Zao Wou-ki, an abstract painter with a huge influence in his field, passed away in 2013 at the age of 92. He succeeded in bringing together Eastern and Western aesthetic traditions. What late artist do you most admire?
Monthly Archives: January 2014
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How to choose a sign for your new business
You just walked out of your local city hall with that new business license. Congratulations on joining the exciting world of entrepreneurship!
Not long after you’ve set up your business entity and chosen a name for your company you’ll need to order signage.
Here are a few tips on how to decide what type of signage will work best for your location and industry sector.
If you’re a Main Street business, you might consider a decorative awning, which adds a touch of charm for walk-by traffic. Whether or not to print lettering on your awning can be a tough decision.
Take into account the type of business you want to attract. If your shop will be accessible from a sidewalk, an appealing storefront awning will lure more shoppers to come inside. Hand-lettering on the windows also creates a sense that your shop will be a delightful place to linger.
If your business is on a busy thoroughfare, the marketing focus is different. In this case you need to ramp up the size of your signage lettering. That’s because drivers will have just a short time to view your sign as they travel past at 40 miles per hour.
For stores with a large footprint, channel letters are an ideal solution. Drivers can see these signs from blocks away, and illuminated letters on the outside of your building will give a clear impression to motorists passing by.
Lastly, temporary signage is a great bargain, as it generally requires no signage permit and allows a shopkeeper to advertise current bargains. If you choose to have a vinyl banner with grommets installed and use an evergreen message, you can reuse the banner for many years. Banners are also easy to store and can be used at street fairs and public events.
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The intersection of faith and art
At the intersection of faith and art, amazing artistic expression comes together!
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Attention-getting store displays
Marketing rests heavily on visual communication. Task for small Main Street merchants is to create attention-grabbing visual displays that will beckon passersby to come into a store.
A rich, vibrant color scheme is a great place to start. If you already have a branding color, that’s great. If you don’t, give some thought to how you will use color to lure shoppers into your store.
Color can be thought of as a language, because it can be used to evoke moods and feelings. As with all forms of communication, the message a specific color will carry can be different from culture to culture. Those meanings can be used to draw attention to your business.
Also think about the impact of positioning store merchandise in a way that uses one powerful color to grab attention, or even to facilitate navigation through a large clothing shop or showroom. Do remember that navigation aids won’t stick out like a sore thumb when you use color as a interior way-finding device.
Colorful signs hanging from the ceiling with decorative chains can be one way to direct shoppers to particular in-store displays. Be creative and extend that color branding to artwork, posters and even in-store furnishings like in-store seating.
Color is truly a language that evokes emotions, sends subliminal signals and inspires shoppers to linger – and that means higher sales!