Vinyl Lettering Turns Bay Windows into Billboard Signs

Retail store windows have always been at the frontlines in the battle to attract customers and win sales.  Merchandisers have traditionally used their shop’s plate glass exteriors to make product displays and showcase goods to consumers. Delicatessens and clothing boutiques want pedestrians to peek inside and behold their lavish interiors, while other businesses might prefer one-way glass which allows occupants to view the world, but which blocks prying eyes from spying-in on them. Electronics shops and convenience stores are going that way, putting their retail brand on display instead of their merchandise, and most services businesses with nothing to showcase now find it's better to use vinyl window graphics to artfully make-over the frontend of their shops into colorful billboard signs.

Such is the case with The Action Studio, a photography studio available to rent by the hour. This imaginative business has taken up residence in the same plaza as our sign shop, and they liked the idea of creating privacy while at the same time making a statement to tell the neighbors they’ve arrived.

Sign Source Solution worked to transform the shop’s logo into a huge vinyl decal, adding and extending film strips on the top and bottom to reach all the way across the available space. We also added the phone number and web address in white lettering to make this critical information stand out and be more easily perceived by passers-by. Once the design was approved, we printed and laminated the vinyl decal before installation. Lamination is the icing on the cake.

Sign Source Solution never cuts corners and we go the extra mile whenever we’re contracted to create anything public facing where our clients’ reputation is on the line. Lamination is an extra step we take to preserve the vinyl for perpetuity. We also use clear tape to seal off the edges which ensures the vinyl won’t fade or peel away from the glass prematurely regardless of temperature fluctuations, indoor air currents, moisture levels, or any other factor. Both are proactive measures which offer added value to our clients.

Window Vinyl Lettering Yields Lots of Benefits to The Action Studio

The vinyl window lettering on the front window of the Action Studio is a good case study showcasing the benefits to be realized when businesses remake their front windows into exterior-facing business signs.

1. Vinyl lettering is affordable. It’d be very difficult to create a similar-size message board, or to do anything else as effective in terms of local advertising at the same price.
2. No permits were required. Vinyl lettering on windows can result in the biggest sign possible without applying for any special permits and negotiating with the municipality.
3. Vinyl lettering on glass is durable and does not prevent the window from being kept clean. It can still be thoroughly washed, both inside and out, without fear of damaging or diminishing the decals’ appearance.
4. Temporary Promotions are more possible. Window space remains for additional messaging and just about anything is possible as vinyl lettering is so easy to install and remove. It’s the perfect medium for communicating fresh sales or seasonal promotions.
5. Vinyl lettering on windows can bolster a digital marketing strategy. This sign already communicates the business web address, and we can also add their social media handles, hashtags, QR codes and other important information at any time.
6. Makes a nice interior ambiance; the inside of the business is remade in privacy and soft light which helps further separate the space from its exterior. Occupants can see outside but the room feels wonderfully disconnected, like it’s a thousand miles away. Add some air conditioning, a pleasant fragrance and some soft music and it might as well be another planet.

Sign Source Solution started this job last September, right after the business moved-in and overhauled the space. Despite the designs being approved, and the material being printed and prepared before December, the work was not competed until springtime as vinyl applications on glass requires temperatures above 6 degrees Celsius (for the adhesive to properly activate). Plus, the vinyl hard to handle in cold weather and can become brittle and crack when pressed on glass. So, the sign was installed on a warm spring day and it’s alive today and busy doing its job.  For approximately $120 hr, The Action Studio offers eight different rooms, all perfectly illuminated, wherein photographers can effortlessly shoot their subjects against interesting backdrops.  The business is thriving and will soon expand across Canada, and it warms our hearts to know our window graphics are part of the marketing mix propelling their success.