It’s A Sign To…
Unlocking the high street ‘purple pound’ through inclusive signage
Companies could be missing out on more than £400 billion of spending power if they do not effectively incorporate inclusive methods into their signage. As sign makers, it is important to consider that there are target audiences perhaps being missed if these techniques aren’t included, and so John Davies, managing director at FASTSIGNS UK, has explained their importance and how best to keep signage accessible.
W
hen organisation AccessAble recently called on businesses
around the UK to update their online guides to accessibility, it sent a clear message to them – their inclusivity must be visible. Yet while the suggestion of digital
roadmaps and step-free access is an important development, it also highlights the frustrating reality that millions of disabled customers still face daily barriers to doing basic tasks on their high streets. For a modern retail landscape
punctuated by rising business rates, rents and fluctuating footfall, overlooking this demographic is a catastrophic commercial oversight. Accessibility is not an optional,
‘box-ticking’ exercise; it’s an essential growth opportunity that unlocks the ‘purple pound’– a community with a collective spending power of £440 billion. If a storefront lacks ramp access,
it ostracises these customers at the pavement, removing an opportunity for revenue before they’ve even entered a business. In reality, insufficient ramps and physical entry points to businesses are just one aspect of the barriers faced by this disabled community. We’ll see true accessibility on high
streets through accurate, simple and inclusive signage that allows individuals to navigate public spaces with independence and confidence.
The importance of accessible signage in daily lives According to Disability Rights UK data, 86% of disabled people, alongside their parents and carers, regularly face accessibility barriers. A key way to increase inclusivity in people’s daily lives is through implementing accessible high street signage. And it doesn’t need
www.signupdate.co.uk
to be challenging, either. One of the most common means of accessible signage you’ll see on your high street is braille. These have to be mounted 1,200mm to 1,400mm from the floor to make them readable for those standing and those in a wheelchair, and the letters are always put below the text. Using Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is
another easy way that signage is made accessible. Without it, signs would be unreadable for those with low vision. Steering away from signage which has hyper-reflective or high-gloss materials in it is important too, as it can inhibit accessibility for visually impaired or neurodivergent people because the glare it creates can cause sensory overwhelm. Typefaces might seem like a purely
aesthetic choice for signage, but they’re just as valuable for accessibility. Using clean typefaces such as Arial and Helvetica means signs are easy to read instead of in all capital letters which can be difficult to process. We’ve seen that some of the best signs to process are those with words and pictures, such as wayfinding arrows. At FASTSIGNS, we’re continually
evolving our approach to accessible signage and over the years we have worked on several projects. A great example was when we worked
with St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley on bringing to life their dementia-friendly signage, aiming to make the world less disorientating for people with the disease. We focused on making sure we had rooms with calming colours and created wayfinding signs that were dimensional and finished in vinyl to make them easy to follow. Another project we worked on was
designing and installing braille signage at Gloucestershire County Council’s Dean House in Cinderford, a social care facility. Working with customer Beard Construction, we added braille signage
Dementia signage in St Catharine’s Hospice
to the doors of various service rooms, to help increase the sense of independence for their users. While these might seem like ‘fine
details’ to us, they make a massive difference. Crucially, they also help to ensure that businesses comply with the Equality Act and make their premises accessible to all visitors.
Why the future must always be accessible Carrying on without committing to or understanding inclusive signage means contributing to a world where disabled people face unnecessary exclusion, anxiety and stigma. Every individual should be able
to navigate public spaces without feeling lost due to incorrect or absent accommodations. For businesses, ignoring this basic societal standard carries direct reputational and legal risks as well as consumer alienation. Ultimately, creating a genuine culture
of care on our high streets is a moral imperative but also has the power to halt financial losses and ensure that the £440 billion market of the ‘purple pound’ is never left stranded on the pavement.
July/August 2026 | 69 |
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