Four Things to Consider for Your Next Fabric Lightbox

Four Things to Consider for Your Next Fabric Lightbox

Are you looking for a lightbox for your next retail display or tradeshow? When buying a fabric lightbox display, the ideal solution is a disrupter, something that will grab a passerby’s attention.

Most led lightboxes are perimeter lit, which means lights are placed along the inside edges of the SEG aluminum frame. While that may sound simple you may not know there are two different perimeter-lit lightbox solutions; Half-Lit and Full-Lit.

A Full-Lit LED Lightbox solution has perimeter lighting along all four sides of the lightbox, giving that display a bright, evenly lit look. As you may have guessed, a Half-Lit LED Lightbox only has LED strips along two sides of the lightbox making the display dimmer and possibly not lit as evenly as a Full-Lit lightbox display. Both solutions are viable depending on the situation.

Size is important to consider when buying a lightbox because the light emitting from the LEDs inside the lightbox may have a further distance to travel or more space to cover the bigger the lightbox gets. Knowing the desired size of the light box can ultimately be the determining factor as to whether you will buy a Half-Lit or Full-Lit lightbox solution.

Brightness is also an attribute vital to determining what type of lightbox works best for your situation. If you need a display in a dimly lit retail environment, a Half-Lit Lightbox may be the best solution for your situation. But if you need a display in a very bright location, a Full-Lit solution may be the one for you.

Another attribute to consider is if a lightbox is Single or Double-Sided. This will affect the brightness of each side of your display. This characteristic is greatly dependent on where your display will be located. If, for example, you want a bright window display lightbox, a double-sided Full-Lit lightbox will probably be the best solution to enhance both your in-store and curb appeal simultaneously.

Finally, Cost is also a common determining factor when deciding if a display is viable. Obviously, a Full-Lit perimeter lightbox solution includes more lights, which means more components, resulting in a more expensive product than a Half-Lit perimeter lightbox solution.

Now that you know the 4 major variables that will influence your decision when buying a lightbox, make sure you understand what type of perimeter lighting system you are being quoted in your next fabric frame lightbox display. Is it Half-Lit or is it Full-Lit?

SEG Systems 4th Birthday, Oh How We Have Grown!

Today marks our 4th birthday here at SEG Systems! Four years ago, three founders with over 25 years of experience started SEG Systems who hit the ground running, and kept running. The company began in a 10,000-square-foot location and has since moved twice, ending up in our current 50,000-square-foot location. We never thought we would be able to fill a space this big, but we quickly did due to the growing manufacturing capabilities we now have in-house.

We began our journey….

Offering a small handful of frame profiles and lighting options, and built our business through relationships with valued clients. Our honest expert advice and transparency with our customers have established trust that we always provide the product solution that best suits their needs.

What drove our growth?

Our customers and partners drive us towards success and Our customers and partners drive us towards success by continuously asking more from us and encouraging us to push the limits of what is achievable. From manufacturing lightbox rollouts to producing batches of custom frames and displays, we love a challenge and rarely say no, even when we probably should. The culture established at SEG attracts and develops hard-working, fun-loving people who form an incredible team that tackles amazing and challenging projects.

More than a lightbox manufacturer

There is an entire section dedicated to custom millwork, inhabited by our 4-Axis C.R.Onsrud CNC router, laminating area, and paint booth. We use this space to create custom fixtures and displays that integrate our lightboxes and LED products. Next to this sits our metal fabrication area, which includes a CNC plasma table, welding, and extrusion bending station, perfect for making custom-shaped SEG frames, structures, and custom displays. We also have a team of tailors that cut and sew fabrics to fit these unique fixtures.

While the shop is amazing, the lab is where the magic happens. In the lab, we develop new products and solutions that take our SEG fabric frames to new places. For example, our team developed an overhead storage SEG hinged frame solution that can be retrofitted to existing retail fixtures, ideal for hiding overstocked goods. Read more from our blog post. We take the most pride in our lighting technology by developing our own LEDs to evenly illuminate our lightboxes, taking them to an unmatched level of eye-catching brilliance and practicality. Our latest innovation is the newly launched SEG Animate, which transforms fabric graphics into moving graphics. Be sure to see and blog post soon and subscribe to our emails here.

