It will serve a dual role as illuminator if it is strategically placed. This practice can also reduce overall costs as the letters themselves may be easier to install, non-illuminated and electrical code compliance simplified. This can be a retro, art deco look, but also a solution to execution problems. The bulky raceway style letters often suggested for simplified installation can give way to the classic look of a shadow box. Electrical connections and the neon tubes are inside a single piece frame while the wash gives a bright illumination.
Letter forms can be very thin illumination can even be fluorescent or incandescent.
To find a new look, experimentation is the name of the game. Super Vision - LEDs and fiber optic components and kits for the sign industry.