Jan 17
0
Man on phone standing in front of smart film, frosted windows and a staircase

How Smart Film Can Transform Your Space

By | safety & security Films, Solutions, window film | No Comments

Window film technology is highly advanced these days, using microprisms, chromatic manipulation, and smart films that can be controlled with a switch, an app, or even an Alexa / Siri voice command. 

As you can see, smart film brings a definite “cool factor” to your modern space – and it’s a great cost saver when compared to smart glass windows because the film is a retrofit that covers your existing glazing and is easy to replace. 

If you’re wondering how you can apply smart film technologies to enhance and beautify your retail, medical, education, government, hotel, or commercial space, this article will help. 

Spark your creativity with this list of 5 great benefits and uses for smart film. 

A luxurious, comfortable atmosphere

Modern stadiums and performance venues must provide comfortable seating and an atmosphere of luxury to keep ticket holders satisfied. 

Smart films help you provide the ultimate in comfort and luxury by giving your guests the feeling of privacy in every seat or section – check out how the window film experts at NGS helped the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta leverage smart film to do exactly that! 

Secured sensitive business data

In today’s regulatory environment, it’s important to keep sensitive business data private from prying eyes. A variety of privacy films, including one way privacy window film and smart window film, can help you achieve that goal. 

Check out how NGS protected sensitive data in an operations center with full-glass smart film privacy protection:

And then check out how NGS used a different kind of privacy film, known as Casper Cloaking Film, to block only sensitive data on an LCD TV presentation, while leaving the conference room visible: 

Open office privacy

Open offices are a great use of space and they effectively foster collaboration, but sometimes privacy is required to incubate great, new ideas. 

Unfortunately, some decorative privacy window film can “close off” open office space – whereas the switchable technology of smart window film makes it possible for you to maintain both open space and closed space, depending on your changing needs. 

Provide your staff with both an open office setup as well as flexible privacy, with smart window film, just like this innovative company did: 

Glare-free lighting in skylights, atriums, and glass-filled accents 

Studies show that natural lighting increases workplace productivity – but sometimes too much light can hamper, rather than help, productivity. 

Since the sun moves throughout the year, your natural lighting might be perfect in some seasons, but in other seasons you have two choices: either fight with impractical blinds that are so large they’re prone to breakage… or use smart film that blocks out glare at the tap of a button. 

Here’s one example of a smart film application with a frosted privacy window film trim that blocked sunlight and glare in a luxury condo: 

Eye-catching projection displays

Smart films aren’t only for privacy. Since they become a frosted white opaque window film when activated, they’re also great for displaying eye-catching videos on any glass surface in your space. 

Check out how smart film turns regular glass into an LCD screen in this example: 

Let Your Imagination Run Wild

The previous 5 examples were only a starting point to spark your creativity, but we’re sure you can come up with the perfect idea to enhance and beautify your space. 

Want more suggestions? There are many more applications in which smart window film or privacy film are the best option, including: 

Once you’ve got an idea in mind — of if you’d like help brainstorming — get in contact with the smart film and privacy film installation experts at NGS. We’re always happy to help you develop the right idea for innovations that stick. 

Ensure Your Smart Window Film Project Is a Success – Work with the Experts!

Ready to get smart film in your space? Make sure you work with film installation experts, so you can ensure an attractive, unobtrusive installation. 

Because NGS is the nation’s #1 Commercial Window Film Company with smart film expertise, NGS is the team to trust to ensure your smart film project is a success. 

NGS knows that since smart film is an electrical film, it comes with wires – and no one wants to see ugly wires near their beautiful glass. The NGS team has the tools and expertise to cleverly disguise wires by trimming out your glass with matching framing and color-matched wire moldings that keep your smart film fully invisible when you don’t want it to be seen – and fully opaque when you don’t want to be seen. 

 

Learn more about smart window film options from NGS when you check out the creative privacy and smart window film applications from our online gallery. 

Jan 16
0
Broken window with hole

Ballistic Film

By | Damage reduction window film, safety & security Films, window film | No Comments

We know what you’re thinking: Is ballistic film bulletproof? 

Quick answer: NO. There is no easy or cheap way to bulletproof your existing glass windows reliably. 

