Dress the Entry
We’ve been designing a number of dressier awnings for clients in the last couple of years, some for entryways that you might not expect. The motivation is of course, to cover the windows and doorways, protect the areas below from sun and weather, and also to create a visual cue that “highlights” the space.
The first for a wine bar in Santa Fe is very much expected – a high chocolate brown dome awning with hand stenciling, a classic design that draws on the traditional expectation that what lies within is tasteful, comfortable, elegant and aspires to serve it’s clients with a better level of quality. In marketing terms, the visual cue offered prepares the client to expect what might be termed a nice establishment. It conveys the message that what lies beyond is of a certain refinement.
Red, yellow and black striped dome awnings enhance the front of a family restaurant in Las Cruces. Bold colors suggest that the menu is interesting, tasty and convey a sense of adventure, as indeed the restaurant does. The combination of colors are taken from the Belgian flag. Again, the dome styling implies traditional quality and a sense of refinement, and yet the colors warm a customer’s expectations for a casual atmosphere.
Lastly, red and black domed awnings over the doorways to another business in Las Cruces on what one might otherwise expect to be a fairly conventional commercial/industrial building really liven up the exterior. They imply that what goes on indoors is making an effort to be friendly, appealing, conscious of people’s needs, aware that work does not have to be dull and devoid of character and interest.
The choices made by our clients in these three businesses by installing domed awnings for very different buildings and business have one notable thing in common. They have all conveyed a sense that they aspire to offer something better.