Signage Blog

LED Neon Sign

Neon glass tube lighting is a quite popular way of advertising these days.

Meet World’s First Neonless Neon Lights: LED-Powered Light Strips

It turned heads back in the ‘10s and ‘20s when it was only emerging. Imagine—at night—a shining, colourful piece of text on a shop front or in the air at a time when all people saw was normal, dull unilluminated shop signage that didn’t have anything special to them. Those people were truly amazed.

Neon signs are a very attractive way of introducing a business, especially those that need to look attractive, such as restaurants, cafes, clubs, pizza shops and burger shops. They come in various colours, can be shaped into almost any form and have a really long lifespan. They’re also visible both at day and at night. Technically speaking, neon lights are hollow glass tubes with purified neon gas in them and, in some cases, thin layers of phosphorescent powder coatings applied to their inner walls. The neon is ionized using high-voltage from both ends of the glass tube, hence the emitted light.

Orange LED neon sign reading 'Signwriters Here!' beside a ring of multicoloured neon samples

Circle of multicoloured LED neon tubes glowing on a clear acrylic backing

Sign maker in a workshop with a pink neon Yes! We Make Signs sign on the bench

However, it should also be noted that glass neon lights aren’t always so fun and games, especially when used as a whole array of signage. They consume a fair amount of energy and produce relatively lower light. So you may decide, from time to time, to leave them on in turns, which isn’t very good from a business point of view. What’s more is that the glass tubes used are considerably heavy—and not very durable for that matter. You will need to have them installed by experts.

Forget all about that. The newest generation of the so-called ‘neon’ light signs is not based on helium, argon or xenon; it is, surprisingly enough, based on LED lights with near-identical wavelengths, which produce a homogenous light together.

LED light strips are designed to eliminate the shortcomings of neon signs. Using these strips, you can create LED signs in any colour spectrum. They come, contrary to neon signs, in plastic tubes, and so they’re flexible; you can easily bend them into your desired shape in no time, with no need for expert intervention.

LED ‘neon’ lights are ultra-light and, at the same time, consume a significantly lower amount of energy as compared to traditional neon lights (approximately ⅒). Over and above that, they don’t get hot and are waterproof, which makes for a much more durable, less dangerous illuminated sign.

Furthermore, the outer jacket of an LED neon light is made of two PVC layers, intended to both optically enhance the colour of the LED lamps and increase light transmission efficiency.

An LED neon light will have negligible maintenance costs and can serve for an unbelievable span of three times longer than that of a traditional neon light, and that is saying something.

Many restaurants and food businesses at Lygon street, Carlton and also in Melbourne CBD have distinguished themselves by using illuminated signs at nighttime, but some of them look even more intriguing because they’re also using LED neon signs behind their windows and shopfronts. LED neon lights make really cozy places when used inside. They are also a great option to create custom signs for man caves.

Sign & Fitouts is a professional signage company in Melbourne with a plethora of services and a dedicated design team.