We all know how important it is to get people through the door. But are you making the most of every opportunity to promote your business and solidify your brand message?
When it comes to printed media, windows are one of the most underutilised surfaces, yet can make a massive difference to the feel of a space, as well as providing a platform to display the personality of your company and any promotional assets to those viewing from the outside. Let’s take a look at what options are out there to make the most of window graphics.
If you have a brick-and-mortar business, then you know how important it is to get people through the door. But are you making the most of every opportunity to promote your business and solidify your brand message?
Uses and benefits of using window graphics
Window graphics are used by many businesses in many industries, from manifestations in the construction industry; to signs on doors to classrooms in schools; and even design features in a large office space, with surfaces such as glass-walled meeting rooms.
Safety and conveying information are the two main uses people initially think of window graphics for, such as having the opening times of a shop written onto the glass front door, or providing visual identifiers for windows at height, but they can be so much more! From full colour wide format prints, to logo repetition, to promoting the company’s values, there are a range of benefits to be gleaned from using window graphics in your business space:
Privacy
While glass can be advantageous to a business, an excess of windows may not always be welcome (or viable) for every section of the premises. Innovations in print technology means that you don’t need to give up on natural daylight when blocking a view, there are vinyls and film types that can hold a print while also letting light in. Plus there is the option to have different graphics on either side of the window too, which can work both for exterior as well as interior glass, such as room dividers or glass doors.
There are three main ways that you can use graphics to create privacy: solid print graphic that does not allow in light and will entirely block the view from both sides; one way prints that will allow people to look out but not into a building, and which allows light in also; slightly opaque graphics – such as frosted glass – which distorts the view but still allows light to pass through.
Which type of graphics you choose will depend on your particular needs. For example the large plates of glass that make up the side of many a shopping centre, where the glass can be covered so totally with a billboard-style wide format print, that it’s not even easy to tell the surface itself is glass.
This can be done to hide (or advertise) empty units, and to cover up parts of the business that aren’t for the eyes of the public, such as a till area or a meeting room in a bank. They can also create a sense of a more intimate space, such as a restaurant with multiple windows.
As an alternative to other forms of signage
Many new retail units now come with a huge glass front, and not many other windows, so you need to make use of this as your shop front, while not compromising on the quantity of natural light that you can get. It can also be used as a way of displaying the business name when there is little room for a physical sign. This look is particularly popular for trendy food and drink shops, such as coffee shops or artisan goods stores, as it works well as part of a DIY or more natural muted aesthetic, a particular look that avoids the plastic and colourful nature of more traditional fascia signs.
Then there’s the cost factor: window graphics are cheaper to produce and can be easier to remove, making them more temporary in nature, which is sometimes a more viable option for pop up shops or businesses that are just starting out.
They can also be used as teaser graphics to cover your shop windows and hide the work site while it is being set up, creating a buzz before you have even opened.
Advertising or Promotions
Given that windows are likely to be within the eye line of passersby, it may be the first or only thing they see in the few seconds it takes to walk past. Window graphics can be a real opportunity to cement your business branding to a potential customer, or to promote particular products or services. Think of it as almost OOH advertising, without the cost of renting a billboard.
You may think that it would be better to keep your windows clear and asset free, but a recent study showed that a good window display can directly lead to a sale: 24% of people who purchased something said they were drawn in by the window display. That being said, keep the design simple, you don’t want to clutter the space with too much information. If the mind is confronted with too much choice, it struggles to focus on anything.
Branding Consistency
Even if you have no set purpose for them, window graphics can still help your business, they are a good way to decorate your space and create consistent branding. This alone can give an otherwise blank area a real sense of place, especially important if it is somewhere you want your customers to recognise or feel comfortable in.
Options for Window Graphics
So what options are out there for getting the most out of your window space?
When it comes to which type of graphics will suit your business best, you must first consider what you will be using them for, and what they will display.
For example, wording for your door would suit a cut out decal, whereas a full-length front window could be used as an opportunity to obscure the back of a till area with a larger graphic. Medash Signs can advise on the best option for your needs if you are unsure, but here are just a few of the most popular choices:
Wide format printed window vinyls
These are a common type of window graphics you will likely have seen before (we have printed so many of these that we have lost count!), with examples such as the multiple campaigns and prints we have created for the Ashford Designer Outlet Centre.
Wide format printed decals can be made to any specification, to fully or partially cover a window. Then there is the option to have solid vinyl decals die cut as individual pieces: this is a popular choice for places that do not have a lot of window space or where there is limited natural daylight.
Frosted vinyl
If you want a degree of privacy but do not want an overly distracting or colourful design on your glass, then frosted vinyl could be the answer. It can be made in any colour and can cover the entire pane, or be fret-cut to create negative spaces to include a design, words or a logo. These can also double as DAA manifestations, as long as they abide by the guidelines.
One way glass film – Contravision
Contravision, or one way glass film, is an adhesive vinyl that can be placed on glass, acrylic or polycarbonate to render it see-through from only one direction. It does this by consisting of a number of honeycomb holes to let light in.
We used this technology to great effect when we created viewing screens for Lords Cricket Ground back in 2017.
Images can even be printed onto the exterior of the vinyl, meaning that you can create privacy and allow light into the interior, while promoting your brand from the outside.
DDA Manifestations
Current regulations stipulate that any large piece of glass in a public building needs to have markings on it, if it is large enough that someone could walk into (or through) it. This is why you now see the multiple lines of dots along the side of public service buildings.
Yet there is actually quite a bit of scope for design, as the rules around what that manifestation must consist of are relatively flexible. Instead of the typical ‘dot’ patterns, you could opt for a large wide format to cover the glass, such as with a frosted vinyl design to decorate your workspace, or your logo repeated in place of the dots.
Top Tips
There are a few things to consider when choosing window graphics:
- While useful for displaying the personality of your brand, make sure that your window designs work to create brand consistency with the other signs in your shop or work space, even if you’re promoting a time-specific event.
- Make sure you choose a reputable sign maker to ensure good quality production and a sign that will last the duration that you need it to.
- Before committing to a design, have a think about what is behind the glass, on the opposite walls as well as directly in front of it, as this could distort how the graphic will look overall or from afar. Medash can explore various ways to get your graphics to stand out in these more difficult situations.
There are many benefits to using window graphics for your business, both for aesthetic and functional reasons. Whichever type of window graphics you decide to go for, you can rely on Medash to help you with the design and realisation of your branding needs.
We have been doing this for over 40 years, and use the latest technology in our 10,000 sq foot factory in Ashford, Kent to provide a one-stop-shop for the complete business signage process, from survey to design to flawless installation, to upkeep or removal. Get in touch now to see how we can help you get started on creating the perfect window graphics for your business.