Your busiest piece of advertising.

How to plan it.

A shop window is read by more people per day than any channel most independent retailers pay for. It is also the piece most often left to handwritten signs taped up from the inside, which quietly tells passers by that the business is improvising.

Decals suit permanent information: opening hours, what you sell, whether you take card. Posters in snap frames suit anything that changes, because you can swap the print in seconds without touching the glass.

Remember that a window is read from outside and lit from behind during the day. High contrast survives that; pale type on a light background does not.

Before you order.

• Use decals for permanent information and frames for anything seasonal
• Check whether your decal is designed for inside or outside application
• Keep the lower window clear enough to see into the shop
• Test contrast in daylight, not on a screen