Halo Signage

What Is Halo Signage?

Strictly speaking, a halo lit sign is a 3D metal or acrylic letter or logo piece with its own LEDs and circuit, lit from behind so the wall carries a halo around it. In practice the light can leave from the back, from the sides or from the face as well, and small lettering can share one lit box. That is why this page treats them as one family. Whichever type you choose, the soft halo makes your brand stand out, outdoors and indoors.

Lit, every type gives the mark depth and a soft outline on the wall. Unlit, each reads as a solid shape in its finish, brushed, mirror-polished, plated or painted stainless steel, or painted acrylic, so a specification has to work in both states.

Most of our models are halo lit channel letters, in which each letter is a separate sign. This page is written for designers, architects and brand teams who have to put the sign into a drawing and a specification.

How the Halo Effect Works

Where the light leaves each piece decides the look of the halo, and each type sends it to the wall in its own way:

• Basic Metal Halo Lit Signs: through a back panel hidden in the shell. The letters stand off the wall, and the wall reflects a soft halo.
• Pro Metal Halo Lit Signs: through a stepped back panel that shows behind the shell. The exposed acrylic lights the wall directly, for a brighter, wider halo.
• Acrylic Halo Lit Signs: through an unpainted strip of the sides next to the wall, with the face and the rest of the sides painted.
• Side-Lit Signs: through the acrylic sides, while the face stays solid.
• Face & Halo Lit Signs: through the face as well as the back, so the face glows and the back casts the halo.
• Face & Side-Lit Signs: through the face and the sides, which light the wall around each letter.
• Halo Effect Light Box Signs: through lettering on a metal box face, while a back panel outlines the box on the wall.

How They Are Built

Metal shells are 304 stainless steel by default, marine-grade 316 near the sea, and aluminum for large letters and large boxes. Depth differs by type, and the full specifications sit on each model page, reached from Halo Signage Models below:

• Basic Metal Halo Lit Signs: 1 in (25 mm) deep by default, standing off the wall
• Pro Metal Halo Lit Signs: 1-3/8 in (35 mm) deep overall, including the exposed acrylic
• Acrylic Halo Lit Signs, Side-Lit Signs and Face & Side-Lit Signs: 13/16 in (20 mm) deep by default
• Face & Halo Lit Signs: no single default depth, because the build varies
• Halo Effect Light Box Signs: a backing box 1-15/16 in (50 mm) deep by default, with acrylic lettering 3/16 in (5 mm) thick

Where They Work Best

Halo signage shows up on storefronts, mall entrances, hotel and office lobbies and reception walls, on brick, concrete, stucco, drywall and stone, and on a bracket or backing box where there is no wall. Our guide to halo lit business signs goes further into choosing for each space, and our halo lit logo guide covers logos.

How to Choose Halo Signage

A complete specification covers the points below, and our shop drawings confirm each one for your approval before production. Typical orders are finished about 15 working days after drawing approval, every set is lit for 24 hours and photographed before dispatch, and the 3-year limited warranty covers it.

To line up the types, compare all our models, and see how ordering works for each step from quote to delivery.

Local rules

Start from the sign rules for the site. For a business, they come from the landlord or property manager and from the city or town that issues the sign permit. A lit sign usually needs an electrical permit as well. Heavy or large signs may need a building permit, and historic districts have their own review. For a home, they come from the homeowners association (HOA), or from the city or town where there is no HOA. Our shop drawings will most likely be needed for any permit application.

Size and strokes

Give the letter or logo height, and check the thinnest stroke against the minimum for the type you choose.

Mounting

State flush or off the wall. Signs that stand off the wall come with tube spacers that set the gap.

Light

Name the light color, white at about 6000K, 4000K or 3000K, or a color. Pantone codes apply to paint, not to light.

Finish

Give paint colors as Pantone, RAL, Sherwin-Williams or Matthews Paint codes, or name a metal finish such as brushed or mirror-polished stainless steel.

Power

Note the site voltage and frequency. Our default power supply is a MEAN WELL LPV unit with a 110 to 240 V AC input.

Certification

Every sign is UL Listed, with the label placed where it stays out of sight.