When we think of the use of large format print in marketing, we tend to jump to the thought of billboards and outdoor advertising. What is less well known, but equally as important, is the potential of print to enhance a company’s branded spaces – and a tension fabric light box can be a particularly effective tool in corporate interior design.
What is a Tension Fabric Light Box?
Tension fabric light boxes are illuminated iterations of tension fabric frames, in which graphics printed onto a fabric panel are inserted, at tension, into an aluminium frame using silicone edging. In a manner that’s similar to a lampshade, these 3D systems are then lit from within using LED light bulbs, which illuminate the graphics and emit a gentle, fabric-filtered glow.
Why use Tension Fabric Light Boxes as a Branding Tool
When brand stakeholders are considering the interior design of their business premises, there are several advantages to installing a tension fabric light box (or several) in an indoor branded space. There are increasing amounts of thought going into how we improve the real-world customer experience in order to tempt them away from online competitors, and a rich, experiential and many-layered retail or business space can be a key part of achieving this.
Versatility
There is the technology available to create tension fabric systems in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, whether it’s simple rectangular wall panels or 3D cubes and cylinders. What’s on offer from fabric-printed graphics also represents a vast store of potential, with modern printing machinery capable of producing an endless diversity of colours and designs in incredibly high-quality finishes.
The adaptability of this medium also applies to how it is installed, with the possibility for light boxes to be wall mounted, free-standing and even hanging. What’s more, the ease with which graphics can be removed and replaced in a tension fabric frame allows brand owners to update, swap and move their graphics according to the needs of the business, whether it’s to highlight a promotional campaign or change with the seasons.
This is how tension fabric light boxes can be perfectly customised to serve the needs and meet the specifications of an interior space, from vast cubes hanging in lofty atriums to small illuminated wall installations, there’s an exciting array of options on offer.
Lighting
The obvious advantage of tension fabric light boxes (in fact, one so obvious that it may seem silly to point it out) is that they are illuminated, and as such act as a source of light.
The general ambience of many business premises suffers from the use of harsh, overhead lighting in the form of fluorescent strip bulbs, and it is easy to let lighting (beyond the sense that customers should be able to see products and merchandise clearly) become an afterthought. Introducing tension fabric light boxes to a space, however, is one way to think about light far more strategically.
Just like a restaurant may use candle and lamp light to magic up a sense of atmosphere, the subtle lighting provided by fabric light boxes can make a space feel far more inviting, intriguing or even mysterious than a flat overhead light could hope to achieve. Depending on what atmosphere you want to evoke, (such as a cosy autumnal warmth or compelling neon depth), thinking carefully about the colours and placement of tension fabric light boxes can go a long way in helping you achieve it, and inform your other lighting choices to create the final holistic effect.
Branding and advertising
The ultimate goal for any business with a physical store or premises is that, no matter how many outlets or where they are located, a customer could be unexpectedly teleported inside and instantly recognise where they are through decor and brand signifiers. This requires, first and foremost, consistency across all sites, but it also needs a strong brand identity that plays out within the store’s design.
Part of any successful brand identity is differentiation, and finding ways to stand out from and make yourself more appealing from your competitors.
Using innovative, memorable design features such as tension fabric light boxes are a highly effective way to accomplish this, especially if they are a seamless part of a coherent and impactful overarching design.
They also have the advantage of drawing the eye within a space to whatever you most want your customers to pay attention to, and as the graphics themselves can be changed, the purpose of any tension fabric light box can evolve with time – whether it’s capturing people’s imaginations with creative brand building or driving purchases through a point of sale.
As competition remains as fierce as ever and people continue to crave real-world experiences after the extended isolation of multiple lock downs, businesses of all kinds can really benefit from investing in their branded spaces, and tension fabric light boxes are a versatile and striking way to evaluate the ordinary to extraordinary.