However, you can use ballistic film to delay or deter active shooters – and that’s what this blog is about. 

If you’re looking for a glazing replacement that stops bullets, that also exists (just not as a window film). Contact the building security glass experts at NGS to learn more about how you can create a bullet shield for your building. 

What Can Ballistic Film Do?

If ballistic film can’t stop bullets, what can it do? Well, quite a bit, actually. 

It can:

  • Keep your building occupants safe
    Because ballistic film is a shatter resistant security film, it reduces spall hazards to your building occupants or guests. (“Spall” is the dangerous, small glass shards that bullets produce when they hit glass.)
  • Keep your inventory and equipment safe
    Most commercial doors and windows are made with tempered glass, which breaks into a trillion little cubes on impact. While those little cubes are great for reducing window shard injury for people, their crumbly nature doesn’t do much to protect your premises when thieves or intruders shoot your windows. 
  • Ballistic window film transforms all windows into shatterproof windows, which keeps your premises and occupants safer in the event of an attack or shooting.
  • Slow down intruders to buy time for escape
    This is probably the most important feature that ballistic film offers. Because practical, bullet-resistant glass doesn’t actually exist, security solutions such as 3M shatter resistant films are used to strengthen existing glass windows and doors and keep active shooters out of your building.

How this works:

In the video below, compare the first window attack with the second window attack. As you’ll see, the tempered glass shatters into thousands of tiny cubes in the first window attack, and the gunman is able to breach the glass with little to no effort. Compare that to the second window, which uses ballistic window film, and you’ll see how the film maintains the structural integrity of the glass cubes, keeping them safely stuck together and delaying the gunman. 

Buy Critical, Lifesaving Time with Ballistic Film

As the video shows, the shooter took nearly 10x as long to get even partially through the glass treated with 3M security film:

It took only 20 seconds for the shooter to breach the untreated glass, as compared to 2 minutes for the treated glass. 

Consider how many more people could escape or get to safety zones in an armed gunman situation if they had 2 minutes to react, rather than 20 seconds. 

Then consider how many more people would survive the attack if you could increase that time to nearly 6 minutes, as shown on the third window attack in the video, which includes the triple-thick security of ballistic film, plus a TRI-SHIELD anti-intrusion system. 

In an emergency active shooter situation, those extra minutes can save extra lives. 

Learn More About Ballistic Glass Solutions from the Experts at NGS

A building properly hardened with 3M security film can do a lot more to save lives than untreated glass, but for next-level protection, you may want to consider a virtually bulletproof glass solution. Riot Glass is one such solution, but it’s just one of many options. 

If you’re ready to improve your building’s protection capabilities, so you can save more lives in an active shooter situation, your best bet is to discuss your options with the experts. 

 

Contact NGS to learn more about your ballistic film and window options. 

Dec 26
0
M. Fredric LAS

How to Ensure Seamless Business Signage Installation for Commercial Properties

By | Signs | No Comments

Signage is a key initiative for hotels, banks, hospitals, schools, office buildings, and other large commercial properties – and the larger the building, the larger the project. Here’s how to ensure seamless signage success on your project, no matter how large your building.

For the purposes of this article, we’re assuming you’ve already been working with your architects and designers for your signage design… but now it’s time to move out of the concept stage and take action.

Learn how the nationwide signage team at NGS can help you execute your signage plans, so you can count on a seamless install.

NGS – We Ensure Your Signage Project Success

After your architects and designers have developed your signage, it’s time to take the next step. Unfortunately, that next “step” has a lot of little steps included – such as city permit approvals, sign manufacturing, logistics, and coordinating with general contractors and other trades on site to put your signs on full display, right where you want them.

On your end, all of these little steps can add up to one big hassle for you – or you can leave all the details, hard work, and heavy lifting to NGS. We’ll manage your full project for you, making sure all your teams work together cohesively to get your signage completed right on time and right on budget.

