Backlit / Halo in Toronto

Backlit letters — halo lit, or reverse channel — throw their light onto the wall behind them instead of out through the face. The face itself is solid metal and blocks the light entirely; what you see at night is the letter as a silhouette sitting in a glow. It is the quieter of the two lit options, and the one that tends to read as more expensive, because the effect depends on the gap and the wall being right.

What you get

• Solid metal faces — stainless, aluminium or brass — over a clear polycarbonate back
• Mounted an inch or two off the wall, so the halo has somewhere to fall
• The wall finish is part of the design: a dark or busy wall kills the effect
• Often combined with front-lit letters on one sign, so the logo glows and the words read