A good sign in the wrong place looks like a mistake. Decide the spot before you order, because the spot decides the size.

Height and eye line

Most signs want their vertical centre a little above standing eye level — roughly 60 to 68 inches from the floor for a wall people walk past, higher behind a bar so it clears bottles and heads. Too low reads as clutter; too high reads as signage.

Wall colour matters more than you think

Neon on a dark wall is dramatic and photographs beautifully. Neon on a bright white wall in daylight can look weak, because the glow has nothing to sit against. If your only wall is white, go a size up or pick a saturated colour rather than warm white.

Competing light

A sign directly under a downlight loses most of its effect. Look at where the existing lights actually land before you commit, and be willing to move a spot rather than fight it.

The photograph test

Stand where a customer would take a photo. If the sign is not in that frame, it is in the wrong place — most of the value of a neon sign is the photographs other people take of it.

Practicalities

You need an outlet within reach of the adapter cable, and a wall that takes a screw. Every sign ships with a template, standoff screws and a chain, and floor stands are available where fixings are not allowed.