On the way to work yesterday, I saw a Garage Sale yard sign that looked much like a real estate sign.  The sign was framed with a nice clean red border.  It had a grey background, and the words Garage Sale were in a Georgia font with character spacing.  It was a truly nice looking sign, and it absolutely failed its objective.

I looked to the sign with a certain expectation and garage sale was not one of them.  Typically, Garage Sale signs are obnoxious, neon, in your face, and short lived.  A professional sign conveys everything but Garage Sale this weekend only!

I think it is important to think about not only who you are marketing your idea to but also what their expectations are.  For the yard/garage saler, they expect the homemade neon poster.