Many other business signage companies will handle a part of your exterior signage or interior signage project, but NGS is known for our comprehensive service, including:

  • Project cohesiveness

    We’ll get all your teams working together, so you can focus on more pressing business needs, knowing that your indoor signage or façade signage will be taken care of for you.
  • Large-scale project coordination

    Bigger, multi-part projects require you to keep careful track of a lot more details. NGS handles all the details for you, including shipping times, manufacture times, various install methodologies, and needed indoor and outdoor installation equipment, such as lifts and scaffolds.
  • Design review and permits 

    Not only will the experienced signage experts at NGS serve as the second pair of eyes you can count on to ensure your signage design team hasn’t overlooked anything, our expert team is also well-versed in city codes across the nation. That means we’re one of the only external signage companies you can count on to take care of all those frustrating permit details and approvals for you, hassle-free.

  • Materials considerations

    The high-tech world of sign materials is always in flux, which can make it tough to ensure you’re working with the right types of signage materials for your project. As a leading national consultant, manufacturer, and installer for large-scale business signage, you can trust the NGS team to help guide you in your search for the most durable, well-crafted solutions for your exact signage needs – and then manufacture and install your perfect signs for you.

Work with NGS, the Signage Experts

Coordinating signage projects is a complex process – but when you work with the signage experts at NGS, you can leave all the complicated tasks to us.

NGS is the trusted, nationwide team that helps you take care of every detail of your signage, from concept to completion. In addition to acting as a second set of eyes on your design, we also provide turnkey manufacturing, installation, and project management services that get you the high-quality signs you want, exactly when you want them, 100% hassle-free.

 

Learn more about your interior and exterior signage options with NGS.

Dec 20
0
Event signage that reads "this must be the place"

Event Signage for Function and a Better Customer Experience

By | Signs | No Comments

Planning an event such as a store opening or a conference? The signage experts at NGS have got you covered with all your event signage needs.

But, wait… what exactly is it that you need for your event? Not sure? This guide is here to get you started off right with your event signage planning.

Let’s be honest here. Planning an event requires you to focus on bigger concerns than your event signs. Handoff the work to one of the nation’s leading event signage companies, NGS, so you can trust that all the signage details will be taken care of for you, hassle-free. Get in touch with NGS on our contact page.

What Types of Event Signage Are There?

Whether you’re calling attention to an event area, you’re encouraging your attendees to share your event with the world, or you simply want to ensure that your event’s attendees have a great time, great signage for your event can help you accomplish your goals.

Here are a few of the top types of event signage categories you may want to consider as you’re planning:

Wayfinding signage

Good directional signage for events is critical to your success. You want your guests to feel comfortable parking, navigating through your venue to find your event, and effortlessly making their way between various event areas throughout the course of your event – whether it be for an evening gala or a week-long summit.

The signage and graphics experts at NGS can help you set up high-quality wayfinding signage that sticks to absolutely any surface — floors, walls, windows, or ceilings! — which will deliver directions and branding all at the same time. Best of all, you can also rely on reusable wall decals that will help you easily peel your signage off of your walls at the end of your event for a fast cleanup – and then reuse the same graphics whenever you need them again.

Barricade graphics

Planning a store opening, or need temporary walls to section off key areas for your event? Barricade graphics provide the colorful, custom look that’ll keep your event and company branding front-and-center for attendees and future customers.

The experienced NGS team takes care of every aspect of barricade graphics for you, including graphic design, barricade set up, and full installation, which means you’ll have time to work on other, more pressing aspects of your event planning – such as catering!

Floor graphics

Floor graphics are great for drawing attention to specific event areas, communicating safety information, marking off booth setup areas, and more… but choosing the right floor graphics solution is harder than you may think. You need a resilient, colorfast option, which can safely and smoothly adhere to any surface without causing damage to your venue’s floors.

Yet again, the NGS signage team has got you covered with a wide range of floor graphic solutions that meet your needs, including 3M Controltac and 3M Envison, which hold up to heavy foot traffic and securely adhere to any surface — sidewalks, carpets, asphalt, linoleum, tile, and more — yet can be removed easily.

Advertising & promotion graphics

Which would you rather: have your event attendees simply stand in lines or walk through central hubs, or have attendees stop and help you advertise your event online while in line or passing between event areas? Certain event areas, such as waiting areas or central hubs, naturally lend themselves to advertising and event promotion, but unless you have graphic design signage in place that encourages attendees to snap pics and share them using your hashtag… well, you’ll be missing out on a key branding opportunity.

