According to Shaun Holdom, Global Product Manager, Drytac, retailers and other public-facing companies need to grab their customers’ attention – and not just once, but time and time again to retain an ongoing and loyal relationship. Installing temporary graphics is an effective and affordable way to regularly refresh a brand and promote up-to-the-minute messages.
Social distancing has become standard practice across the world in recent weeks. As businesses and public spaces reopen or prepare for a swell in customer numbers, it’s essential to provide guidance in the form of graphics. Whether they are floor graphics designating how far people should stand apart, or wall or window decals informing shoppers of a new queuing system, printed displays are a reliable form of direction.
Temporary graphics offer almost unlimited creative potential. It’s possible to wrap whole buildings, inside and out, with colourful designs and branded messages, including walls, windows, doors, ceilings, elevators, stairs, floors, shelf edges, counters – you can advertise in 360º. However, with so many options to choose from, it’s possible to overwhelm customers.
Instead, choose your graphics carefully for the biggest impact. Focus on one or two parts of your space – for instance the windows or the walls – and refresh them regularly to engage with your market more effectively, and more long-term, than a flood of permanent graphics. Short-term graphics need to be applied quickly and, just as importantly, replaced quickly too. Many short-term graphic solutions can be applied by hand with no specialist equipment, and no need to hire a professional installer, and can be removed cleanly without leaving adhesive residue. These products can also be layered over existing graphics, speeding up installation further.
Graphics media also need to withstand the duration of the promotion without fading, ripping or curling at the edges. In short, they shouldn’t attract attention for the wrong reasons. To meet these requirements, it’s important to use the right graphics media for each job. Using a product just because it sticks to brick or glass can result in problems down the line.
There are a lot of self-adhesive films and mounting adhesives on the market that have been designed for specific applications, such as window graphics. They will have been developed as an ideal blank canvas for vibrant prints, to be easy to install, to offer durability against everyday wear and tear, and to be simple and clean to remove without residue.
There are also graphics that are suitable for hospitals, schools, restaurants and retail environments where hygienic is crucial. They contain antimicrobial additives to protect graphics and surfaces against bacteria and fungus. These growth inhibitors are added to the film during the manufacturing process to ensure even distribution and durability throughout the life of the graphic, even after repeated cleaning.
Many graphics products are designed for multiple applications, but check their suitability for your specific project before use, to ensure compatibility with the surface, environment temperature, cleaning products and, importantly, required levels of safety. On flooring, only specialist floor graphics media should be used as these products have been rated for slip hazards, for example. In any public space, it’s essential to use media that has a fire rating too. There may also be environmental guidelines to follow, so check how used graphics media can be recycled.
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