Have you ever eaten an apple and then wondered later how the tiny granny smith label ended up on the bottom of your shoe? Or the tag from the vintage find at last week’s yard sale ended up on your refrigerator door? How about your first grader’s “great job” sticker on the dining room table? Just think of all the places that stickers could end up. And just like tags and stickers, graphics can leave a mark on just about anything. The sky is literally the limit when it comes to graphics, and that’s only because graphics won’t adhere to air. We need to stop thinking of graphics as just “stickers” and start thinking of graphics as fabulously sticky advertisements that boost brand recognition.
We can now put graphics on windows, doors, buildings, walls, floors, office equipment, machinery, vehicles, and so much more! For years, companies have been sticking their logos on bicycles, buses, and business vehicles by way of decals, but it’s time to do more! With all of the products on the market (transparent, translucent, interior, exterior, glossy, matte, permanent, removable, etc.) it’s time we use every square foot we can to get our brand on!
Let’s just think about a small business that becomes a franchise. A floral shop in a small town. You know the type. A small ma and pa shop with a cute floral mural by their favorite local artist behind the counter sporting their newly designed logo. The same image and logo are on all of their business cards and the door of the minivan which delivers smiles one posey at a time. Every kid in town begins to associate that florist with not just the aroma of fresh flowers, but the ambiance of that floral shop, due in part, to the larger than life floral mural that screams how happy and cheerful flowers are to every customer who not only visits the flower shop but passes by on the sidewalk. The quaint personal feeling makes it stand out above all supermarket floral shops and makes every passerby think of a reason to stop and buy flowers. But what if that one small floral business in that one small town suddenly needed a larger space or became so successful that it turned into 20 or 30 flower shops? They can’t take that mural with them.
Would the owners of the quaint little flower shop send the local artist to each and every location to (attempt to) replicate the beloved floral design behind each and every counter? They certainly could, but it would be pricey and it certainly wouldn’t happen overnight. It would take an artist hour upon hours, days, weeks, months or even years to paint multiple murals and the likeliness of them all being the same is slim to none.
Graphics would be a much better solution. With the artist’s permission, that beloved design could be printed and applied to each and every floral shop in very little time, for a lot less money. And if the business continued to grow, additional graphics could be printed, as needed. And not just wall murals, but storefront signage and eye-catching delivery van wraps. They could expand their beloved floral scene with signage and banners for their Farmers’ Market stand. Their brand recognition could even continue onto their trailers and carts. They could even wrap their trash cans in roses and peonies if they should choose to. Each and every franchise location could have the exact same small town floral shop feeling with the help of graphics.
Graphics can help any business grow while staying consistent by cloning the images and logos they love and their customers know and trust. Each and every square inch of your business (and vehicle) space should be a reflection of your business. Whether it’s a logo, a color, an image, or a feeling. It’s all part of our brand recognition. If a granny smith apple label can stick to it, you can put a graphic on it!