Work with the NGS team, or simply hand over the reins, and we’ll ensure you have ample opportunity to encourage your guests to interact with their surroundings and share their event excitement with the world. NGS has spent years helping clients improve their visibility – we’re happy to help you too.

Sponsorship callouts

If you’re hosting a gala or a conference, you’ll want an elegant way to call attention to the sponsors who helped make your event possible. Creative event signage can help here too because it’ll give you the flexibility to thank your sponsors in multiple areas throughout your venue, so you can truly express the extent of your gratitude for their generosity.

Looking for innovative ideas to highlight those sponsors’ names? NGS can help you strategize on what types and styles of signage or graphics make sense for each sponsorship tier and where to place your signage for maximum attention. Of course, we’ll be there to install your signage too – which means we’ll be there with you every step of the way.

Decorative graphics

A successful event is all about setting the scene, and high-quality decorative graphics are the best way to transform your one-size-fits-all venue into a one-of-a-kind, unique event that matches your particular brand and theme. Cover your walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures, glass, doors, temporary partitions — even your entire building envelope! — with unified decorative graphics that will make your event stand out, both in person and in attendees’ memories for years to come.

Functional event signage, such as wayfinding, sponsorship, branding, and promotional graphics can be straightforward to plan because they have a clear purpose – but decorative graphics can be harder to plan and design. Rely on the NGS team for every part of your event signage, including decorative graphics, with our full-service project management that takes care of everything from concept to completion.

Make Your Event a Success – Everywhere Across the Nation!

Planning an annual event, such as a conference or summit? Your event will naturally become more complex every year because attendees will expect you to constantly top last year’s offerings – but, luckily, there’s a way you can at least ensure that your signage planning stays simple year after year after year.

How? By working with the signage experts at NGS, of course!

Wherever you choose to hold your event, NGS has an outpost in that U.S. state, guaranteed, and we’ll be ready to work with you every year, in every state, to ease your signage setup and help make every one of your events the success it deserves to be.

 

Got an event that you’re planning? Don’t waste time managing your own event signage. Instead, contact NGS to learn more about how we can help, now and in the years to come.

 

Dec 20
0
Retail signage promoting a special deal

The Function of Signage in Retail and How It Helps Your Customers

By | retail, Signs | No Comments

As a leader in the retail industry, you can say with confidence that you really know signage.

You know how to design a great, eye-catching sign. You’ve spent days of your life arguing with city permit departments and landlords about the feasibility of various outdoor building signage choices. When you’re stuck in government buildings and airports, you cringe at how they (mis)use their signage.

We gotta hand it to you: you are officially a signage expert.

However… your extreme fluency in the world of signage may mean that you’re overlooking something – namely, how signage affects people who don’t understand any of the finer details about signs. Yup, we’re talking about your customers.

Let’s take a moment to go back to the basics about signage, so you can make sure you’re taking advantage of all the benefits that signage provides your retail company.

The Functions of Signage in Retail

Of course corporate signage can be used for branding, which is why your company’s logo and colors matter, as well as your choice of signage material. But, as all the good corporate signage companies can tell you, effective signage can also be used for a lot more!

Signage can help in at least 3 surprising ways:

  1. Entice customers into exploring hidden areas of your stores
  2. Encourage last-minute impulse buying at the cash wrap
  3. Deliver in-store social cues that can expand your marketing reach

Let’s dig into these a bit more.

1. Use Signage to Entice Customers into Exploring Hidden Areas of Your Stores

Well-placed signage in surprising locations, such as on floors, ceilings, or glass signage around corners, can draw your customers into areas of your retail store that they may not have otherwise visited.

Maximize your space by calling attention to displays in various store areas using directional signage designs like footprints or arrows on the floor, walls, or ceilings with resilient 3M Controltac signage – or visually expand your space with innovative stick-on embellishments. Options include stick-on mirror films, metallic architectural films, or personalized graphics with texture, such as the realistic wood accents Tillys added to their stores.

Read More About How Tillys Appealed to Customers

2. Use Signage to Encourage Last-Minute Impulse Buying at the Cash Wrap

As a retail expert, you already know how to drive impulse purchases through strategic product placement and sales staff training, but creative interior signage on and around your cash wrap can also help you increase those last-minute sales.

