Whether you own a clothing store, restaurant, café or grocery store, your storefront design is an essential component of success. The freedom that you have when putting together your store front allows you to communicate your brand’s vision, beliefs and guide potential customers or clients to your business.
6 tips for the perfect Storefront Design
We’ve put together some of the leading pointers to adhere to when designing your storefront! With these 6 tips for a Successful Storefront Design you will be able to create the perfect storefront for any customer, or yourself.
Tips for the perfect storefront design:
1. Make it legible
As obvious as it may sound, having a sign or storefront that is legible is extremely important. It should also be visible from a distance. If your store is beside a busy road, or surrounded by other shops and stores, it is crucial that you stand out to attract the attention of passers-by’s. Pay attention to ensuring that every detail is catered to in a way that adds maximum visual clarity. Don’t be afraid to rework any logos or design choices if you feel they don’t meet your expectations!
Some points to pay attention to:
- Choice of fonts: try sticking with fonts that aren’t overly decorative or hard to read from a distance
- Colour and contrast: ensure that all elements stand out and that your foreground and backgrounds are visible during both the day and the night
- Capitalization: Try not to overuse capitalization – research has shown that a normal use of capitalization and lowercase letters is the most readable
- Spacing: over-crowding of elements can result in a storefront or logo that is hard to understand
2. Make it clear what you do
When creating your storefront designs, ask yourself the question – does this portray my vision? During both the design and setup process of your storefront, make sure that it captures the essence of your brand, attracting passerby’s into your store. Both the inside and outside of your store should tell the same story, presenting in a way that promotes engagement. A strong concept is crucial.
3. Express your style
Each and every design element of your store front, whether it be typography, colour or images, should communicate the essence of your brand. Your style, taste and atmosphere should be clearly and confidently expressed to clients. What better way to do that than through your store front! The type of customers and clientele that you attract will depend on the stylistic choices you make – so make sure to pay attention to that when designing your ideal storefront.
4. Make sure to Stand Out
It’s crucial that when designing your store front you aim to stand out against your competitors. You should be sure to create a logo and storefront design that is unique and doesn’t resemble other brands. Although it’s important to create a brand that is generally unique, its equally if not more important to make yourself stand out amongst your neighbouring and surrounding stores. If you’re wanting to go the extra mile, you can add additional, outstanding features that will set you apart from your competitors, such as illuminated signs, interactive stands etc. It’s important to note that customers often shop for an experience just as much as they shop for a product.
5. Nightlife
Don’t underestimate the power of the night. A number of shopping centers, beachfronts and malls stay open into the night or are simply based in countries where winter time is predominantly dark out. Make sure to maximize the potential of storefront by lighting up it’s design after dark. Highlight your storefront using different lighting installations and colourful & bright graphics.
6. Be playful with it
As we mentioned earlier, the experience is an important element that customers pay attention to. As a customer passes your store, a playful, intriguing storefront design is likely to draw them in. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and design with the customer experience in mind. Doesn’t everyone want to have an enjoyable, fun experience whilst out shopping? Display your brand, store or company in from its best angle.
I love how you mentioned the importance of using your storefront to stand out from the neighboring stores. I’d imagine that a great way to do so would be by investing in printed roller shades that you can use to promote your business. I think this will help to attract more customers to your business while also helping your storefront look nice.