It is that time of year where the SALE sign hangs prominently in every retail shop window.  Some shops bang out the same SALE sign every season, the off the shelf red and white variety, others invest a bit more design time and effort knowing that SALE time brings its own reward for effort 

We have a couple of clients who use the SALE sign as another way of window dressing their shop, in other words they periodically put time and effort into marketing their shop even during a SALE period.  FIG are a good example.  They engage graphic design group, Mahon and Band  for their creative.  Here are some examples of SALE signs we have printed and installed  for FIG over the past couple of years.

FIG

At Studio MG we whipped up a Mother’s Day pink promotional decal. This was removed after Mother’s Day but the white text remained, just the % changed from 25% off for the Mother’s Day sale to 20% off for the Mid Season promotion sale. This is is a good way of stretching your promotional dollar across two sales, one flowing into the other.

With pink Mother’s Day promotional text

Mother’s Day pink removed and text changed to Mid Season Sale

Another window, smaller text, same sale …

Definitely don’t want to spend money on a sale decal because your margins have been reduced already due to the sale but you also want to move stock to make way for new season merchandise. Forme cut lettering is good for this, no print, just vinyl text available in a range of colours. You provide the type, the size and font (we can advise). We forme cut and install. It doesn’t have to look cheap as in ye olde fluoro style, hand painted on, think butcher’s windows; it just needs to work in with an existing font or compliment the font style. I was checking out Sass & Bide’s window decal in Chapel Street yesterday, black with a gold outline, small, clean font that looks classy. Not overwhelming, simple and shifts your focus to the clothes instore. Then looked across the road at another store to view decal gluttony that completely obscured and blocked what lay beyond.

Love the copper framing of the windows and doors.  Love copper full stop, particularly when left to age.  We used it as a bulkhead overlay above the vanity mirror | cupboard in our bathroom and left it to discolour.  Here it has been used to frame the windows and doors to great effect. Copper is a pretty strong visual element so you wouldn’t want to go all out and compete with a graphic that is equally strong and intimidating. Carina Sherlock have kept it simple; retail door and window decals in in soft greys and whites: trading hours, logo, open & closed, shop number etc.  But hey it’s okay to pack a punch if you’re having a sale, go all out with fluoro green cos that’s a short term install. By the way this is Carina Sherlock’s first retail store …. check out their website for more details!

Starting with good bones always helps – good paint job in white and copper framing here for example , then use decals to dress up doors and windows. If simply a paint job then perhaps add a bit with vector graphics, printed images and illustrations, black and white photos that can then be printed on all types of film: translucents, transparents, opaques. Decals are a pretty inexpensive way of keeping your retail store looking good without blowing the budget but gotta get the basics right first then work with the look and feel of your store to create a range of seasonal or promotional graphics that can be changed and updated as required.

Looking good on the outside is more likely to draw customers inside. I imagine it is also the fun part; dressing up front windows, coming up with new ways to create a warm welcome. For small business time and money are often elusive but I wonder if you have to spend all that much. Fig Boutique hasn’t gone overboard. They’ve spent a little to come up with a design (Mahon & Band) and then created a summer and winter version of the same artwork. It’s a feel good move too, you’re working on your business, not just in it and I think that generates something, it sends out good karma … I was listening to a chef on Triple R saying after all his years of experience that keeping it simple was important and also cooking from a place of love … not so much to yell and scream about it but for it to be your intention. I think for small business this is the huge point of difference they can make with their bigger and often soulless competitors. Mall versus shopping strip kind of stuff, handmade versus mass produced, real people versus a prerecorded message. The winds of change. Take charge small business.

Spring – Summer sale window by Fig, designed by Mahon & Band (they also designed the popular illuminated red Cosi external ID signage)

and the Winter Version (above)

FIG Boutique are at 143 Toorak Rd, South Yarra, VIC 3141.