Illuminated Letters: Face-Lit, Halo and Edge-Lit
Illuminated letters are individual built-up letters with LED lighting inside them, so your name glows on the building rather than sitting on a lit box. They suit premium shopfronts, receptions, hotels and office buildings that want to be seen after dark without losing a clean, architectural look.
Every set is made in our own workshop and fitted by our own installation team, from a single reception logo to large letters at high level.
Get a free quote and free site survey.
Choosing the right illuminated letter
Face-lit letters are the most readable from a distance and suit busy roads, retail parks and buildings set back from the street. Halo-lit letters give a more understated, premium look and work well on smooth, light-coloured walls where the glow can spread evenly; on rough or dark surfaces the halo effect is softer. Combined face and halo letters suit flagship frontages that need to stand out day and night.
Letter size, depth and the space around them all affect the result. Thin typefaces need deeper letters or brighter modules to light evenly, and very small halo letters can lose definition. We show night-time mock-ups during design so you can see how each option looks before it is made. Timers or photocells can be fitted so the letters switch on at dusk and off when you close, which keeps running simple.
Three ways to light a letter
- Face-lit: the front of each letter is acrylic and glows evenly. The brightest option, easy to read from a distance.
- Halo-lit (reverse-lit): the front and sides are solid metal and the light shines backwards onto the wall, creating a soft halo outline around each letter.
- Face and halo: both effects together for maximum presence at night.
- Edge-lit: light passes through the edges of a clear or opal acrylic letter, a subtle look that suits interiors.
Materials
Letter returns are formed in aluminium or stainless steel and painted to your brand colour, or left in brushed or polished metal finishes. Faces are acrylic in a choice of colours and opal diffusers, and can be overlaid with vinyl to match a specific shade when lit.
LEDs and mounting
LED modules are sized to each letter so the light is even, without hot spots. Halo letters are mounted on stand-off fixings that hold them away from the wall, leaving room for the light to spread. Letters can be fixed directly to a fascia, to a wall, or to a rail system, and cables are routed through the fixings to a concealed power supply.
Consent for illuminated signs
In England, illuminated advertisements generally need advertisement consent from the local planning authority, and listed buildings and conservation areas have extra controls. We can prepare the drawings for an application as part of the design.
Illuminated letter examples
Illuminated Letters: Questions and Answers
What is a halo illuminated letter?
A halo illuminated letter has a solid face and sides, with LEDs shining backwards onto the wall behind it. The letter stays solid in daylight and at night appears in silhouette with a glowing halo around its edge.
Do illuminated letters need planning permission?
Illuminated signs usually need advertisement consent rather than full planning permission, and the rules are stricter for listed buildings and conservation areas. Check with your local planning authority; we can supply the drawings for an application.
Related Pages
Ready to Get Started?
Get a free, no-obligation quote for your illuminated letters project today.