Bayan Signage builds front and back-lit letters that read from the road and glow on the wall up close. We wire the face and the halo on separate circuits, balance them on site after dark and test every letter in our Ajman factory first. Outdoor signs carry a 5-year warranty on LEDs, finish and structure.
Front and back-lit letters are channel letters lit in two directions: a translucent acrylic face glows towards the street, while a clear or opal back throws a halo onto the wall behind. The bright face keeps the name legible at distance, and the halo separates the letters from the facade and gives them depth. Waterfront restaurants, gyms on podiums, showrooms on highway service roads, hotels and mall anchor stores use them when one sign must work far away and close up.
Dual lighting is a design decision, not an automatic upgrade. If both sides run at full brightness, the halo washes over the face and the letters look blurred. If the wall is dark or glossy, the halo disappears and the extra cost buys nothing. We decide the LED arrangement, return depth and stand-off around your wall and viewing distances, and build every letter with face and halo modules on separate circuits wherever the project allows.
Bayan Signage is the production arm of Bayan Advertising, which has been in the UAE market for 15 years, and our factory at Alam Square, Industrial Area 2, Ajman has made illuminated signage since 2016. LED module assembly, driver wiring and full-brightness testing happen in-house. The installers who fix your sign are the same team that built it, and they set the final balance on site at night.
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How the LEDs are arranged decides how much control you have. Where dual lighting is not the best answer, these sibling builds often are.
Brand-coloured acrylic face on its own LED row, with a white halo on a second row. Our most requested set-up for restaurants and retail.
View details →A readable white name with an accent halo, or an RGB halo that changes for Ramadan, National Day and campaigns. Check landlord rules first.
View details →Solid metal faces and a halo alone. Calmer and cheaper when the sign is seen from a few metres, such as receptions and clinic fronts.
View details →The bright face without the halo. Better value on dark or glossy facades where a halo would barely show.
View details →Trimless faces combined with a halo for flagship mall units and premium brands that want the cleanest edge with both effects.
View details →We look at the sign from the furthest point it must be read and from the entrance, check the wall finish and find a ventilated, accessible spot for two sets of drivers.
Designers size letters for the far view and set strokes of at least 40 mm. Draftsmen fix return depth, stand-off length and the internal split between face and halo LEDs.
Faces, backs and returns are CNC-cut to ±0.1 mm and formed. Returns are deeper than single-lit letters, so each light path has room to spread without hot spots.
Our electricians fit one row aimed at the face and one at the back, wired to separate, labelled circuits. Every letter is run at full brightness on both circuits in our test area.
The clear back is sealed against dust and insects, and the face fitted. Each letter is checked against the artwork for size, colour and light uniformity on both sides.
The crew fixes letters on stand-offs from a template and runs both circuits to the drivers. After dark we set the halo to sit below the face, photograph the result and hand over.
This is our usual starting specification for an outdoor dual-lit sign. We change it to suit the wall, the landlord's criteria and your budget, and itemise each change.
| Component | Our standard | Upgrade options | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face | Opal cast acrylic with cast vinyl | Coloured acrylic, day-night film | The face carries the name at distance, so its colour must hold lit and unlit. |
| Back | Opal polycarbonate, sealed | Clear back for a sharper, brighter halo | Opal softens the halo; sealing stops dust collecting where you cannot reach it. |
| Returns | Aluminium, 100 to 150 mm, powder-coated | Brushed or PVD stainless | Extra depth gives both light paths enough distance to spread evenly. |
| LED arrangement | Two rows: face and halo | Single plane on budget jobs, RGB halo | Separate rows allow different colours and brightness on each side. |
| Control | Two circuits on a timer | Dimmers, photocell, RGB controller | Lets you run halo only late at night or dim the face if neighbours complain. |
| Stand-off | 40 mm studs | 30 to 60 mm, adjustable | The gap sets the halo width so it frames the face without overpowering it. |
Most of our advice on dual-lit signs is about restraint. These are the points that separate a rich-looking sign from an expensive blur.
Dual lighting earns its cost when the sign must be read from a road or car park and also look good at the entrance, on a light wall. In a narrow mall corridor seen from five metres, or on black glass, front lighting or halo lighting alone usually looks just as good. We often recommend the simpler build, and we show both prices on the quote so you can judge.
As a starting point we run the halo at roughly half the apparent brightness of the face. The face stays crisp and the halo reads as a soft outline. On white render the halo can be dimmer still; on mid-grey cladding it needs more. Bench tests only get close, which is why we finish the balance on site after dark with dimmable drivers.
