When designing for retail, most designers and engineers reflexively reach for the tried-and-true trifecta of materials: Metal, wood and plastic. To a degree, this makes sense given the economic realities of display design and production. After all, having a display’s structural material also able to perform functions like visual embellishment results in a more efficient design.
While its primary structural contribution can only be in tension (and not also in compression like the other materials), fabric offers some compelling benefits that render it worthy of reconsideration as a display material:
- Fabric can help control the way product is lit. In an era where product is increasingly artificially lit with LED strips and other sources of compact illumination, fabric offers a means by which the natural light of the retail environment can be directed and diffused to emphasize key aspects of the display’s design.
- Fabric offers an economical alternative to other messaging substrates. Need a large billboard-type graphic? It can often be cheaper to go with fabric than relying on a rigid substrate, and careful display design will ensure said graphic retains its shape and visual impact.
- Fabric provides an instant visual contrast with the usual display materials. Want your display to stand out in a crowded retail environment? Use a material that customers aren’t used to seeing as they stroll the store. It will pique their interest and provoke at least a second look.
- Fabric is at the forefront of emerging retail technologies. Look no further than large backlit fabric pop-up panels, or displays with programmed sequential lighting, taking a customer’s eyes on a journey through a brand story as depicted on a fabric graphic.
As retail roars back after the pandemic, a glut of displays at retail can make it hard to stand out. Leveraging an overlooked material to provide that visual edge can make the in-store difference.