Both do the same thing: they put the brand name on the façade, lit. From there they diverge, and the wrong choice costs you either immediately, at permitting, or every evening, in how the sign reads. We produce and install both, so this article has no product to defend — only the criteria we use when a client asks us exactly this.
A light box is a closed body — a box with plexiglass or tensioned-fabric faces, lit from inside, carrying graphics across the whole surface. 3D letters are independent objects, each a body of its own, lit at the front, in halo, or not at all. The five criteria that decide between them: what the façade is allowed (local regulation, historic zones, mall specs), how the brand works (a full background wants a box; a clean logotype wants letters), reading distance and speed, cost at purchase and after, and the façade itself (irregular fronts favor letters on spacers).
The full guide, with the five criteria in detail and a quick decision grid, is available in Romanian. Switch to RO above to read it in full, or contact us for the details in English.
If you're unsure what the location allows or what the mall's spec requires, send us the address and a photo of the façade: we check the local regulation and come back with the options that can actually be permitted there, each with its price.