High-quality, all-surface, custom signage can do double duty as an interpretive signage solution that helps inform customers about your current sales events, limited-time deals, and bonus offers in an eye-catching, low-cost way that keeps your cash wrap looking fresh and new year-round – no old, scuffed, or out-of-date signs here!

3. Use Signage to Deliver In-Store Social Cues That Can Expand Your Marketing Reach

Whether your customers are getting ready to travel around the world or they’re planning to stay at home and decorate their own nest, full-size wall graphics can provide social cues that will help them find their perfect item and share those finds with their friends.

Replaceable, eco-friendly wall graphics and interior architectural signage can direct your customers toward the areas in your store that they’re looking for (for example, a wall mural graphic of luggage can draw their attention to luggage options in your store). By including custom-printed social media hashtags or photo-booth areas on your wall murals, you can get your customers to snap pics and develop some UGC that helps spread the word about your store.

Get Your Customers Excited About Shopping Brick-and-Mortar

These days, leading retail professionals have a lot of competition and, if the most recent Black Friday is any indication, you’ll have to work hard to keep customers shopping at your brick-and-mortar locations in the future.

And what is it that your brick-and-mortar stores offer over your online outposts? A unique brand experience that can bring the fun back into shopping.

If you’re looking for innovative interior and exterior retail signage for your nationwide locations, whether for a new store rollout, an image boost, or a new product release, the retail signage experts at NGS have got you covered.

NGS can help you develop and design signs for your locations; select the right, high-quality materials for all your signage and graphics projects; and manage all the permitting and installation for you – all on your timeline and your budget, completely hassle-free.

 

Find out more about the quality, craftsmanship, and customer service you can only get from NGS when you read the True Religion case study, available now.

Nov 26
1
Picture of skyscrapers with interior and exterior window film

The Truth About Tint – Is It Better to Apply Exterior or Interior Window Film?

By | window film | No Comments

Have you been lying awake each night worrying about whether you should apply your building’s commercial window tinting on the exterior or the interior of your windows? If you’re like most commercial building managers, the answer to this is a resounding “yes!”… or maybe that’s simply what we window film experts worry about at night. (You worry about this too, right? Please tell us it’s not just us!)

Either way, this most recent article from the commercial building window tinting experts at NGS will help you figure out the truth about your best tinting scenario, so you can finally decide whether you should apply your film on the exterior or the interior of your building’s windows.

Let’s get straight to it.

1. Exterior Applications Offer More Heat Rejection Than Interior Applications

Okay, quick physics lesson here. There are two main types of window film: reflective and tinted. Reflective reflects sunlight and heat; tinted absorbs and redistributes sunlight and heat.

Reflective films are great at blocking heat and light at the lowest cost, but they often contain metal (not great in our WiFi- and cellular signal-filled world), and their nighttime reflectiveness can disrupt your views from inside your building. Tinted films used to be dark so they could absorb more light, but new technological advancements mean that you can now get non-metallized, 5G-friendly “tinted” films that are crystal clear with gorgeous views in the day- or night time.

Now that you understand how the absorption factor works with commercial building window “tinting,” it should be easy to understand why exterior films often outperform interior films.

Think about it: since your interior-applied film has to draw light and heat through your building’s glass before redistributing most of it back outside (because the film is on the inside of the glass), that means your film is allowing light and heat into your window glass for at least a little bit of time.

However, if your exterior window film absorbs the light and heat and redistributes it out before the light and heat have penetrated your glass… well, clearly, that makes for better heat rejection.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let’s use a graphic to sum up our physics lesson today:

Graphic showing details of interior versus exterior window film

Perfectly clear now, right? However, it’s smart to remember that there are a lot of benefits to interior-applied films too.

2. Exterior Applications Are More Flexible and Less Disruptive Than Interior Applications

You know what’s time-consuming and disruptive? A laborious glass film installation process. If you have strange interior surfaces like atriums, skylights, or conservatory roofs, it’ll take longer to perform an interior commercial window tinting installation than if you decided to install that film on the exterior instead.

