As a graphic designer, I receive some design requests that are more common than others. When I first received a request from a client to create a hoarding artwork for the opening of their second restaurant, I had to do some research.
What is hoarding artwork exactly?
Hoarding artwork are temporary boards placed around a storefront when the business location is under construction or renovation. The boards will have eye-catching artwork that displays the brand. Eventually, the workers will remove the boards to reveal a fresh storefront.
Living in Dubai, new businesses are opening all the time or under renovation, so I see hoarding artwork regularly. This artwork can get very creative to stand out among other storefronts.
What is the purpose of hoarding artwork?
The primary function is to protect the public during construction. The artwork provides an excellent opportunity to announce a new business, advertise and create brand awareness.
Things to consider when designing hoarding artwork
Location
A site visit will give you a sense of the environment. Things to consider are the other storefronts and the overall vibe of the area. Is the new storefront located in an indoor shopping mall or a mixed use building with retail space on the lower level? What is the foot traffic in the area? I recommend a site visit before the start of the design process.
Design
Certain malls have requirements for which design elements you can and cannot include in the artwork. For instance, some malls will require both English and Arabic text. Some hoarding artwork will have a door in the front to allow the construction worker to enter, so that area should not have any critical design elements. Also, the height and width of the boards will influence the scale of your design elements.
Material type
In many cases, wooden boards form a three sided box around the storefront to make up the hoarding artwork. The fourth side of the box is the front of the storefront and is not visible. Other hoarding artwork is applied on the windows as stickers.
Interaction with the outfitting company
The outfitting company is responsible for overseeing the construction of the new store and the implementation of the hoarding artwork. Each outfitting company will have different requirements for the size and resolution of the design file. Since the hoarding artwork dimensions might be too large for the design software, you might need to make the file dimension, for instance, ten times smaller with a higher resolution to compensate.
Case Study: Vietnamese Foodies Restaurant Openings
Vietnamese Foodies Downtown
For Vietnamese Foodies’ second restaurant opening in Downtown Dubai, the location is a mixed use building with retail space on the lower level. The artwork was 9 metres high with three panels ranging from 4.2 to 4.7 metres in length. There were three additional panels at about 2 metres in length. Since this was a large artwork, design elements like the leaves had to be rather large. The leaves need to fill the space and be seen from a distance. I placed the restaurant logo, the greeting and the silhouettes of diners on the bottom half of the artwork so that passersby could easily see these elements as well as be seen from a distance.
Vietnamese Foodies Palm Jumeirah
Vietnamese Foodies’ following location in Palm Jumeirah is an indoor shopping mall. This artwork consists of one panel that is 4 metres in height and 6.8 metres in length. The panel also had a door that allowed construction workers to enter the restaurant. Two side panels of 1 metre width made up the side of the box and didn’t have any design elements. The design had most of the same design elements from the second restaurant opening adapted to this panel, scaled back to a smaller size. Social media handles were added to this design.
Vietnamese Foodies Dubai Hills Mall
Vietnamese Foodies’ next opening in Dubai Hills Mall is an indoor shopping mall. The panels are 4.6 metres in height. The main board is 19.7 metres in width while the secondary board is 9.8 metres in width. Two side panels at 1 metre in width make up the box. There is also a door for the construction workers to access the site. The main panel has the restaurant logo with social handles present and a picture of one of their yummy dishes. The second panel has a photograph of Lily Hoa Nguyen, the executive chef, along with the restaurant’s logo and social handle.
Final thoughts
Hoarding artwork not only provides safety for the public but also provides a marketing opportunity for your brand. Even though hoarding artwork is temporary, it can serve for brand awareness and generate buzz for your next store opening.
Do you need a graphic designer to design your next hoarding artwork? Do not hesitate to contact me!
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