs you want, and your opening date. SignFreaks returns a written quote that covers the sign, the permits, and the installation, with a line item for every cost.
Also serving
Other industries SignFreaks builds for
A salon usually sits next to restaurants, shops, and offices, and each one has its own sign rules.
Restaurants
Storefront signs, patios, and entrance covers for dining rooms that open to the street.
Learn moreCommercial Businesses
Shops, clinics, and offices that want a clear entrance on a busy street.
Learn moreShopping Malls
Tenant and center signs set by each center’s criteria, plus monuments and wayfinding.
Learn more
Coverage
Where we build salon signs in Chicago and beyond
SignFreaks is a sign company in Chicago with three by-appointment offices, serving the city and the suburbs around it. Every village writes its own sign code, so the code check comes before the design, and the full list of areas we serve is on its own page.
Questions
Salon sign questions, answered
Call (872) 250-4743, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Questions we get asked
Where can I find a sign company in Chicago that designs, permits, and installs salon signs?
A sign company in Chicago that designs, permits, and installs salon signs is SignFreaks, which builds storefront, window, and interior signs in its own shop. The design, the sign permits, and the installation stay with one company, and we also cover sign repair and sign removal afterward.
What types of custom salon signs do you offer?
SignFreaks offers storefront and interior salon signs, including channel letters, lightbox signs, blade signs, window wraps, acrylic signs, and awnings. Each one is built to the salon’s brand and the city’s rules.
Do I need a permit for a salon sign in Chicago?
A salon sign in Chicago needs a permit for most permanent exterior work, because the Department of Buildings requires one for most on-premise signs and only a licensed sign contractor can file it. A sign over the public way also needs a Public Way Use permit and a City Council ordinance, and a sign installed before its permit is issued is subject to citation. We file the sign permits and handle the installation.
Can I put graphics on my salon window in Chicago?
A salon can put graphics on its window, and the city treats temporary window signs differently from permanent ones. Temporary paper signs are exempt for up to 60 days, paint or film has no time limit, and a temporary sign should cover under 25 percent of one window’s glass. We build permanent graphics as window wraps, and we confirm the rules for your window before we print.
How much do salon signs cost in Chicago?
Salon signs in Chicago cost what their size, lighting, mounting, site access, and permit work add up to, so the number comes from a written quote. The city adds a $200 zoning review fee for an on-premise sign, plus a building review fee that starts at $50 for a sign under 50 sq ft. We return a quote with a line item for every cost, including the sign permits.
Can a salon hang a blade sign over the sidewalk in Chicago?
A salon can hang a blade sign over the sidewalk in Chicago, with the clearance rules in place. A sign projecting more than 12 inches needs 9 feet of clearance above the sidewalk and sits at least 18 inches back from the curb line, plus a Public Way Use permit and a City Council ordinance. We check the reach first and build the blade signs to fit.
Do you work with my landlord on salon sign approval?
We work from the landlord’s sign criteria, because a leased storefront usually has rules for size, placement, and lighting. Send us the lease language or the landlord’s contact, and we design to it before the order, so the sign permits are not delayed by a redraw.
Can you install and update salon signs on a schedule that suits a working salon?
We can install and update salon signs around a salon’s working hours, which takes a little planning around appointments. Tell us the schedule, and our own crew handles the sign installation to fit it.
Do you repair or replace an old salon sign?
We repair and replace an old salon sign, and fixing a sign is often the better spend than starting over. Lighting faults go through sign repair, and a sign that is past saving comes down through sign removal before the new one goes up.