Plus, an exterior application of window tinting in office buildings can be less disruptive for tenants, and exterior applications can also be handy if various areas of your building require security clearance or third-party privacy certifications (e.g. HIPAA) for contractors to gain access to.

3. Exterior Applications Can Help You Keep Your Windows Cleaner Than Interior Applications

No one ever sees this one coming, but it’s true! Exterior film applications often contain a hydrophobic coating that helps protect them from the elements, and that hydrophobic coating can help repel dirty, streaky water marks from your windows.

For exterior applications of crystal-clear commercial building window tinting solutions like the 3M Prestige Series, this means you’ll be able enjoy your building’s jaw-dropping views more clearly, 24/7, in every season.

Which Application Is Best for You?

Of course, simply knowing how exterior-applied commercial office window tinting can outperform interior applications won’t answer all your questions. You may still find yourself lying awake at night wondering which application is best for me?! (Please, don’t tell us it’s just us with these nighttime worries!)

If deciding on a window film application method were a no-brainer for your business, you wouldn’t still be reading this blog – you’d already have made the choice to hire the national window tint experts at NGS long ago, which means you’d already have your perfect film by now.

So, what’s the right answer? Well… that depends.

To help you, we’ve put together a short answer and a long answer. (Or, rather, we have two short answers, but one has a slightly longer follow-up process.)

The short answer is that exterior film is probably a better choice for you if you have tricky interior installation areas, super busy or government tenants (or round-the-clock mission critical operations), and/or you have an interest in reducing your heat gain more than an interior film can.

The longer answer (or follow up) is that both exterior and interior film applications may suit your needs for different areas of your building, because both application methods have their own benefits. To get a more complete answer on this, you may want to set up a consultation with NGS, the undisputed experts and #1 Commercial Window Film Company in the U.S.

 

Ready to learn more about the various types of window films? NGS has got you covered.

Nov 26
0
Hotel room with window tinting

The Benefits of Tinting Your Hotel’s Windows

By | Hospitality, window film | No Comments

First off, let’s start by clarifying a common misunderstanding. You see, commercial window tinting doesn’t necessarily mean “darkening” your windows anymore. In modern usage, the term “window tint” is frequently used to describe any type of window film, whether or not it “tints” your windows. This means that, even if you choose a “tinted” film for your hotel, you can still maintain your exhilarating views of the soaring Rocky Mountains or the vast, wild Pacific Ocean.

But crystal-clear views are only one of the many benefits hotels can experience when they explore the possibilities commercial window tinting solutions offer, so let’s get into the details.

How exactly does window tinting film benefit your hotel? Let us count the ways….

1. Effective Temperature Control

If there’s one thing we all know about hotels, it’s that the guests always want their room to be a different temperature than it currently is. These days, even crystal clear window “tinting” film like the 3M Prestige Series can keep sunny guest rooms cool and comfortable in hot climates. Energy-saving Low E films like 3M Thinsulate can adjust with the seasons, keeping rooms cozy in the winter and cool in the summer. Those are only two of the many options available to you.

Cut down on costs (and reduce the number of calls your Front Desk gets about rooms that are “too hot”) with outstanding temperature control from the wide range of solar control and energy-saving window tinting films on the market today.

2. Increased Privacy in All Areas

Of course, your guests expect full privacy in their rooms, even when they have the drapes wide open, and with today’s hotel window tinting advances, you can provide that privacy 24/7. But what about the rest of your hotel? Do guests feel comfortable in your pool and fitness areas, your dining areas, and your event areas?

With privacy window film options that range from mirrored one-way privacy window film to frosted privacy window film and beyond, you can ensure that guests and their visitors feel comfortable and private in every area of your facility.

3. Engaging, Unique Tint Décor

Commercial building window tinting doesn’t always have to cover every inch of your glass. Unlike solar films, energy-efficient films, or even privacy films, decorative film like 3M Fasara can be fashioned from a nearly unlimited selection of designs, patterns, and textures – and then cut and applied in any shape or form you want.

This freedom can add affordable, space-saving visual appeal to any area of your hotel, including your room dividers and in-suite bathrooms, your conference rooms and ballrooms, and even your pool changing rooms and your business areas.

