Author Archives: Doug

Here are a few fashion party ideas to turn your gala into a smash hit!

Fashion Party Ideas: Make Your Restaurant/Club the “It” Show After-Party

Leave a reply

Your guests just left a chic fashion show and are looking to keep the party going – preferably somewhere with style and flair. If you are looking to take advantage of New York Fashion Week and turn your restaurant or dance club into the “It” post-show destination, consider the following fashion party ideas:

Start with the VIPs
Your regulars are going to be the gateway to attracting new guests, so make sure to dive into your mailing list and send out invitations to them first. To complete the feeling of a swank fashion show after party, consider offering “backstage” or “VIP” passes to your most loyal patrons, getting them expedited entry to the club, access to cordoned off VIP areas and even gift baskets like celebrities at a high-class award show.

Roll Out the Red Carpet
The red carpet is a way to signal to your guests that your venue is a hot spot, making them feel like part of an elite group. Of course a red carpet isn’t complete without a backdrop set up by the door as a designated photo area. Customizing the backdrop with your venue’s name or logo ensures everyone will know your place was the hottest spot in town. The addition of a doorman, velvet ropes and even hired photographers can complete the transformation from normal club or bar to chic nightspot. Check out SignArtEtc’s backdrop packages that come complete with display stand and red carpet.

Strike a Pose
What would a fashionable after party be without the chance to vogue for the cameras? Setting up a small runway flanked by your backdrop can be a great way to give your guests the chance to strut their stuff on the catwalk! Try and create a snappy hashtag to encourage your guests to share their pictures on social media.

Hire an M.C.
Take a cue from Hollywood and hire a combination master of ceremonies/interviewer to go around getting your guests excited, make jokes, announce events, guide patrons to your designated photo areas and ask them “Who are you wearing?” If you can have someone filming these pseudo-interviews, this can be great promotional material for your next shindig, showing happy guests having a great time.

Host a Raffle or Give Out Prizes
Dancing and socializing over drinks can be fun, but to make this party a can’t-miss entertainment destination you need something to take it to the next level. A raffle – where entrants get the chance to win beauty products, gift certificates to local clothing shops or even some donated couture designs – can be the perfect way to amp up the party and keep guests around until later in the evening. Alternatively, awarding prizes for the most extravagant and lavish outfits can do the trick as well.

Fashion-Swap
If you want to give your party a bit more of an interactive quality, consider making it a fashion swap. Have your guests bring with them freshly laundered outfits they no longer wear and other fashionable articles of clothing they don’t mind parting with. Consolidate all the clothing, making it easy for guests to sort through. Set up a private dressing room area for guests who want to try on the outfits, as well as a spot for them to model and be photographed in their newly created looks. If at the end of the night there are any outfits left unclaimed, donate these articles of clothing to a local charity.

When setting up a fashionable after party, you want to give your guests the forum to be their most fabulous selves. That’s where Sign Art Etc can help. We specialize in custom step and repeats, the perfect complement to all your party ideas. Contact us today to learn more.

Here's a fashion show checklist to make the most of New York Fashion Week.

A Fashion Show Event Checklist including Step and Repeat Backdrop

Leave a reply

New York Fashion Week occurs every year in February. The top designers from around the world converge in New York City, mounting shows showcasing the latest in trends, materials and styles that they predict will dominate the year to come.

Even if you can’t make it to to the NYC catwalks, you can still celebrate the world of fashion and design by mounting your own local fashion show, tying into the event in New York.  Or you can have your event at a completely different time of the year.  Whether you want to throw a charity fundraiser as a way to raise awareness for a cause you feel passionate about or simply are looking to showcase your own designs on a smaller scale, here is your fashion show checklist to make sure you’re fully leveraging Fashion Week exposure:

Settle on a Theme
First and foremost, you need to know what kind of fashion show you’ll be planning. This can take on a few dimensions: Is this show going to be about raising money for a charity or cause? Is this a commercial show, aimed at getting local retailers to stock up on new fashions? Is this an event aimed at showcase designs from a certain group, like a school or seniors? By identifying the show theme early on, you’ll have a better understanding of who your designers and attendees will be, making it easier to plan.

