A Changing Environment

I have written often in the past several years about “environmental graphics,” also known as “experiential graphics,” which can best be thought of as the intersection of signage and décor, comprising such print applications as interior wall graphics, window graphics (both outdoor-facing as well as interior windows like conference rooms and offices), wayfinding, decorative accents like graphics applied to elevator doors, and, basically, graphics added to virtually any surface. This had been a fast-growing application area for signmakers and display graphics producers, as the wave of new construction over the past several years meant that there were many new office spaces awaiting décor. 

Well, that, as they say, was then.

As I report elsewhere in this issue (see “ISA Quarterly Economic Report Forecasts Long Road to Recovery” on page 48), new construction has slowed down since the pandemic—not everywhere, but in aggregate. At the same time, work-from-home remains a reality for employees who can make their home office work. As a result, the virus has spawned some big changes in the types of, and requirements for, environmental graphics. Some we have already started to see, and some may be on the rise. 

Keep Your Distance

One new variant of environmental graphics that I have written often about in the past couple of months is safety and distancing signage. If you have been out in the world recently, you know that retail locations have been busy installing floor and wall graphics indicating six-foot distancing intervals, instructions on mask use, and the like. Other types of spaces like offices have been installing similar kinds of safety and distancing signage, especially in elevators and other public spaces. And even apartment complexes and other multi-family homes and communities have needed these kinds of graphics (see “Benson Creates W2P Store for COVID Signage and Safety Materials” on page 44). 

Going down? HP and 3M have collaborated to offer design templates for a variety of social distancing signage and graphics—including elevator floor graphics. (Image courtesy HP)

The Home Office That Decorates

A few years ago, my erstwhile co-author Dr. Joe Webb and I published a guide to working at home called "The Home Office That Works!" (we were several years ahead of our time). One of our practical tips for a productive home office is to make the office its own discrete location separated from the rest of one’s home. It could be a spare room, a finished basement, a converted attic, or even a partitioned portion of another room, such as a living room or den. It was with this in mind that I was interested to see a recent case study from Mactac that described a project whereby a customer wanted to use a variety of environmental graphics to partition off a living room-based home office. 

The M.O. for this was to install window films over interior doors. The client went through Kitchen Concepts, a kitchen and bath design and remodeling company, who in turn partnered with The Visual Edge Signs & Design. (A unique aspect of environmental graphics compared to other forms of printing an graphics is that this work often comes through architectural, interior design, and other kinds of similar businesses rather than traditional print-buying routes.) 

 Privacy is an important aspect of a successful home office. In this case, interior window film from Mactac (specifically IMAGin B-free Frosted Window Films were used to set off the living room-based office from the rest of the home. (Image courtesy Mactac)

In the "Before Times," there had been a slight, barely detectable trend for environmental graphics to move into the residential space, but if home offices become a permanent way of doing business—even part-time—home environmental graphics may also become a substantial niche application, if only to create more compelling Zoom backgrounds. 

Divisional Graphics

A new term that has arisen during COVID is “divisional graphics” (the term has actually been trademarked by EFI—see sidebar). Also referred to by the less appealing term “germ shields,” divisional graphics refers to printing on plastic or other materials that are used to physically separate people. Think of the plastic screens at checkout counters, desk dividers and the like. Sure, these items can be purchased unadorned, but as with other kinds of COVID-related signage, these items can be an essential part of branding by adding custom printing to them. (If you Google “germ shields,” Curad antiseptic bandages dominate the top hits, so we obviously either need a better term or to hijack Curad’s SEO. And for decades, salad bars utilized what were called “sneeze guards,” a term seemingly designed to kill one’s appetite.)

 “Divisional graphics” can take many forms, such as these tall “mobile germ shields” designed for places like gyms. They can be used as is, or decorated with branding or other printing. (Image courtesy Benson Integrated Marketing Solutions)

New Environments

A year ago, we had scarcely heard any of these terms—“safety signage” usually referred to OSHA signage posted around manufacturing plants to prevent injuries, and “distancing signage” was unheard of. Looking back at the past six to eight months, it is amazing how quickly sign and display graphics, and sign and display graphics providers, transitioned to these new applications. It will be interesting to see how they evolve in the months—and maybe years—to come. 

