Attractive window displays to attract passing trade are vital for store owners on the high street. Windows are a huge advertising opportunity for retail businesses. More importantly the space is free. Using vinyl lettering for shop window displays is a creative way to entice customers into the store. Easy to apply and remove, vinyl film creates a focal point for visual merchandising displays. Discover how to create the perfect window display with these visual merchandising tips for creating showstopping displays with vinyl lettering for shop windows.

Choosing vinyl lettering for shop window displays

Which type of vinyl should you choose to create your window display? These are the most common types used in window displays.

• Matt & Gloss Vinyl – A wide range of colours are available
• Frosted Vinyl – different levels of opacity are available.
• Translucent Vinyl – A variety of coloured vinyl films which let light though and colour tint the surface of the window
• Special Finishes – Gold and Silver reflective or brushed metallic finishes. Fluorescent neon coloured vinyl films.

We recommend using bright colours to really stand out. White is one of the most popular colours to be used in window displays. Darker colours such as black or navy blue don’t stand out well on glass. However use them instead in the background of a window display. Bold graphic shapes on contrasting colour backgrounds can help your products really stand out. Usually designs are placed on the inside of the glass. However the vinyl is weatherproof and can be placed on the outside as well. See our website for more detailed design considerations for window vinyl.

Creating vinyl lettering for shop window displays

Essentially there are two ways to create vinyl designs.

Create vinyl logos and graphics  – Use the upload design tool. This is the tool to use when you already have the graphic designs which you want featured on your window.  Simply upload your graphic in a vector file (svg or eps file) format to the Inkmill Vinyl website. You can size your graphic to the required size for your window display. The team at Inkmill Vinyl reviews your graphic and you’ll receive a quick quote as well as delivery details. To purchase your design just add it to your basket and checkout.

Large Shop Window Graphics

Create vinyl lettering – Use the custom vinyl text tool. Perfect for creating vinyl lettering for shop windows and quick and easy to use.  There are lots of fonts to choose from to match the style of your store. Enter the text you want and size it to fit your window display. Format the text in a choice of one of our many fonts and place your order. Vinyl is applied to the inside or outside of glass. Usually it is applied from the inside of the window. Remember to flip it so the text is reversed when applying the text to the inside of a window.

The custom vinyl lettering tool is perfect for creating

• Sale and discount signs
• Opening hours
• Listing best selling brands in the window

Designing your window display

Plan your window displays well in advance using a calendar of key buying triggers for your audience eg.

• New Year for gyms, fitness and wellbeing stores
• Valentines Day for florists
• Easter for Chocolatiers

Your store location and the view that passers by have of your store will help determine the size of your display. Where is the most passing traffic? If it is on the pavement directly outside then you can use small vinyl lettering on your window. People will stop nearby and be able to pic out small details in your display. Is most passing traffic is from cars in the street or people walking by at a distance from your store? In this case use large bold graphics to attract peoples attention from afar. Is your shop in a location which has passers-by at night? In which case you will need to think about lighting and how your window will look in the evening. Focus attention on key items. Avoid a busy window with multiple points of interest.

What colour vinyl?

Immediately you will think of the colours you have used to brand your business. or the associated colours of the brands that you sell. Have you ever considered using colour psychology to help sell your products?How do the colours of your branding make people feel?

Some colours are proven to elicit certain responses in people. Through repeated use over the years colours carry strong subliminal connections to specific ideas and industries. For example green strongly associates with being natural and environmentally friendly. Similarly, to stimulate appetite, use the colour red in branding. Vinyl lettering for shop window graphics in fast food chains uses this technique. Think of the branding of many well known brands of fast food chains and snack foods and the colour red will come to mind. Consider the emotions you want your brand and products to make customers feel when they see them. This infographic is a great guide and also showcases some great examples of well known brands. Custom Logo Cases have written a great post about the importance of your brand’s colours, and how to choose them.

Applying vinyl decals

All of our window graphics are custom made to order from high quality vinyl. They’ll arrive with instructions and everything you need for a quick and easy application. For very smooth surfaces such as glass, Wet application is the best method of application. Check our website for detailed instructions on how to apply vinyl to glass. When it is time to change your display, just remove and replace with the new season’s graphics.
For more examples of inspirational shop windows see our Inspirational Store Windows board on Pinterest.

If you’d like to find out more about using creating vinyl lettering for shop window displays, call us to discuss your ideas. Inkmill Vinyl is an online service creating vinyl lettering and graphics. Design your own wall stickers or shop our range of ready made wall art stickers on our website.