Order Custom Branded Materials
Once the date is set, it’s time to start gathering your signage and other decorations. No fashion show would be complete without a red carpet and a branded, custom step and repeat backdrop for photos. A backdrop branded with the name of the show or sponsor helps the organization to be promoted in the press every time a photo is snapped. By ordering ahead of time, you can ensure that the materials look the way they are supposed to well ahead of the show, as well as give yourself time to experiment with layout.

Pick a Date and Choose Your Venue
Ideally, you want to give yourself six to eight months of planning time to ensure that you are able to make the most of your event. Booking a venue that far in advance can help secure a decent rental deal and give you more than enough time to lock down your designers.

On the checklist: make sure your fashion show catwalk is carpeted to limit scuffing and slips.Make sure your walkway is carpeted to limit scuffing and slips.

Once you’ve picked your date, it’s time to consider your venue. While multi-function event rooms can be a great place to hold a fashion show, consider alternative venues like local VFW halls, school facilities, churches and social clubs or even an outside venue if you live in a warmer climate – though with this last suggestion, be sure to have a backup plan in case of bad weather. Consider too whether the event will be held during the day or at night. A daytime show lends itself to a more family-friendly, all-ages environment while a nighttime show can evoke a feeling of chic glamour and a bustling nightlife.

Carpet, Carpet, Carpet!
Speaking of red carpet: As Wine, Women and Shoes points out, often the shoes worn by models are rented or on loan from the designers. As such, they want them back in as good condition as possible. Carpeting the area where models and other guests will be walking not only adds a touch of Hollywood glamour, but also protects high-priced and one-of-a-kind shoes from being scuffed or damaged.

Start PR and Marketing
One of the most important aspects of throwing a fashion show is marketing. Even if your show is simply a local affair, if you don’t tell anyone it’s happening, how will they know when to show up?

Particularly if you are hosting your event in conjunction with a national fashion week – like the one happening in New York – make sure to get the word out. Create an event on social media and advertise with local media outlets. Even if you don’t have an extensive advertising budget, reaching out to a local news station or paper can prove relatively simple and very fruitful, particularly if you have your promotional materials in order. Make sure to have a clear, concise listing of your designers, the location and date of the fashion show so that if any media contacts request it, you can provide it with ease.

A custom backdrop from Sign Art Etc. can bring your fashion show to the next level. In addition to our variety of high-quality signage and backdrops, we offer high-quality customer service and great prices. Get in touch today to learn more!

Get the new year started right with an office holiday party.

Office Holiday Party Ideas | Make the Season Bright

Leave a reply

The holiday season is a joyful time on many different levels – whether it’s due to its spiritual or religion significance, looking forward to the promise of a new year, delighting in the opportunity to spend time with extended family you see infrequently or simply excited about a few days off, everyone has reason to be merry during the holidays.

For employers, a corporate or office holiday party can be a great way to show your appreciation for all the hard work and diligence your employees put in over the year, boost morale and set an enthusiastic tone for the year to come. Here are a few tips to make sure your office holiday party is a hit that workers will remember fondly.

Keep It Seasonal, Not Specific
The “holiday season” is an umbrella term typically applied to all the various cultural holidays and celebrations that take place over the winter months. To fully celebrate the diversity of your workplace and the different cultures and values of your employees, it is best not to single any one religious holiday tradition out for celebration. Even if you have a sense that most of the people in your office are of a certain faith, you can never know for sure. Instead, opt for a nondenominational holiday celebration, focusing on the general warmth and goodwill of the season.

Pick Your Guests
The guest list at a holiday party is very important: obviously your employees are invited, but does the invitation extend to spouses as well? How about children? Once you decide on a budget and the preferred theme of the party, you’ll have a better sense of whether or not plus-ones are to be encouraged.

Decide When and Where
According to HR firm ERC, most organizations plan their holiday parties for the second or third week of December, giving them time to avoid the major holidays at the end of the month and keep productivity up throughout December. Fridays are the most common days for a party, allowing employees to look forward to the weekend and feel less encumbered by work at the party. However, the biggest decision you’ll make is where to have your party.

Holiday parties boost employee morale!Holiday parties boost employee morale!