With returns of 100 to 150 mm, letters under about 300 mm look like bricks on the wall. Dual lighting works best between 400 mm and a metre, with strokes of at least 40 mm so both light paths have room. If your fascia only allows 250 mm letters, a trimless front-lit or a halo-only build will look more refined.
Wiring face and halo to separate drivers costs little at the fabrication stage. Later it lets the owner switch to halo only after midnight, dim the face for a residential neighbour, or change a halo colour for a campaign. Adding a second circuit after installation means taking letters down and rewiring, which costs far more than doing it at the start.
Halos spread. On dual-lit letters we keep at least 80 mm between neighbouring letters, a little more than on halo-only signs, so the glows do not merge into a band of light. Tight brand spacing on a logo may need opening up slightly, which we show on the proof against your facade photo before anything is cut.
Dual-lit signs cost more than either single style, and we explain exactly where. Send the logo, fascia size and day and night photos for an itemised quote, usually within 24 hours.
Two light paths need more modules, and two separate rows need more again, plus extra wiring, connectors and drivers.
Deeper returns use more aluminium or stainless and take longer to form and finish, especially in brushed or PVD steel.
Clear or opal polycarbonate backs cost more than a metal back and must be sealed carefully against dust.
Separate circuits, dimmers, timers or an RGB controller add components and set-up time, and give far better control of the finished look.
A dark or glossy wall may need a light backing panel for the halo to show, adding material and installation work.
Stand-off mounting, two-circuit cabling, night balancing and the usual permits and landlord approvals all affect the final price.
Outdoor dual-lit signs need the same approvals as other illuminated signs: usually Dubai Municipality or the relevant free-zone authority in Dubai, and the municipality in Sharjah and Ajman. Signs facing major Dubai roads may also involve RTA, and malls and communities add landlord approval. Abu Dhabi free zones and other emirates follow their own procedures, which we check for each site.
Because these signs are brighter and sometimes change colour, lighting criteria matter more than usual. Some developments limit brightness, lighting hours or colour-changing effects, especially near apartments and hotel rooms. Two circuits and dimming help meet those rules. Our draftsmen prepare the submission drawings, and we confirm current requirements for your exact site at the survey.
We wire face and halo separately wherever possible, so you can balance, dim or switch each side for years to come.
Our crew returns after dark to set the halo against the face on your real wall as well as on the workshop bench.
Our electricians fit Samsung or Epistar modules and test every letter at full brightness on both circuits before dispatch.
Outdoor dual-lit letters are covered for 5 years on LEDs, finish and structure, with a warranty document at handover.
If a single-lit build will look as good for less on your facade, we tell you and quote it alongside.
More than 500 clients, including national retail groups and international brands, with most work from repeat clients and referrals.
They cost more than front-lit or halo-lit letters of the same size, because they need deeper returns, clear backs, more LEDs and often two sets of drivers. The total depends on letter count and height, materials, controls and access. Send your logo, sizes and photos for an itemised quote, usually within 24 hours.
They are worth it when one sign must be read from a distance and look premium up close, on a light wall that will show the halo. For a small mall unit or a dark facade, front-lit or halo-lit letters alone usually look as good for less, and we will recommend that instead.
Yes, if the letter has separate LED rows for each side. Popular combinations are a brand-coloured face with a white halo, or a white face with a coloured halo. RGB halos can change colour, though some malls and communities restrict colour-changing effects, so we check before you choose.
If the letters are wired on two circuits, yes. Many clients run both lights in the evening and switch to halo only, or face only, after a set hour. A timer handles this automatically, helps meet community lighting rules and reduces running hours, which extends driver life.
A wall that shows the halo: light, matt surfaces such as render, painted block or pale ACP work best. Dark, glossy or heavily textured walls weaken it. Where the wall is unsuitable, a light backing panel behind the letters usually solves the problem and can be finished to suit the facade.
Usually 30 to 60 mm, a little further than halo-only letters, because the letters are deeper and brighter. The extra distance spreads the halo so it frames the face rather than competing with it. We use adjustable studs and finalise the gap after dark on site.
Well-built dual-lit letters typically give eight to twelve years of service, and the modules we use are rated for around 50,000 hours. Heat, poorly sealed back panels and undersized drivers are what shorten their life, so we vent the returns, seal the backs and keep drivers outside the letters.
Clean the faces every few months with water and mild soap. Every so often, check behind the letters for dust, sand or nests on the clear backs, which dim the halo; a soft brush and blower usually clear it. If one side of a letter goes dark, the fault is often on one circuit and can be repaired alone.
Send your logo, the fascia size and a site photo. Our estimating team replies with options and an itemised price, usually within 24 hours.