Window Graphics: More Than Just Words

MAY 27, 2021| SpeedPro

When someone walks up to your building, what greets them on the outside? Window graphics can help you make a great first impression with your storefront. Maybe you currently have a window decal on your front door or window listing your open hours and contact information along with the name of your business. You may even use a window cling to label entrances and exits or direct people to use a different door.

Window decals have plenty of practical applications such as these, but window graphics are useful for much more than just text-based messages. You can also make an impact with visually engaging graphics that transform plain windows into powerful displays.

What Are Window Graphics?

Window graphics are thin, flexible printed graphics that adhere or cling to a glass surface. This could be exterior windows or interior glass walls and panels. Typically, these graphics are printed on vinyl film. There are many types of window decals available, including graphics that let light through and ones that are fully opaque for more privacy. Window graphics also come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

SpeedPro can create completely customized window graphics in the shape and size you want and featuring your custom design. In many cases, these designs feature text, but not always. Combinations of text and images or images alone can be impactful advertising and design tools and can turn an otherwise bland building face or interior panel into a visually engaging display. SpeedPro can create detailed image window graphics for long-term or temporary applications.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Research has shown that, among other beneficial effects, window signs positively influence consumers’ perceptions of a store’s image and promotion value, which influences their patronage intentions. If you want to use window graphics to enhance your image, you can use text or images or both to achieve your goal.

Text can be useful for communicating specific messages like “Shop our semi-annual sale,” “Walk-ins welcome,” or “Ask about our new patient special.” Adding images to the text can enhance these messages. For more general messages, you may be able to communicate them with images alone. After all, it’s often true that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Images are proven to have a powerful effect in advertising because people automatically store pictures they view in their long-term memory banks, whereas text tends to go to short-term memory. It makes sense, then, that people are more likely to recall the content of images they saw versus text they read.

Images may also be more effective at grabbing attention than text. When someone passes by your building, an attractive design on your windows can draw their eyes. In many cases, both images and text are useful in combination so you can capture attention and share important information.

What Imagery Can You Feature on Window Graphics?

Window decals for businesses can include all sorts of imagery, from photographs to abstract art. Let’s look at some types of graphics you can use to enhance your windows.

1. Artistic Images and Patterns

One way to design window decal images is to pick colors and patterns that fit with your branding and the aesthetic you want to create for your building. These images can be simple patterns or elaborate artwork that don’t explicitly advertise your business but instead will enhance the look of your facility. Artistic window graphics can be truly beautiful and turn your storefront into a focal point downtown or even a popular backdrop for selfies.

For example, you could create geometric patterns with alternating colors that fit your brand, or you could create a more fluid design with curved lines and colors that fade into each other. You could even use natural patterns like marble veining. When it comes to artistic images and patterns, the options are limitless. You can partner with a graphic designer to create window panels that will provide privacy and turn your plain windows into art canvases.

2. Decorative Borders

If you want to keep the majority of your windows open for people to see through them, you can create window graphics to apply only to the perimeter of your windows. Consider framing your windows with decorative borders that add some visual interest to your windows. For example, a filigree border can soften the look of a storefront that may otherwise feel harsh or industrial.

Some businesses may want to change their window borders out seasonally. For example, snowflakes or falling leaves can help you celebrate the current season. You can also dress up your windows for holidays. A jewelry store or florist may capitalize on Valentine’s Day, for example, by adding hearts to their windows. Decorative borders like these can leave your windows open for two-way vision while enhancing their appearance and the overall look of your storefront.

3. Products or Services

Window clings for businesses can also advertise products and services. This can help companies that want to raise brand awareness — especially if your business has a name that does not explicitly tell consumers what you offer. For example, someone may not know whether the “Saturday Sips” building they pass every day is a juice bar, brewery or coffee shop unless you show off the products you sell through images on your windows.

You can also feature specific products or services to promote them to your customers. A tech store, for example, could advertise the newest phone or tablet model they sell with a window graphic. An appliance store could use an image of an employee happily installing an appliance in a home to advertise their delivery and installation service.

4. People

Buildings can sometimes feel impersonal. Window decal images can effectively combat that by personalizing a storefront. One of the best ways to make a building feel more personal and inviting is with images of people. You can use illustrations or photo window clings to feature people on your windows. These people could represent staff or customers.

For example, a yoga studio or gym could display images of people or even just silhouettes in various yoga poses. A dentist’s office could feature patients showing off their smiles on their front windows or interior reception window. Viewing these smiling faces may even set anxious patients at ease.

5. Branding Themes

You can also use icons and images that relate to your business’s branding. Of course, one way to do this is to use your logo. A logo is a powerful tool when it comes to brand awareness, but it isn’t the only one at your disposal. You should consider what other types of images would help you brand your storefront further.

For example, a political party office could decorate with party symbols or patriotic imagery like stars and stripes. A martial arts studio with “Tiger” in the name could add tiger stripes to the windows. An ice cream shop could add sprinkles to their windows. With many of these examples, you could allow the negative space in the design to be transparent so your windows aren’t completely covered. If you want more privacy, you can design an opaque graphic.

Turn Your Windows Into Eye-Catching Displays With SpeedPro

If you want to transform your windows with sharp, rich images printed on high-quality materials chosen for your application, SpeedPro is the partner you need. We lead the way when it comes to large-format graphics. You can read more about ways to use window graphics and design tips on our blog. You can also talk to your local SpeedPro staff to learn more about creating window graphics for your business. To get started, find a SpeedPro studio near you.