The key thing to keep in mind is whether to have your party on-site or at another venue. There are benefits and drawbacks to both: Hosting a party in the office can keep costs down and make for easier cleanup, but often employees are less than enthusiastic about the prospect of spending more time in the office. An offsite venue may be costly, but often includes certain amenities like food, drink and cleanup services, as well as more space to dance and socialize.

Don’t Forget to Decorate
What kind of holiday party would it be without the decorations? Having a custom banner with your business’ name and announcing the party can make the celebration feel that much more festive. Or why not try a custom step and repeat for employees to take red carpet inspired photos? Putting a little bit of effort into decorating can have a significant impact on worker enthusiasm and participation.

Be Mindful of Food and Drink
Most holiday parties provide food and drink in some capacity. Depending on the kind of party you want to throw, your food options could range from the fully catered buffet to simple hor d’oeuvres.

If you are opting for less substantial food, keep in mind that will impact decisions related to how long the party is and whether alcohol is being made available: finger foods may not be enough to sustain a longer party and drinking on a relatively empty stomach can be dangerous. To avoid hazards of over-indulging, consider providing your guests with a set number of drink tickets to be redeemed for alcoholic beverages.

Celebrate Workplace Achievement and Excellence
Holiday parties are a great occasion to shine a light on particularly exemplary employees or celebrate an interoffice accomplishment. As everyone gathers to enjoy the party, consider having a short ceremony in which you incorporate recognition and express gratitude for the year’s hard work. Something simple like a trophy or plaque are excellent ways to point out an worker who has made a real difference for the business over the last few months and can work quietly to get other staff more engaged. After awarding an exemplary employee, make sure to grab a picture of them in front of the branded step and repeat to commemorate the occasion.

Look no further than Sign Art Etc for all your custom printed banners and step and repeats. Whether it’s for a holiday party or any other occasion, we can ensure you will have the materials you need at an excellent price.

Contrasting colors and simple designs are all part of superb sign design ideas.

Sign Design Ideas: Grabbing Viewer Attention and Keeping It

Leave a reply

Signs act as an announcement for you and your businesses – and they are one of the most vital instruments you have to grab the attention of a consumer. What makes a well-designed sign even more powerful is that it can actually attract and engage a consumer who, prior to seeing the sign, may have never even thought they were interested in the goods and services you have to offer. Whether it’s at an exhibition, trade show, convention or something positioned on a highway or above a storefront, when considering sign design ideas, it is crucial you take into account the random passerby.

“Best Buy discovered that about 17 percent of its customers were people who did not intend to stop there but did so specifically because they saw the sign, which is well linked to their brand and overall marketing,” Sapna Budev, director of strategic initiatives for Alexandria, Va.-based International Sign Association, told Entrepreneur. “Who hasn’t been driving down the street, stopped at a store and made a purchase, merely because they saw the sign?”

To maximize the arresting nature of your signage, read on for a few innovative design ideas:

Make Color Your ‘Brand’
Color – as we’ve previously discussed – plays a big role in making your sign “pop” to a casual observer. But more than simply drawing the eye, different colors evoke distinct feelings, sensations and ideas – all which you can use to highlight aspects of your “brand.” Strong, eye-catching colors like reds, yellows and orange all speak in a coded language and have a visual power that goes well beyond simply what hue you’re looking at.

Think about the way that famous brands use colors. Most successful companies typically limit their palette and repeatedly use colors in a very specific way on their signage. This can be used to identify you as being a particular kind of company with certain values AND distinguish you from the competition. Soda brands Coca-Cola and Pepsi draw from a lot of the same fundamental colors, particularly whites, reds and occasionally black. Both companies use white lettering as well as black backgrounds to distinguish their diet offerings, but Coke has their classic vibrant red background while Pepsi uses blue to contrast.

When picking out your sign colors, consider what the fundamental values of your company are and what you want a person to know with a glance: Do you want to exude cool authority? Try blues and greens. Want to stand out as a bold innovator? Orange signifies a burst of energy and a capacity to challenge norms.

Contrast to Ensure Readability
Part of choosing your colors is creating strong contrast. White text on an off-white background will be difficult to read at any distance, particularly from farther away. Similarly, text imposed on a busy background could get lost.

