A Branding Agency in Philadelphia Working From the Storefront Inward

Updated November 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team

A corner deli takes down its old sign on a Monday, has the new one made by Friday, and then learns the City’s storefront program does not pay for work started before its written approval. Philadelphia’s Department of Commerce may reimburse up to half of eligible storefront costs on approved corridors, and signage, awnings and facade lighting are on its list. A branding agency in Philadelphia planning a storefront decides the name, the colors and the lettering before any part goes up, so the approval comes first. Progression is based in New York, works with Philadelphia shops remotely, and offers on-site sessions on request.

A sign that came down too early

The deli owner meant well. The old sign was faded, the new one was ready, and the week was slow. She did not know that the City’s page for its Storefront Improvement Program asks applicants to wait.

• Old sign down on Monday.
• New sign ordered before any application.
• Application sent after the work.
• Written approval not yet received.

The rule is simple and easy to miss: do not begin construction or purchase materials until you receive written approval from the City. Brand work done in the right order keeps the approval ahead of the sign shop.

How a branding agency in Philadelphia plans a storefront the City may help fund

The Storefront Improvement Program is a program of the City’s Department of Commerce. Its page says business and property owners may be eligible for reimbursement funding for storefront improvements, and that the program may reimburse up to 50% of eligible improvement costs.

The cap is up to $20,000 for a single commercial property and up to $30,000 for a corner or multiple-address commercial property, as the page reads in November 2026. The property must sit on an approved corridor, which the page says to check by address on the City’s list of eligible blocks.

A brand plan for a storefront follows the City’s order: settle the brand, apply, wait for written approval, build. The plan is the reason the drawing is done before the application and not after.

What is on the City’s list of eligible improvements?

Masonry and brick pointing, exterior painting, windows and glazing, exterior doors, exterior facade lighting, see-through security grills, signage and awnings, and cornices. The drawing below uses the same list.

The storefront drawing, part by part

The drawing numbers nine parts of a generic two story front. Each number matches a row in the table, which says what the brand decides for that part, whether it is on the City’s list and what the drawing shows the relationship manager.

Who draws the elevation?

The brand team draws it from photographs and measurements the shop supplies. It is a flat drawing of the front, not an engineering plan, and the contractors and sign makers work from their own measurements.

Do all nine parts need to change?

No. A project may change only the sign and the awning, or only the paint. The drawing shows every part so the brand stays consistent, and the application names the parts the project will change.

• Number every part, even the ones that stay as they are.
• Mark the parts the project will change.
• Show the parts that stay as they are, so the whole front reads together.
• Keep one color list for the entire front.

• 1 and 2: sign and awning carry the name and the main color.
• 3: lighting decides how the front reads after closing.
• 4 to 6: glass, door and grille are the parts a passer-by looks into.
• 7 to 9: paint, cornice and masonry set the base the rest sits on.

Sign and awning as one decision

Both carry the name and both are on the City’s list, so they are drawn together. The sign gives the name, the awning gives the color, and neither should fight the other from across the street.

Light after closing time

Exterior facade lighting is on the City’s list. The brand decides what stays lit when the shop is closed and what the front looks like at night, which is often when a passer-by first sees it.

Grilles a passerby can see through

The City lists see-through security grills, which let a passer-by see the display after closing. The brand decides finish and pattern so the grille reads as part of the front and not as an afterthought.

What the brand work costs

Price follows the scope: a new logo, a full identity or a storefront drawing on top of existing marks. Progression’s method is proprietary and kept for clients, and pricing is set in the written proposal. Reimbursement is the City’s decision and is not a discount on any fee.

Progression branding prices, as listed

These are the prices listed on our branding agency page. Pricing depends on scope, is subject to change and is set in the written proposal. See also our branding pricing guide.

What goes in the application file

The City’s page says applications are made online, and that an applicant can email SIP@phila.gov to request an application in PDF format. The file the brand prepares sits beside it, so the answers are ready when the form asks.

Should the brand wait for the application?

No. The brand comes first, since it decides what the application describes. The construction waits, not the planning.

• Settle the brand before asking for quotes.
• Ask for quotes that follow the drawing’s part numbers.
• Keep every quote and every email in one folder.
• Wait for written approval before buying materials or starting work.

Questions a relationship manager asks

The City’s page says applicants who email SIP@phila.gov can be matched with a relationship manager, who is a City staff member or a representative from a neighborhood organization. The manager walks the applicant through the process.

• What is the address, and is the block on the City’s eligible list?
• Which parts of the front does the project change?
• What do the parts look like now?
• What will they look like when finished?

The plain advice is to bring photos, the drawing and the address check. The drawing answers the second and fourth questions before they are asked. An applicant can also apply without a relationship manager, the page says.

Corner and multiple-address storefronts

The City’s higher cap, up to $30,000, applies to a corner or multiple-address commercial property. A corner shop has two faces, and the brand needs two sign positions that still read as one shop.

The plain build draws each face as its own elevation, with the same numbered parts, and states which face carries the main sign. The relationship manager sees both on one sheet.

• Draw each face as a separate elevation.
• Give each face its own sign position under one name.
• Keep colors and lettering the same on both.
• Say which face is the main entrance.

Graphic design firms in Philadelphia and the corridor next door

A storefront sits beside neighbors, and the brand should fit its block without copying it. A walk down the corridor shows the colors, the sign heights and the lighting already there. The page makes no claim about any corridor’s own guidelines.

Our graphic design page covers logo and print work beyond the storefront, and our logo design services page covers the mark itself.

Does it matter that the block already has a style?

Yes. The brand can echo the colors and sign heights nearby without copying a neighbor. A storefront that fits its block usually reads as more established than one that stands out for its own sake.

• Walk the block and note colors, sign heights and lighting.
• Photograph two or three neighbors for reference only.
• Choose one element to echo and one to differ.
• Check the choices against the drawing, part by part.

Photos before the scaffolding goes up

The City publishes a StoryMap with before-and-after photos, business testimonials and improvements completed across Philadelphia. It is a useful look at what other fronts became.

The plain advice is to shoot the shop’s own before photos: straight on, from each side and across the street, in daylight and after dark. They belong in the application file, and they tell the brand story later.

What should the before photos show?

The whole front straight on, each face of a corner shop, close-ups of the sign, door and windows, and the same view after dark. Add a photo from across the street so the block around the shop is visible.

• The whole front, straight on.
• Each face of a corner shop.
• Close-ups of the sign, door and windows.
• The same views after dark, with the lights on.

Files a graphic design firm in Philadelphia hands to the sign shop

The sign shop wants a short list of files and notes, and the drawing ties them to places on the front. A brand that hands them over in one package avoids the phone calls that follow a vague order.

More on how a brand reaches print is on our branding agency page, and our retail marketing agency page covers the shop’s wider marketing.

Where to send eligibility and payment questions

The Storefront Improvement Program is at 1515 Arch St., 12th floor, with the phone (215) 683-2100, and eligibility questions go to SIP@phila.gov. Questions about whether design fees or any other cost counts go to the program, since the City decides what is eligible.

For wider marketing in the city, see our marketing agency in Philadelphia page.

Frequently asked questions