Learn how professional graphic installers help turn design intent into in-store impact
Warby Parker is widely recognized for two things: stylish, affordable eyewear and eye-catching graphics in its retail stores. Dynamic’s graphic installers and design team created a visual brand statement that captures the imagination while highlighting Warby Parker’s belief in libraries and the gift of reading.
With clean, minimalist graphics and a signature blue color palette, Warby Parker subtly communicates its brand ethos—affordable eyewear for all, social consciousness, and creative freedom.
Your graphics should say a lot without needing to say anything at all. The colors, design, placement, and coordinated lighting set the tone for what your customers can expect from your products and customer service team.
Imagine if Warby Parker changed its graphics to all black, with flashes of red and bright neon lettering? What impression would this give people who are looking for affordable and stylish eyewear? It’s very likely the foot traffic and sales numbers would drop.
Graphics are an essential component of your retail store design and installation. Don’t rush them. Don’t treat them as an afterthought. And don’t simply hope for the best. Be like Warby Parker and put as much attention into your graphics as you do your products and brand story.
The Role of Graphics in Visual Merchandising
Visual merchandising is all about giving people a supportive, relaxing, and cohesive retail experience.
From the moment they step through your door, your customers need to feel like they are in a store that will help them solve their problems—buy new shoes, learn about their new headphones, find that just right engagement ring, or test out sit-stand desks.
Your retail graphics are more than just pretty pictures on the wall—they’re a key part of your visual merchandising strategy, quietly working in the background to sell your products and build brand loyalty.
Keep these five key roles of graphics in visual merchandising in mind:
- Setting Customer Expectations: your in-store graphics instantly communicate your brand quality, value, and style. These graphics send signals about the type of experience people can expect—elegant design with calming colors signals a premium experience while bright, vibrant, loud graphics signal a casual experience.
- Storytelling and Product Marketing: strategically placed graphics help people discover products, highlight promotions, and encourage impulse purchases.
- Making A First Impression: your graphics and window displays are the first things people see when walking by your store, they quickly tell people if your store is for them, how they’ll feel in your store, and if it’s worth taking a chance and walking on in.
- Building Brand Awareness and Loyalty: think of brands like Apple, Nike, Warby Parker, and Ikea—their consistent use of brand colors, style, logos, and messaging reinforces their brand values, builds trust, and encourages customer loyalty.
- Customer Wayfinding: strategic signs and floor graphics help direct people through your store, supporting them, answering questions, and creating a curated shopping journey for them.
Your graphics installations do more than communicate a message—they shape how people feel in and about your store, and ultimately have a key role in determining if they’ll return.
Key Retail Store Graphics Must-Do’s
Great graphics don’t happen by chance—you must put as much attention and detail into your graphics as you do into your millwork, fixtures, lighting, and overall retail design and installation.
As you plan, design, and install your graphics, keep these essential retail store graphics must-do’s in mind:
Planning: do not skip this step—you must have a clearly defined plan about the types of graphics you need, dimensions, ideal installation locations, and the messaging behind the graphics.
- What Are Your Goals? Are these graphics for education, product promotion, store events, wayfinding, brand awareness, or something else? Make sure you know why you’re creating these graphics.
- Who And What Are You Targeting? Think about the people you want to speak to with these graphics and what you want to say. This determines the style, tone, language, and overall design.
- How Will These Fit In Your Store? Before you design and order any graphics you must have clear and up-to-date measurements and details of your store’s interior and exterior.
How tall are your walls? If these graphics are for windows—how many windows do you have and what are the dimensions? Will you be using signs and floor graphics—how much space do you have?
A retail field audit or site survey is essential in ensuring you “know” your space and can design graphics that will fit.
Designing: work with a professional retail store graphics designer who has experience in your industry—remember the key roles these graphics have in your visual merchandising, do not rush or take chances with the design.
- Do You Have Brand Guidelines? Your graphics must align with your brand identity, style, and overall messaging. Are there preferred fonts, corporate colors, and design preferences?
- Keep It Simple. Remember people are busy, they often don’t take the time to read—they’re scanning your graphics as they walk by in the mall or look for a product in your store. Make your graphics easy to read with familiar fonts and complementary colors.
- How Will These Graphics Fit With The Rest Of Your Store? Your graphics need to stand out so people read and remember them, but they also need to fit with the rest of your store design, lighting, space, and overall ambience. Ideally your designer will have a tool such as SketchUp or MockShop that allows you to see how the graphics will look in your store.
Installing: make sure you hire a professional graphics installer to hang and install your graphics. You cannot afford to take a chance and risk the ramifications of poorly installed graphics.
- Who Will Install Your Graphics? Do not ask your store employees to install your graphics. We recommend hiring a professional graphics installer, preferably a 3M Certified Graphics Installer.
- When Is The Best Time To Install Your Graphics? Do not attempt to install your graphics during store hours. You’ve been in stores when this is happening—it’s chaotic, unprofessional, and a recipe for disaster. Your graphics installers will have recommendations for the best time to install the graphics—follow their advice.
- Maintaining And Storing Your Graphics. It’s very likely you’ll want to change your graphics based on the seasons, store promotions, product launches, and targeted marketing campaigns. Talk to your graphics installation team about the best way to store and maintain your graphics.
Leading Examples of Outstanding Graphic Installations
These leading examples of outstanding graphic installations showcase how well-planned and installed graphics reinforce brand identity, guide the in-store experience, and elevate the overall shopping experience.
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
The graphics installed at Barclays Center by Dynamic Resources are essential for establishing the unique Brooklyn identity and enhancing the fan experience by creating an immersive atmosphere for concert attendees and fans of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, and the NHL’s New York Islanders.
MAC
MAC is widely known across North America for their distinct, high-fashion, and artistic graphics reinforcing inclusivity, edginess, and the brand’s reputation as the authority in cosmetics. The talented Dynamic Resources graphic installers coordinate and install everything from vinyl and window film to 3D props and lightbox graphics for MAC stores across North America.
Shinsegae Department Store
The stunning floral graphics featured in the Shinsegae Department Store give shoppers a clear message about the store’s brand identity—it’s all about premium, modern, sophisticated luxury.
Warby Parker
The Warby Parker brand and ethos is on stunning display with window wraps, murals, floor graphics, and custom branding installed by Dynamic Resources graphics installers. Each store features unique graphics and imagery designed by local artists—giving each store a distinct local feel.
Seeing really is believing—and your customers are making quick decisions and judgements about your brand and retail store experience based on the stories told by your graphics.
You simply cannot leave your graphics to chance—hire professional graphic installers to tell your story the right way.
At Dynamic, our unique combination of IN-HOUSE offerings makes us your single source provider for all your graphic installation and design needs. No one understands retail installation and design better than we do.
Contact us to learn how we handle any aspect of your business—from an individual retail store to a global rollout. We are here for you.