The Great Divide

A new subset of environmental graphics that has always existed to some extent, in function if not in form, has taken on greater importance these days. It is what EFI is calling—and has trademarked—Divisional Graphics.

“Divisional Graphics are structural or decorative graphics intended to separate people in common areas like restaurants, lounges, queue lines, bars, stores, etc., and assist in preventing the spread of contagions,” said Ken Hanulec, VP, WW Marketing, EFI. “They include the barriers and dividers that we are accustomed to now seeing at checkout counters, and plastic sheets at bars and dividing stations at hair salons to name just a few.”

 US-based grand format print shop Color Gamut Digital Imaging (CGDI) LLC pivoted its production line from trade show graphics to PPE in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shop produces shields for essential and frontline workers. (Images courtesy EFI)

US-based grand format print shop Color Gamut Digital Imaging (CGDI) LLC pivoted its production line from trade show graphics to PPE in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shop produces shields for essential and frontline workers. (Images courtesy EFI)

EFI has also identified other terms for new print opportunities that have emerged in the wake of COVID, including “distancing graphics”—which I discussed in the main article—and “SafeGuard Graphics,” defined as “short-term print items such as menus, hotel room signage, tabletop stands, etc. that will typically be recycled or disposed of after a single use.

“Trademarking the terms helps in establishing some uniformity and consistency about what is meant by each term and the specific types of applications customers are producing,” Hanulec said. “It creates some common-ground terminology in the industry when our customers are talking about creating barriers or floor graphics, for example. We are already seeing a number of terms used so this is a way to a more-consistent, defined approach to the market.” 

Just as we were fortunate that the pandemic hit at a time of widespread broadband and internet access, so, too, are we lucky that it hit at a time when digital inkjet printing can help keep many print businesses going and taking advantage of a bad situation to help themselves and their customers with these kinds of signage and barrier needs.

“The greater customization that is possible with digital print gives our customers the ability to deliver more value in what they produce,” Hanulec said. “In a grocery store, the plastic barrier that has gone up next to the cashier’s station is now ubiquitous. It is part of the new normal, but there is reason to standardize or differentiate all of those surfaces with print—so it is not just generic.” 

Distancing graphics are perfect for branding and has even become a form of product promotion. They can also class up a joint.

“Any type of designed, well-executed print is better than putting masking tape on the floor indicating where to stand,” Hanulec said. “Patrons take notice and there is a real, functional use.” 

Just as environmental graphics is an area where there is an overlap between signage and décor, we are starting to see an overlap of divisional graphics and personal protection equipment (PPE). 

“There is a growing market related to manufacturing PPE, such as face shields and masks,” Hanulec said. “The face shields may employ many of the same printing and cutting solutions needed for Divisional Graphics. We also have customers—businesses that operate VUTEk FabriVU or EFI Reggiani printers—that have replaced some of the business they have lost in the pandemic by printing masks.”

 CGDI uses its EFI Reggiani Pro 340 dye-sublimation printer to print logos onto customized face mask orders. (Images courtesy EFI)

To some extent, the current surge in demand for these kinds of environmental graphics is temporary, but since the pandemic will be with us for a while, so too will be the signage, which will likely start to fall into standard replacement cycles—or take on other roles. 

“The expense of installing Divisional Graphics may dictate that those applications are maintained and replaced when needed, rather than removed altogether,” Hanulec said. “The successful branding achieved may indicate that these types of floor graphics continue, even if they are no longer specifically used to dictate line placements—the unintended consequence could be that floor graphics become an even more commonplace application in your standard retail environment. That could be the case with other signage put in place to encourage social distancing. Once the need subsides, those highly visible signage spots can potentially be converted to other marketing-related messaging.”

Print businesses looking to tap into these new applications should pay attention to the reopening schedules and trends in their part of the country, and consult with clients—present or prospective—to gauge specific needs. The emphasis so far has been in retail, but other environments are next. 

“While we have already seen a huge amount of transformation in retail spaces, as workplaces and offices re-open, those environments will need some of the same applications, so it is good to look for opportunities there,” Hanulec said. —Richard Romano