A Branding Agency in Los Angeles That Measures the Logo the Way the City Does

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

Los Angeles measures a sign by drawing the smallest shape it can, with no more than eight straight lines, around every letter, symbol, frame and background color in the message. The Municipal Code then caps that area by street frontage, by the size of the window and by the type of sign. A logo set on a wide colored panel can use up a storefront’s allowance before the name is easy to read from the curb. A branding agency in Los Angeles that draws storefront lockups at the start saves a redesign at the sign shop. Progression is based in New York, works with Los Angeles brands remotely, and arranges on-site sessions on request.

Eight straight lines around a rounded panel

A café has a logo in a soft rounded badge, with a tagline beneath the name. Drawn the City’s way, the shape around it takes in the whole badge, the tagline and the color behind them. The same name as bare letters measures far smaller.

The badge looks like a single mark, but the sign code treats everything attached to the message as part of it. A designer who sketches only the name can approve a drawing that the sign shop later finds twice as large on the wall.

• Framing and background count when they form part of the message.
• Colored or illuminated areas count.
• The smallest shape of no more than eight straight lines is the measure.
• A lockup should be drawn with that box before it is approved.

How a branding agency in Los Angeles reads the City’s sign area rule

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety’s Information Bulletin P/BC 2023-078, Signs (Excluding Off-Site Signs), effective January 1, 2023, defines sign area as the area circumscribed by the smallest geometric shape created with a maximum of eight straight lines. The shape encloses all words, letters, figures, symbols, designs and pictures, together with all framing, background material, colored or illuminated areas and attention attracting devices that form an integral part of an individual message.

The bulletin calls itself a general overview of the rules for on-site signs and says it is not inclusive of all of them. Zoning rules sit in Chapter 1, Article 4.4 of the Municipal Code, and building rules sit in Chapter 62 of the Building Code. The zone of a lot regulates the type of sign and the location, and ZIMAS or an LADBS office gives the zone for a property.

An identification sign is a wall sign limited to a company logo, a generic type of business, or the name of a business or building. That definition matters to a brand, because it names what the City expects a wall to carry. Other agencies, specific plans and planning entitlements can add rules, so the sign contractor confirms the lot.

What is the first thing to draw?

The box. Draw the eight line shape around each lockup at the same size it will be on the wall, and read the area from the drawing.

Does the bulletin cover every sign rule?

No. It says so itself. The Municipal Code, specific plans and other agencies can add rules for a lot.

One logo boxed five ways on a 25 foot storefront

Take a hypothetical single story shop with 25 feet of frontage. The same logo can go on the wall as channel letters, on a background panel or cabinet, on the awning valance, in the windows and on a blade sign. Each has its own limit in the bulletin.

Everything combined has a ceiling too: wall, projecting, monument, canopy, pole, roof and window signs together may not exceed 4 square feet per foot of street frontage, which is 100 square feet for this shop. The arithmetic above is a hypothetical storefront, and every real lot needs its own check.

Channel letters and the 20 percent allowance

Channel letter signs are allowed a 20 percent increase in area, provided there is no change in the background color. A brand that wants the increase keeps the wall one color behind the letters and puts the logo’s color in the letters.

Panels and cabinets, where the background counts

A sign on a colored panel is measured with the panel. A brand with a color field behind its mark should draw the box around the field and see what is left of the allowance.

A 12 inch valance on an awning

The bulletin limits an awning sign to the valance, parallel to the building face, at most 12 inches high. It cannot go on an awning whose valance is above 14 feet, and it cannot be lit. A one line name that reads at that height is the lockup to draw.

Window graphics held to a tenth of the glass

All window signs together may cover at most 10 percent of the window area. The count includes anything within 6 feet of a window or door that is visible from outside.

• Draw the eight line box on every lockup at wall size.
• Keep a one line version for the valance and a compact one for the window.
• Measure the glass before drawing window graphics.
• Leave blade signs out of plans for frontage under 50 feet.

Identity fees before the sign shop quotes

An identity is a set of files, and the sign shop quotes the signs. The market figures below cover the design work. Sign fabrication and installation are quoted by the sign contractor, and pricing depends on scope and is set in the written proposal.

Our branding pricing guide covers how those bands move with scope, and our logo design services page covers the logo itself.

The name only lockup the code rewards

An identification sign may carry a company logo, a generic type of business, or the name of a business or building. A name only lockup does the job in the smallest box, and an icon that reads at 12 inches serves the awning and the window.

The bulletin also treats identification signs lightly in two places. Signs more than 100 feet above grade must be identification signs. And a non-digital wall sign within 2,000 feet of a freeway is exempt from the sign pre-inspection if it is an identification sign of no more than 50 square feet, or if the total area of wall signs stays within 5 percent of the area of the side of the building facing the freeway.