Boost Your Hotel’s Opportunities with the Right Commercial Window Tinting

When traveling, everyone wants a comfortable, relaxing, private place to stay – yet it’s surprising how few modern hotels meet those basic guest needs. By providing your guests with a stable room temperature, private areas throughout your hotel, and a visually appealing environment, your hotel can pull ahead of your competition.

Once you add on the variety of your amenities and the quality service levels from your staff, your hotel can achieve the unbeatable guest-service combination that can keep you booked at capacity night after night.

 

Discover how you can transform your hotel with just a few simple, fast upgrades from NGS, the #1 Commercial Film Company in the U.S. and one of the national leaders in hotel glass film décor and energy efficiency.  

 

Nov 26
0
Shopping mall with innovative window film tinting

Innovative Retail Window Tinting

By | retail, Signs, window film | No Comments

Right now is the season for shopping, and that means your potential customers are on the lookout this very minute for great deals, exciting gift ideas, and a reason to treat themselves to something special. Of course, your retail location is perfectly poised to offer all those benefits to shoppers… but first, you have to get those potential customers in your door.

Here’s an idea to attract those holiday shoppers: use innovative, commercial decorative window film! Not sure what we’re talking about? Well, rest assured ‘cause the film, tinting, and graphics experts at NGS have got you covered.

These are the top 5 retail window tinting innovations that your store can use to boost business this holiday season and beyond.

1. Smart Film

If this is your first time hearing about smart film, you’re in for a treat! Smart film can be applied directly to your glass storefront or internal glass displays to intrigue potential customers. Why is it an eye catcher? Because it uses cutting-edge technology to switch your glass from clear to opaque with the tap of a button, allowing you to provide tantalizingly brief glimpses into your location.

2. View Control Films

Want to get your customers talking about your store? Hire an interior commercial décor package contractor to install innovative View Control film on your displays. Then sit back and watch as shoppers circle your displays to see your glass’s transparency change depending on their viewing angle. This high-tech retail glass film option is so cool it’ll make your store the next hottest destination.

3. Color Changing Film

Nothing turns heads quite like 3M DICHROIC film, which constantly changes the color of your store’s glass and windows to create an endlessly mesmerizing, beautiful display. You’ve never seen anything quite like this before – and neither have your potential customers. Your store will be the talk of the town.

4. Graphic Film

You already know that retail signage displays are extremely effective at getting customers to recognize your location and your brand (we can help with that), but you may not know how much you can do with creative interior signage too. Using “stick-anywhere” solutions like 3M Envision or 3M Controltac, you can attract shoppers into key areas of your store with glass film that also sticks on your floors, your walls, your ceilings – and anywhere else you need it.

5. Decorative Interior Film

Suggest a feeling of ultra-modern luxury and space with carefully placed decorative interior film solutions that help divide up your store, without making any areas seem cramped. Using a combination of unique 3M Fasara designs and highly reflective 3M Mirror Film, the nation’s best decorative window film installation companies can help you deliver the satisfying shopping experience your customers crave.

It Takes More Than Outdoor Retail Signage to Get Shoppers in Your Store

Outdoor retail signage is important for when your existing customers are looking for your nearest location, but when you want to attract the attention of new, potential customers, you’ll need to give them a reason to look up from their smartphones.

Catch — and keep — their attention with:

  • A smart-film-powered peek-a-boo unveiling of your store’s displays
  • Now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t transformational display cases
  • A shimmering, shifting all-hours color display on your building
  • Surprising graphics locations, which entice shoppers into every nook and cranny of your store
  • Luxurious, ultra-modern interior film décor that leaves ample space for your inventory

That’s Only the Beginning…

Think you (or your customers) have seen it all? Think again. When you work with a nationally respected glass film company specializing in retail solutions, you’ll gain insight into the vision of a retail glass film expert who knows what it takes to make your store stand out.

As the #1 Commercial Window Film Company in the U.S. and one of the nation’s top retail signage companies, NGS can help you discover your full range of options for eye-catching, gorgeous storefronts, displays, and interiors that will get the whole city talking.

 

View the NGS retail gallery, so you can start planning your store’s redesign.