“Most signs will include either text or graphics in the foreground, with a continuous background color,” Budev said. “The contrast between these two items is critical to the viewer’s retention of the content.”

sign design ideasWhen it comes to signage, simplicity and clarity is crucial.

Establish Messaging Hierarchy
Depending on the application, you may have a variety of information you want to convey with your sign. In addition to the name of the business or organization, you may have a brand tagline, a short-term promotional element or location information. That can be a lot to process on one sign.

A sign loaded with text that is all the same font size can seem chaotic or difficult to read. Rather than parse it all out, most consumers will just walk on by and pay your sign no mind. To avoid losing a potentially valuable customer, think about the “hierarchy” of the information you want to impart. What’s the most important thing that you want a person to know with just a momentary glance? What are less important elements that you could impart later, after you’ve generated a solid lead?

Typically, the name of a business or organization is the thing you want a possible customer to remember. From there, they can choose to seek more information later. To ensure that your business name is a memorable feature of your sign, make it the largest element. Other features like a tagline or sale information should be made smaller – or left off the sign entirely for clarity.

Need signage for your next sale, exhibition or special event? Sign Art Etc has you covered. Call or email us today to get an expert’s help with all your sign needs.

A popup banner can make events a snap to set up.

Popup Banner Displays: Where Convenience Meets Dynamic

Leave a reply

Are you a brand that has occasion to showcase your business in lots of different locations? Do you regularly attend industry conventions and trade shows? What about setting up and breaking down signs quickly for festivals, fairs, red carpet events, sales and other outdoor applications?

With a lot of traditional signage, combining mobility, fast set-up and easy storage with visual panache can be tricky. But not with a popup banner!

“Only takes a minute or two to set up.”

What Makes it Pop
A popup banner – sometimes called a “HopUp” – is a display banner that is attached to a collapsible lightweight yet sturdy hardware frame. The banner can be either high-quality fabric or glossy, resilient vinyl. Aside from when cleaning the banner, the display never needs to be removed from the frame.

What makes popups so convenient is that it only takes a minute or two to set them up. No more fumbling to connect tabs, mounting fabric or screwing things together. Once you take your banner and frame out of the bag, simply set the aluminum frame and let the tension pull the banner taut. In seconds, your graphic sign is at full glory. When you’re done, just unlock the tension rods in the frame, collapse your display, and store both frame and graphic back in its convenient carrying case.

The Advantages
Aside from the ease of set-up and breakdown, popups have numerous advantages over other forms of signage that make them ideal for businesses, organizations and brands on the go:

  • Wrinkle and fold resistant: The natural tension due to the way the fabric graphic mounts to the frame makes them fold-resistant. Once fully set up, you’ll have a smooth, wrinkle-free surface!
  • Can harness three-dimensional space: One of the uniquely impactful design features of popups is that – due to the fact it is simply an image mounted by webbing over a frame – they can leverage different planes to create a more visually compelling sign. They can be curved, making a more interesting sign and distinguishing your signage from some of the less inspired flat signs.
  • Ideal for shipping: Traveling long distances to attend a conference or trade show? Simply have your popup shipped to your destination. They pack up very compactly and are easy to store, stack and ship.

Ideal Applications 
We’ve talked a fair amount about how these types of banners are ideal for trade shows and conventions – spaces where business owners and entrepreneurs need to quickly and efficiently hang out their shingle and make a splash. But there are plenty of other great opportunities for a popup to really shine.

Consider these alternative situations:

  • Car shows
  • Tourist attractions like zoos and museums
  • Country fairs
  • Beach events
  • Sporting events

Popups are great for both indoor and outdoor applications, though strong winds and other environmental elements should be avoided.

Sign Art Etc specializes in industry-leading, high-quality displays. A design of your choosing is printed onto the durable, stretch tension fabric with non-toxic water-based ink and mounted onto a lightweight aluminum frame. Boxed-off end caps are an option or you can leave the side open.

Assembly and take-down are both quick and easy. All of the materials used in the frame and stretch fabric display are fully recyclable and come with a lifetime hardware warranty against manufacturer defects.

To learn more about how your brand can benefit from a popup banner, contact Sign Art Etc today.