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Personalise your home and ramp up kerb appeal.

A smart and well-designed house sign bearing your home's number or name – or both – is the perfect finishing touch, ramping up kerb appeal and making a property look cherished and well-cared for.

It's also a practical investment. There is no legal requirement to display a name or number, says a spokesperson for The Royal Mail: 'But if you fail to display the official house name or number of your property you run the risk of having issues with the delivery of items.'

As well as being both welcoming and sensible, a visible house sign could also save your life, says Jeremy Day, founder and owner of Rustic Stone, a company which designs and supplies signs and other engraved items: 'It's a scary thought that if emergency services cannot find you, that is vital time you are losing. They do struggle with finding numbers from a street view and it can be highly difficult to see at night.'

So what's stopping you from giving your home this instant uplift? Here's our guide to choosing the best house sign for your home:

The primary purpose of the house sign is to be seen clearly from the street. It doesn't have to be on the wall of the house – it could be on the gatepost, the gate itself or a garden wall, or even on a freestanding letterbox.

'Our best-selling signs are definitely our slate signs on slate posts and slate signs on hanging brackets,' says Jeremy.

Choose a position where the sign can be viewed easily at all times of the day and night, and year-round. 'You need to check that the location is not obscured by plants during the summer months,' says interior designer Rudolph Diesel, who works with property developers and private clients upgrading their outside space. 'Also, if it's low-level signage – such as a name and number on a driveway post – make sure it is big enough to be seen.'

Bigger is almost always better when it comes to house signs, but take care to balance the size of your sign with the proportions of your property. Also, consider lighting. Ask a suitably qualified electrician to fit lighting around the sign so it can be illuminated in darkness or overcast weather.

Although it's an elegant look, Rudolph warns against opting for dark lettering on a dark background: 'You can create a gorgeous black slate sign with black lettering which looks superb during the day, but at night no-one can find you.'

Stuck for a design? Take your cue from the architectural period of your home. An older property, such as Georgian or Victorian, will be enhanced by traditional materials such as brass or polished chrome.

Polished oak, limestone or other natural materials add interest to the front of contemporary homes. Limestone and other stones can have details added in relief, so letters and numerals stand out from the surface rather than being engraved. Jeremy says prices for Rustic Stone slate signs on slate posts start from £132 up to £500, hanging signs range from £177 to £400. All include VAT and delivery.

Or opt for an ultra-modern Perspex or acrylic. These materials can look sensational when 'floating' slightly away from the wall. Aluminium, brushed chrome or burnished Corten steel also look striking on modern homes. The number and name can be engraved or laser-cut to create a very useful work of art.

Your design can also reflect the name of your house, if it has one. For instance, if you live in Rose Cottage, you might like to incorporate a rose motif into a pretty ceramic cottagecore-style sign, such as this pink on black design from Village Green Signs.

'We have also seen fabulous barn conversions with signs made from charred wood from the surrounding areas,' says Rudolph. 'The idea is fresh and on point and charred wood is durable and lasts.'

Although choosing a complementary material makes sense, make sure it offers enough contrast with the background or the house sign will blend in and be difficult to see.

If you're unsure, etched slate is a 'timeless and elegant choice', Rudolph adds. 'And most fonts on slate will look sensational, especially etched with a hint of colour to provide contrast. Always opt for etched rather than printed. Printed signs can look homemade.'

Slate is also one of the most cost-effective choices. As an example, a basic white-etched slate (300mm x 75mm) sign from online company Design A Sign costs £24.99, plus delivery.

There really is no 'one size fits all' for a house sign. Every home is individual. How your sign looks when in situ will be influenced by specific surrounding features. Plants and trees, the position and angle of paths and driveways, even lamp posts and overhead cables can all affect the visual appeal of the sign.

The best advice is to measure the space where you wish to place the sign and cut out a piece of paper to fit. Experiment with different styles and fonts and try each one to see how it looks by fixing to the wall with masking tape. Look at the sign from all angles and from the middle of the road. The neighbours may raise an eyebrow, but it needs to be clear, visible and not 'lost' in the overall frontage of your home.

Remember, the sign doesn't have to be oblong or square. Some homes suit an oval or circular design, but we'd advise against octagons and other complex shapes.

Unless you're a graphic designer, your knowledge of fonts and typography (the art of arranging lettering) is likely to be fairly basic. The sheer choice of fonts is overwhelming – and making the wrong choice can be a costly mistake – so it pays to understand a few ground rules first.

Fonts are divided into two types – serif and sans serif. Serif fonts can have curls, scrolls and hooks on the end of letters. Popular examples include Garamond, Georgia and Times Roman. They feel 'softer' and more emotive. Strongly-defined sans serif fonts, such as Helvetica, Futura and Arial have no such embellishments.

'You need to start by knowing your home,' says Rudolph. 'If you are lucky to live in a stunning Art Deco house which has all the architectural hallmarks of the Art Deco era, for instance, then you want to choose a font of the same ilk, such as Gatsby. You don't want to go for a plain font such as Arial.'

As a general rule, avoid italics and over-ornate fonts which are difficult to read from a distance. For maximum visibility, don't choose very slim or lightweight versions of fonts either.

If you order your house sign online, most companies have a preview function so you can see how particular fonts look within your chosen design. If you have any doubts, ask the company for advice.

There are numerous online companies offering bespoke house signs. You will also find local craftspeople and artisans either through social media or selling their products on Etsy or Notonthehighstreet.com. Customised signs are also available on the high street; Timpson, the all-purpose home services store, has a range in shops and online. At the top-end of the budget scale, you might also ask a stonemason to carve a house sign for you. The cost would depend on the size and type of stone chosen.

Start your research by gathering examples of signs you admire – perhaps you could create a Pinterest board. You might also want to seek professional advice from a graphic designer. This could be particularly important if your house is unusual or you are planning to feature a series of exterior signs, on the gate, wall and front door for instance, which require a coherent look.

There are many ways to affix your house sign securely. It will depend to an extent on the material of the house sign. 'We prefer to have signs that are fixed on the wall so you do not see any screws or ugly detail,' says Rudolf. 'With loose lettering and numbers we tend to also go with a floating approach where the screws hold the letters and numbers from the back to give it an effortless look.'

If you're thinking of a total rebrand for your home – perhaps after a major renovation – you can choose and display any name you like.

However, the Royal Mail says that if you want the name to be added to Royal Mail's Postcode Address File (PAF®) you must inform the Street Naming and Numbering department of your local authority. This statutory body for the naming and numbering of properties must agree to the new house name and will directly instruct the Royal Mail Address Management Unit to make the change.

If your house already has a number, your official address remains as the house number, but a house name can be added to exist alongside – for example, Rose Cottage, 1 High Street.

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