Signage – the silent seller. Well, that is what a sign writer confidently assured me once. Of course it is vital to have a good sign if you have that type of business.

There would not be much use opening a petrol station without letting passing motorists know with a sign. Furthermore, signs can not just tell people that you are there, but they can give them a pretty good idea what sort of brand it is – compare the traditional country pub sign to that on a funky city centre bar.

However, signs can have a very negative impact. Within a couple of days, I photographed two that were pretty poor recommendations.

The first was in a McDonalds drive-through (I was there for research purposes only, honest). What sort of message does it say that a driver of a food delivery company won’t eat what he delivers?

The second was outside a hotel and restaurant in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The fallen letters of the Fallen Knight not only suggest that they just don’t care, but remind me whenever I see them of Fawlty Towers and the mixed up letters on their sign. If the missing letters had been a recent occurrence that would be fine – but to my knowledge they have been like this for nearly a year.

I’m sure that it is a great place to eat – but how many people does that sign put off? If they care that little about their sign, do they take any care over cooking?

Signs can be a silent seller – but a silent killer too.