Building signage identifies a property or the businesses inside it, rather than a single shopfront. It generally falls into three types, monument signs at the entrance, building directory signs listing tenants by floor or unit, and interior office directories. Which one you need depends on whether you’re identifying a whole building, a specific tenant, or both at once.
If you own or manage a commercial property, the signage needs are genuinely different from a single shopfront. You’re not just identifying one business, you’re identifying a building, sometimes several tenants inside it, and helping people actually find their way around.
If you’re new to signage generally, our guide on what signage actually is is a good starting point. This guide breaks down the specific types of building signage, what each one is actually for, and a few practical details most guides skip over entirely.
Key Takeaways
• Monument signs sit at the property entrance and identify the building or its tenants from the street
• Building directory signs list tenants by floor or unit, and interior office directories do the same inside the building
• Multi-tenant signs with four or fewer businesses typically use logos, more than four usually use plain text names
• Directory signage often plays a genuine safety role, helping people find their way during an emergency, not just branding
• Saga Designs designs building and monument signage for properties across Melbourne and Australia
What’s the Difference Between a Monument Sign and a Building Directory Sign?
A monument sign is a freestanding structure at a property’s entrance that identifies the building or its main tenants from the street, while a building directory sign is typically mounted inside or at the entrance and lists tenants by floor or unit number.
Think of a monument sign as the first thing someone sees driving or walking past a property, it establishes what the building is and who’s in it at a glance. A directory sign does more detailed work once someone’s already arrived, helping them find the specific floor, suite, or business they’re actually looking for. Many commercial properties genuinely need both, working together rather than one replacing the other.
How Should Tenant Names Be Displayed on a Multi-Business Sign?
Multi-tenant signs with four or fewer businesses typically display each tenant’s logo, while signs listing more than four tenants usually switch to plain text names in a consistent font, since this keeps the sign visually balanced rather than cluttered.
This is a small detail that gets overlooked constantly, and it makes a real difference to how a sign actually reads. A monument sign trying to fit six or seven full colour logos at a legible size often ends up looking chaotic, no single tenant stands out, and the whole sign is harder to read at a glance. Once you’re past four or five tenants, consistent typography usually reads more clearly than a wall of competing logos.
Is Building Directory Signage a Legal Requirement?
Directory and wayfinding signage often serves a genuine safety function, helping people find exits, floors, and facilities during an emergency, and building codes in many jurisdictions address this directly, though the specific requirements for your property should be confirmed with your building certifier or local council rather than assumed.
This is worth taking seriously beyond just the branding benefit. A building directory doesn’t only help a visitor find a specific business, it also helps people, including emergency services, understand a building’s layout quickly if something goes wrong. If you’re planning signage for a multi-tenant property, it’s worth checking what your specific obligations are under Australian building requirements for your property type, rather than treating directory signage as a purely optional extra.
What Materials Work Best for Building Identification Signage?
Monument signs are commonly built from aluminium, weather-resistant composite panels, or stone-look finishes, since these need to withstand years of outdoor exposure, while interior directory signage is often made from acrylic or metal for a cleaner, more polished finish appropriate to an indoor environment.
The right material depends heavily on where the sign sits and how it needs to perform. Our guide on outdoor signage materials for Australian weather covers this in more detail for anything sitting outside year-round. Interior directories don’t face the same weather exposure, so the priority shifts toward a clean, premium look that suits the entrance or lobby it sits in.
How Do You Handle Signage When Tenants Change?
Most professionally designed directory and monument signs use a panel or insert system, allowing individual tenant names to be updated, swapped, or removed without replacing the entire sign structure.
This matters more than it might seem for a property with any regular tenant turnover. A sign built as one solid, fixed piece means a costly full replacement every time a business moves in or out. A system built with individual removable panels from the start keeps ongoing costs down significantly, and it’s worth asking about this specifically before committing to a design if your property is likely to see tenant changes over time.
Do You Need Council Approval for a Building or Monument Sign in Melbourne?
Many monument and building identification signs require council approval in Melbourne, particularly larger structures, illuminated signs, or those on heritage-listed buildings, and requirements vary depending on your specific council.
This is the same principle that applies to signage generally, rules aren’t uniform across every council, so it’s worth confirming directly rather than assuming your project is exempt. A signage company in Melbourne with experience across different councils can usually tell you early on whether your specific sign will need approval, before you’re committed to a design that might need reworking.
A Simple Example of How Signage Needs Change With Property Size
Here’s how this actually plays out for two different types of commercial properties.
A small property with one or two tenants, a single office building or a small retail strip, usually needs much less. Clear entrance identification and simple shopfront signage for each tenant often covers everything required, without needing a full monument sign or a detailed interior directory system. The building itself is small enough that visitors can find what they need without extra wayfinding.
A larger multi-tenant property, a business park, a medical centre, or an office building with a dozen or more tenants, genuinely needs the fuller system. A monument sign at the entrance identifies the property and its major tenants from the road. An interior or lobby directory then helps visitors find the specific floor or suite once they’ve arrived. Individual tenant signage at each office door or unit finishes the journey. Skipping any one of these three layers on a larger property tends to create genuine confusion, visitors either can’t find the property from the road, can’t find their way once inside, or both.
The right amount of signage isn’t about spending as much as possible, it’s about matching the signage system to how genuinely easy or difficult your specific property is to navigate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between building signage and shopfront signage?
Shopfront signage identifies a single business at its own entrance. Building signage identifies the property itself, or multiple tenants inside it, and often includes monument signs, directories, and wayfinding elements that shopfront signage doesn’t need to cover.
Do all commercial properties need a monument sign?
Not necessarily. A single-tenant building might only need clear shopfront or entrance signage. Monument signs become more useful for multi-tenant properties, business parks, or any site set back from the road where a building isn’t immediately visible from the street.
How much does building or monument signage cost?
Cost depends heavily on size, materials, and whether the sign is illuminated. For a general sense of signage pricing in Australia, see our guide to what business signage costs, though monument signage with structural engineering requirements often sits above standard shopfront pricing.
Can building directory signs be updated easily when tenants change?
Yes, if designed with a panel or insert system from the start. This allows individual tenant listings to be swapped without replacing the whole sign, which is worth specifically requesting if your property expects any tenant turnover.
Who should I ask about building signage for my property?
A signage provider experienced with commercial and multi-tenant properties specifically, not just shopfront signage, since building signage often involves structural, material, and council approval considerations that a single shopfront sign doesn’t.
Why does a monument sign cost more than a shopfront sign of a similar size?
Monument signs are freestanding structures, which often require structural engineering, footings, and foundation work that a wall-mounted shopfront sign doesn’t need. This structural requirement, not just the sign face itself, is usually what drives the higher cost.
Conclusion
Building signage covers more ground than a single shopfront sign, monument signs, tenant directories, and interior wayfinding all play different roles in how a property presents itself and how people actually find their way around it. Saga Designs designs building and monument signage for properties across Melbourne and Australia. Get in touch for a free quote based on your property.