Plain advice follows. Every identity for a storefront brand includes a name only lockup and an icon that reads at 12 inches. The two are the pieces that fit the awning, the window, a blade sign and a small wall.

Why not just use the full logo everywhere?

Because the full logo carries its background into the box. A name only version spends less of the allowance and reads from farther away.

• Include a name only lockup in every storefront identity.
• Include an icon that reads at 12 inches.
• Test each at the size it will be on the wall.
• Keep a version with no background color.

Zones that change the answer

The zone of a lot decides the type of sign and where it may go. The bulletin gives a partial summary only, and a few zones show how far the answer can move.

The plain advice is to look up the zone on ZIMAS before the lockup set is final. A specific plan or a sign district can add rules on top, so the lot’s own entitlements go to the sign contractor or LADBS.

• Look up the zone before the lockup set is final.
• Ask the sign contractor about specific plans and sign districts.
• Treat a cabinet in an HI zone as a design problem, not a production detail.
• Re-read the zone when the brand moves to a new location.

A grand opening banner inside 30 days

A temporary sign is one kept for a limited duration, not more than 30 days. It comes down within 30 days of installation and is not put back for 30 days. Temporary signs total no more than 90 days in a calendar year, and their combined area stays within 2 square feet per foot of street frontage.

Temporary signs placed on a window count with the other window signs toward the 10 percent limit. The bulletin lists a temporary sign or banner among the things that need a permit. A launch plan therefore treats the banner as a timed set: the permanent window graphics leave room for it, and its dates go on the calendar before the opening.

Can the banner stay up all year?

No. A temporary sign comes down within 30 days, waits 30 days, and the year’s total stops at 90 days.

• Set the banner dates before the opening.
• Leave room in the window layout for the banner.
• Keep launch graphics separate from the permanent set.
• Ask the sign contractor about the permit for the banner.

Where the bulletin keeps a sign out

Some limits are about place, not size. They matter most for a blade sign, an awning or a wall sign that sticks out, because a design that looks fine flat can land in a place the code does not allow.

A wall sign also may not project more than 24 inches from the face of the building, and may not rise above the top of the wall. The plain advice is to put the depth of each lockup on the dimension sheet, so the sign contractor can see it beside the width and height.

• Add depth to the dimension sheet for every lockup.
• Ask the sign contractor to check the sidewalk side of the lot.
• Draw a blade sign only where the frontage allows one.
• Keep the lockup clear of windows, doors and fire escapes.

Los Angeles branding agency files a sign contractor can quote from

A sign contractor quotes from drawings. The files that save the most time are vector artwork, a dimension sheet for each lockup with its eight line box drawn, color notes for lit and unlit faces, and mounting notes.

Permits for illuminated signs are issued only to a licensed C10 electrical contractor or a C45 electrical sign contractor, so a brand with a lit sign chooses a contractor who holds one of those licenses. The bulletin also states that supergraphics and inflatable devices are prohibited unless a specific plan, supplemental use district or approved development agreement allows them.

• Hand over vector files for every lockup.
• Add a dimension sheet with the eight line box drawn on each.
• Write color notes for lit and unlit faces.
• Add mounting notes for the wall, awning and window.

Reusing a cabinet in a rebrand

The bulletin says a change or replacement of copy, a non-structural face change, does not need a permit. It adds a note: if the sign cabinet is removed, a permit and full compliance with current codes are required.

A rebrand that keeps the cabinet therefore keeps its shape. The new mark is drawn for that face, in that proportion, and a design that needs a different cabinet turns into a different job. Questions about a particular sign go to the sign contractor or LADBS.

Can a new face go on an old cabinet?

Yes, as a face change, as long as the cabinet stays. Removing it brings a permit and full compliance with current code.

• Photograph and measure the cabinet before drawing the mark.
• Draw the new mark to the cabinet’s proportions.
• Ask whether the cabinet is staying before the design is approved.
• Send any removal plan to the sign contractor and LADBS.

The storefront lockup sheet

Eight lines go on one sheet for each storefront. The sheet travels with the artwork to the sign contractor, so everyone sees the same numbers.

Our branding agency page covers the wider identity, and our restaurant branding agency page covers food and drink brands. For a campaign across the city, see digital marketing agency in Los Angeles.

Who reviews the sheet?

Someone who did not draw the lockups, with the bulletin open beside it. The sign contractor is a good second reader.

A team that draws storefront lockups should hand over these six numbers on one page, so the owner can see them without reading the bulletin.

Frequently asked questions