For both visitors and pharmacy owners, the green cross above the entrance to this specialized store seems familiar . It would be nice to know the origins of the use of this symbol, the advantages and features of the use of one or another type of such sign, options for its self-assembly.
Why is the cross used
The pharmacy cross familiar to us (you will find photos of its various variations in the article below) was chosen as a symbol of the Association of French Pharmacists in 1919. In 1984, he became a sign of the French National Order of Pharmacists. The association does not force the use of this cross by all drugstores, but markets that sell goods that are not in any way related to pharmaceuticals are not authorized to exploit this symbol.
Following the example of France, European, Indian drug stores began to use the pharmacy cross. But here the Austrian and German pharmacies put in their signs the red letter "A". The green cross, therefore, is not an identification mark by which you can identify a pharmacy in any corner of the world. Caduceus is used somewhere, somewhere - a mortar and pestle, somewhere - a bowl entwined with a snake. In our country, by the way, until recently, pharmacy owners everywhere used the last sign, it can be found on windows and signs even now.
Why is the symbol green
The shape of the symbol exactly copies the Red Cross - the emblem of the International Humanitarian Committee, formed in Geneva in 1864. It was an identification mark of points where victims of military conflicts, injured were guaranteed medical assistance. The symbol "stuck", drugstores continued to use it in peacetime, giving them their windows.
However, in 1913, the French government banned the exploitation of the Red Cross for commercial purposes. Then the pharmacy cross made the pharmacists green. The choice is not accidental, because it is the color of rebirth, new life, health. Green is a “potion” (at the time of the origin of medicine, herbal infusions and decoctions with a characteristic greenish tint were widely used to treat).
LED pharmacy cross
Each of the companies that sells something or provides services, seeks to maximize attract the positive attention of consumers. Pharmacy points are no exception, they also use advertising and promotion tools on a par with everyone.
If the buyer has LED and simple pharmacy crosses, then it is more likely that he will pay attention to the first one because of its brightness, unusualness, and colorfulness. After all, a person’s perception is such that, first of all, it “picks up” something moving, dynamic from what he saw.
The modern LED pharmaceutical cross, in comparison with a stationary sign, has a number of obvious advantages:
- Long service life (up to 10 years), coupled with an affordable price.
- Resistance to the negative impact of weather conditions.
- Preservation of brightness in direct sunlight.
- Wide viewing angle (depending on design).
- Uninterrupted operation with humidity from 10% to 90%.
- Possibility of operation in the temperature range from -40 to +50 degrees Celsius.
- Auto power on / off.
In addition, some manufacturing companies can provide the LED pharmacy cross (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and other large cities of Russia, in particular, are full of such proposals) with additional functionality:
- non-standard mountings of the object on poles, roofs, signs;
- adding a built-in temperature indicator, electronic clocks and other information;
- development of animation tracks according to the wishes of the customer;
- character production according to individual parameters;
- embedding the pharmacy cross in another sign;
- choice of body color based on the corporate identity of the pharmacy;
- quick production and installation of products.
Types of LED pharmacy crosses
Light pharmacy cross has several varieties.
By the number of work surfaces:
By type of LEDs:
- Monochrome. LEDs of the same shade are used, it can be either one-sided or two-sided. Such advertising signs are capable of transmitting text, images or videos. The owner of a pharmacy chooses the color of the cross based on his corporate design.
- Full colour. The use of several colors in a sign, which, according to manufacturers, increases the opportunity to capture the attention of the buyer by 15%. The multi-colored pharmacy cross also has great opportunities in broadcasting media files.
In size - the standard parameters for such signs are as follows:
- 900x900 mm;
- 700x700 mm;
- 500x500 mm.
LED cross device
The most common types of LEDs for such signs are green, red and white. They are installed both open and with additional protective coating of a layer of acrylic glass.
The body of the product may be made of:
- plastic and PVC;
- powder-dyed aluminum profile;
- composite material.
In the case there is a sealed transformer, a controller that controls the light dynamics.
Do-it-yourself pharmacy cross
For a green cross with parameters of 1000x1000 mm with a "thermometer" you need:
- Modules P10 green glow size 320x160 mm - 20 pcs. (ten on each side of the cross). Based on this, the dimensions of the cross in terms of modules 960x960 mm are obtained. 40 mm - on the insertion of a "running line".
- Four 200 W power supplies (one unit for five modules).
- Controller. You can use both specialized for this kind of signage, and less expensive - BX-5UL, BX-5U0.
- The most suitable material for the outer frame is a black composite (thickness 3 mm). To work with it, you will need a milling cutter - manual or machine. The double-sided profile for a thermometer is much easier to process - it can be formed with a hacksaw for metal.
- The inner case of the advertising device is a square tube 25x25 mm. Modules are fixed on the frame using self-tapping screws.
Lay out areas in the program and on the cross should be approximately in this way.
From the very beginning of its history, the green pharmacy cross has been used to attract attention. Nowadays, the most effective version of it on this side is the LED version, which has many variations and types of execution.