Windows of
Opportunity

Window decals serve their purpose for safety compliance and privacy requirements, but that doesn’t mean they need to be restricted to a basic frosted strip. Graphic treatment can be a great way to extend brand theming, complement architectural design, and bring life and creativity to any workspace. BIG loves to produce unique, vibrant graphics, such as NZME.’s stunning office space.

Recently we installed frosted vinyl Space Invaders, Tetris blocks and Pacman – designed by Origami – at AMES Institute of IT. They wanted to liven up the environment for students while also creating privacy for classes.

         

However sometimes an office space requires a more corporate look. Foster Moore, ‘The registry people’, have a nice clean brand which is complemented by a dot matrix pattern, also designed by Origami. The client requested a window treatment that was semi-opaque so that people could be seen in the offices but without any detail. This is a common request, and BIG has a range of solutions at the ready.

In this instance, our solution was to print white ink onto optically clear vinyl. The challenge lay in achieving the perfect balance of transparency. Anything under 40% the printer couldn’t register and too much ink meant the graphics were too opaque. Eight samples later, we reached the perfect balance at 45% ink distribution. The samples were printed and applied to clear acrylic, so that we could take them into the office and involve the client in the process, viewing in direct sunlight to shadowy areas to reproduce all effects. The sample panels gave us a lot of flexibility in the proofing process, before applying the finalised version to the windows.

The end result? A unique window treatment developed from scratch, without simply using an off-the-shelf specialty film. Furthermore, Foster Moore’s custom graphics will now be applied in offices globally.