SEG achievements

SEG’s growth over the years is illustrated in the evolution of GlobalShop tradeshow booths. GlobalShop is the largest retail design industry trade show in the nation; Each year, we debut our new technology at GlobalShop, culminating in 2018’s SEG Fabric Frame Experience Booth. We were honored to receive this year’s Booth Design Award by the International Interior Design Association which earned us a featured spot in Design:Retail magazine. Check out our previous blog showcasing some of our favorite aspects of this year’s booth and get a video tour, click here.

Everything starts with a conversation.

Although our business is rooted in frames and lightbox manufacturing, we often create projects that are not fabric frame related. From manufacturing a small rollout of bicycles with sails mounted to them, to building a huge portable basketball ball pit fabricated completely out of metal, wrapped in padding and designed to be broken down to travel to different events around the USA, SEG Systems has no boundaries for our capabilities.

We constantly improve in all aspects of our business and are truly thankful for the culture and amazing team we have built in such a short amount of time, as well as the exceptional opportunities to work with great customers and partners who bring incredible projects to the table.

Growth spurt around the corner.

We are gearing up for our next explosion in growth, keep in touch and follow our craziness on Instagram and Facebook. Sign up for our newsletter by visiting our home page to make sure you don’t miss our next game-changing innovation.

Have you seen our little black book of fabric frames?

Custom Shaped Frame: Think Outside the Box

Don’t let a square limit your creativity. Be outstanding; move away from the norm with a custom shaped frame or lightbox.

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Why SEG Systems?

Options

SEG Systems has one of the largest selections of extrusion frame profiles available, giving our engineers and skilled craftsmen a collection of options to create the best custom shape solution for our customers. All whilst taking into consideration function, strength, cost, shipping, and fabric behaviors.

Time is Money

We have our extrusions welded, fitted, bent, and laser cut into unique forms, then finished with custom-printed graphics that are cut, sewn, and fitted under one roof in Charlotte, North Carolina. This dramatically increases quality and decreases turnaround.

Typically, a custom-shaped frame is strenuous and costly to make. Having to manipulate frames into unique shapes using multiple manufacturing methods takes skill and time and that is only half the battle. The finishing touch is fitting the printed fabric graphic to the custom-shaped SEG frame.

Custom Size Backlit Graphics

We pride ourselves on being the best in the industry when it comes to lighting. Using our collection of propriety lighting products, we light up the most complex shapes, giving us plenty of time to quality test each frame before shipping it out to our customers. Next time you look at a custom-shaped lightbox, pay close attention to the lighting of each graphic. Is the graphic evenly lit? Are there dark shadows and hot spots? These are all questions we take into consideration when we run our quality assurance checks before we ship any product to the

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Endless Possibilities

Don’t think square, think creative. A custom shaped frame for trade show structures makes a brand stand out at a trade show event or in an office space. Transform boring walls with an SEG fabric stretch frame wall treatment cut to size, specific for you needs. Make an impression with large backlit letters and logos, creating a perfect opportunity to take photos or selfies for social media.

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In-House Manufacturing

Having all parts of the production process in one location makes it easy for SEG associates to communicate between departments and provide our clients with the most up-to-date information. It allows for a quicker turnaround than companies that outsource many of their tasks to other companies. This level of accessibility and control ensures we produce a product to meet both SEG Systems’ and our customer’s high standards. By taking silicone edge graphic technology further and manufacturing each frame to work for your specific needs.

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Applications

Fabric lighting fixture

A popular practice among customers is using an SEG canvas frame as a lighting fixture. A white silicone graphic is ideal for diffusing light where a softer light is desirable. We recently teamed up with Barnes & Noble to help them with their in-store lighting needs. As seen in the pictures below, we manufactured circular canvas frames to fit over their existing light fixtures to create a light that was not harsh on a customer’s eyes. Perfect for reading a book and drinking a cup of coffee.

