One of the keys to a good sign is a good, clear arrow. It needs to be visible from a moving car... BEFORE you need to turn. I'm forever seeing signs that are on the far side of the street at ground level. You never see them until just after you miss the turn. Argh!
Enough ranting. Let's let pictures tell the story...
Being on the far side of the intersection would have been forgivable (not driving too fast in a residential neighborhood), but CRAYONS?! I realize folks have to use what they have on hand, but crayons on construction paper just aren't visible. Period. Get a sharpie or acrylic paint (either about a buck) or run the paper through your printer.
This one is much better. Cardboard doesn't make the best background as far as contrast goes, but the size and readability make up for it.
This was nice and bright, but was on the small side considering it needed to be read from across the street. Plus it's just paper and has flopped down so it's totally unreadable.
This was wonderfully bright, but was on the far side of a busy intersection. Ideally it would have been big enough to see from across the street. Hint: Walgreen's fluorescent poster board is about a buck for a great big piece.
Cheap and perfect. The sellers used a large piece of foam insulation from the big box hardware store and cut it into large pieces. Then they painted them with plain old acrylic paint and popped them on recycled election sign stands. Waterproof, too!