 

Nov 26
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hurricane cyclone showing the impossibility of hurricane proof buildings and windows

Hurricane Proof Buildings and Windows – Fact vs. Fiction

By | Damage reduction window film, safety & security Films, Storm Mitigation | No Comments

Disclaimer: There is no such thing as “stormproof windows,” “hurricane-proof windows,” “hurricane-proof buildings,” or “hurricane-proof window film.” If you find yourself in the path of a hurricane, please evacuate the area and stay away from windows.

 

You may have heard that the Florida Attorney General’s office is calling window film “a scam” when used to protect against hurricanes or windstorms – but is it? Hurricane season is here, so it’s time to get to the bottom of this question.

When it comes to window film, let’s start separating fact from fiction.

Here are a few statements you may have heard:

In the state of Florida, it is illegal to sell or market window film solutions as “hurricane, windstorm, or impact-resistant.”

This is a fact. Florida HB 849 (2011) makes it a violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act to “advertise, sell, offer, provide, distribute or market any product as hurricane, windstorm or impact-resistant” unless it is in compliance with the provisions for product approval in the Florida Building Code.

Since the Florida Building Commission only approves products that are part of a complete window system and assembly, the retrofit solution of window film does NOT meet the criteria for building code compliance. According to the state of Florida, window film is NOT a form of hurricane window protection.

Window films can make your building or windows “hurricane-proof.”

This is fiction. Florida is correct. Though high-quality commercial window film strengthens your building’s glass windows, doors, and architectural features against a range of safety and security events, it does not make your glass unbreakable. Nothing can make glass unbreakable.

In fact, there’s actually no way to make your building truly 100% hurricane-proof because hurricanes are unpredictable, often resulting in roof destruction, uprooted trees, and flood or fire damage. However, many building managers turn to security film solutions such as 3M shatter resistant film to reduce the damage from many of the side effects of hurricanes.

Window films can help protect your property from dangerous weather conditions.

This is a fact. According to a statement made by the International Window Film Association, which is an educational organization, “Safety/security window films applied to glass are tested to the same break-safe standards required of tempered glass, heat-strengthened glass, and laminated glass. Window film manufacturers have copies of the actual laboratory test reports validating that their products do, in fact, meet specific impact testing.”

In practice, this means that, although window films are NOT part of a complete window system, like tempered glass, heat-strengthened glass, and laminated glass – and are, therefore, NOT approved for hurricane protection per the Florida Building Code — window films have been tested and shown to provide added protection against many storm-related events.

Considering the high average cost of hurricane-proof windows and window systems, building managers who supplement their safety plans with the added support of films often find that they can increase their building and tenants’ safety, cost-effectively, with products such as 3M window film. Hurricane protection isn’t complete with window films, of course, but it is stronger – and in a destructive natural weather event, every extra bit of safety matters.

Florida building managers must rely on steel storm shutters for adequate hurricane protection.

This is fiction. Since the Florida Attorney General’s office has deemed window films inadequate for truly hurricane proof windows, you may think that your only option for storm safety is those ugly, cumbersome storm shutters that require pre-storm installation by you or your building management staff. Thank goodness, storm shutters are only one of your many options for adequate hurricane protection.

Instead of troublesome storm shutters, many building managers choose to use thick polycarbonate panels to ensure that they have shatterproof windows for approved hurricane protection. Plus, in addition to storm safety, polycarbonate windows such as Riot Glass offer enhanced protection from thieves, smash-and-grab opportunists, and explosions – and they can provide additional security in an active shooter scenario.

How to Investigate Further

Though it may be difficult right now for you to determine what your best option is for protecting your building and windows against a hurricane, windstorm, explosion, or other destructive impact event, it’s important to understand that you have a wide range of safety solutions.

Explore all your options for storm, blast, and impact safety when you get in touch with NGS, the #1 Commercial Window Film Company in the U.S.

NGS’s team of nationally recognized experts can help you understand all your options for window film, polycarbonate storm protection, and other methods of strengthening your building’s envelope. And, once you’ve decided on the right safety solution for your buildings and tenants, NGS can also help you achieve the fastest, easiest installation you’ve ever experienced.

 

Start the conversation with NGS today, so you can get the facts – and only the facts – on how to hurricane-proof buildings and windows.