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Innovative Ways to Display Textures with SEG Fabric

Often when people think about texture, they associate it with the sense of touch. However, the visual texture of an element is equally as important. The consistency of a surface contrasting with that of another can be what makes or breaks a design. Appropriately balancing textures can evoke a mood, attract attention and encourage intimacy between a consumer and your product, setting your display apart from the rest. SEG fabric graphics are the perfect solution to provide many different textures utilizing SEG Systems extrusions.

Textures 101

Webster defines texture as, “the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something.”

Visual texture is the perceived surface quality of an object. Using contrasting textures can enhance the visual appeal of a display, conveying meaning. The use of wood or metal can give a display a more industrial look as opposed to the use of felt or vinyl. Tactile texture refers to the actual feel of a surface. Using a surface that has a specific tactile texture can make an area of a display stand out. Tactile surfaces are most successful when used in contrast with a texture that is more visually focused.

Natural textures and Artificial textures have the same properties, but they were conceived in different ways. Natural textures are from surfaces originating from nature, while artificial textures are man-made.

Nearly every texture can enhance a display when it is used under the right circumstances.

Limitations

When designing a display, a natural look is what designers gravitate towards.

Using real brick or metal in your display could perfectly convey that your company can build a house, but maneuvering brick columns and different metals into a retailer or trade show just is not feasible due to limiting factors.

The cost to ship raw materials is enormous because of their weight. Add that to hiring a contractor to construct the display and your cost can easily outweigh your impact.Upkeep and maintenance are also concerns when working with natural materials. All of these factors take valuable time you could be spending networking with business professionals or interacting with consumers.

These are just some limitations that arise when raw materials are used and are often reasons a display is never fully realized.

Solutions

There are different ways designers and manufactures attempt to solve the problems that come with using raw materials. Some use rigid, lightweight solutions such as foam, high density urethane or vinyl to cut down on costs. The benefit of using materials like these instead of the raw material is their flexibility. These materials are customizable and can be manipulated for many situations.

Using programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, it has never been easier to emulate a texture with a graphic design alternative. Colorizing a texture or adding text to a wall are things not achievable with raw materials but easily done in a graphical program.

By watching a simple YouTube tutorial, anyone can design the texture they desire.

This is where many printed solutions reach their limits. Many rigid texture solutions still have to be installed by a professional and are limited to only one use per install for a specific situation.

These situations are where it becomes clear that the versatility a SEG system offers is the solution designers have been looking for.

Silicone Edge Graphics

A silicone edge fabric graphic is the perfect medium for fooling the eye. With SEG, printed textures perfectly emulate the real thing thanks to the soft natural texture of the fabric, meeting both visual and tactile texture desires. These fabric graphics can also be easily changed out of the SEG framing system and updated with a new look almost instantly.

These SEG Framing systems are lightweight aluminum extrusions that are easily assembled by one person with a single Allen key. This allows for compact shipping of large graphics that would typically require large, rigid boxes and require trained professionals to install.

Make textures pop by using a SEG lightbox to illuminate the graphics, making it an even more eye-catching display.

Create an Experience

The beauty of a SEG frame is the various extrusions available that allow you to create an experience using collapsible environments. This solution is perfect for trade shows, exhibits, pop-ups and brand activations.

Textures standout the most when they are used to contrast another texture. In the pictures below, the use of a SEG system to represent brick walls and columns, along with turf as the floor and a custom millwork archway, bring the outdoors indoors, contrasting each other to convey the desired message and build an experience. Practicality is where graphic frames separate themselves from the pack.

Another area where SEG systems work perfectly is in an office environment. Whether it is as a cubical or a divider-wall, Silicone Edge Graphic systems are perfect for quick and easy installs that would normally take weeks to construct by traditional means. The graphic frame divider-wall below currently in the SEG Headquarters, resembles the texture of wood paneling, while on the other side displaying the Marvel Avengers. Being able to completely change the graphic and the story of your display by merely changing out the Silicone Edge Graphic, is a quality unique to a fabric display system but desirable by retailers universally.

Things to Remember

Proper use of texture can completely transform any display. The correct textures can evoke a mood not attainable with a sign on its own, but raw materials and natural textures are desirable but not always practical due to limiting factors. Silicone Edge Graphics are perfect for duplicating natural looks and are suitable for any situation and location. A lightweight, versatile, and cost-effective alternative to heavy raw materials, a Silicone Edge Graphic is perfect for any display your brand is designing.

3 Things to Consider When Designing a “Shop-in-Shop”

A Shop-In-Shop, also often referred to as a Store-in-Store, or a Pop-Up Shop, is a unique concept, perfect for breeding new life into a retailer’s environment. A Shop-In-Shop is when a host retailer provides a designated amount of space in their store to a specific consumer brand, allowing the consumer brand to sell goods under their own brand name. While this is normally mutually beneficial, there are a few crucial things to think about when designing a Shop-In-Shop that will insure success.

1. What Are Your Goals?

What do you plan to accomplish with your Shop-in-Shop? Have sales been struggling and you need to tap into a new market? Or are you a growing business who is trying to expand their reach? Whatever it is, having a clear idea of what you are trying to accomplish is essential to success. Below are 3 common goals a company can have when designing a these experiences.

Revenue Generation

Revenue generation is a key factor in a company’s decision to design a Shop-n’-Shop. A major key is making sure the retailer you are partnering with has similar brand values and consumer base. If the host retailer you have partnered with primarily sales kitchen goods and you are attempting to sale music equipment at your “Shop-n’-Shop”, success rates will be very low. With this in mind however, you want to insure the host retailer is not a direct competitor. Your objective is to provide a service the host retailer is missing and fill the void in the consumer’s needs, not just add to the clutter. Also, if the product you are trying to sale is drastically more expensive than what is normally sold by the host retailer, consumers will likely disregard your product completely. Customers go to that retailer for the specific experience they have created. The “Shop-n’-Shop” you design is to enhance that experience, not detract from it.

Brand Awareness

Becoming a brand like Kleenex is what all brands strive to achieve. The ultimate brand awareness, where your brand name represents for your entire industry, not just your product. That starts with having a lasting impact on the consumer and your industry. When people can experience your product in a real-world situation, they are able to associate an experience with a name. Focus on what sets your brand apart from the others. Show personality, show empathy and show an amazing product, and your consumer is more likely to connect with your initiative.

Customer Engagement

The purpose of a store-in-store is to encourage a relationship between the consumer and your product. You want them to have a personal affinity for your product and to become invested in your brand. This stems from creating a unique, engaging and personal experience in your Store-in-Store. Show multiple situations your product could excel in, give people a way to continue their relationship with your brand. Focus on a long-term relationship rather than the benefits from an immediate, one-off sale.

2. What is the Floor Plan?

After your location has been given to you by the retailer and your goals have been set, the next thing to consider is the space you have available for your Pop-Up shop. Where are you located in the retailer? What other products are near your Pop-Up shop? How big of an area will the consumer have available to navigate the Pop-Up shop? These are just a few factors to take into consideration when thinking of the Pop-Up shop’s floor plan. A common tactic to employ is to not block the consumer, but to slow them down. You can do this by creating two paths for the customer to take with both flowing around the Pop-Up Shop, almost forcing the consumer to interact with your brand.

3. How is your Shop-in-Shop Memorable?

A key to sticking in someone’s memory is by engaging as many of the 5 senses as possible. Sight, touch, taste, smell and sound can all be very important when engaging the customer. In the age of the internet, the retail environment can provide an experience not possible on your computer. Being able to personally experience a product in every capacity gives the consumer a more personal relationship with the product. This is an advantage your consumer brand must take advantage of in a Shop-in-Shop.

Conclusion

Developing a Shop-in-Shop may be difficult but at SEG Systems we have it down to a science. All the pictures and videos above are “Shop-in-Shop” displays manufactured and engineered by SEG Systems, working in partnerships and with consumer brands. We are your one-stop-shop for Shop-in-Shop Manufacturing. Following the tips above and partnering with SEG Systems is the perfect way to insure your Shop-in-Shop initiative will be a success.