The Art of Hanging Certificates, Awards, Store History Photos, Product Shots or a Wall of Life in Your Store

There are various tricks to hanging “art” on the wall of a store.

1. Work out the layout on the floor first. Measure the space on the wall and then tape it out on the floor. If there is a piece of furniture against the wall, tape that out on the floor. Draw a line on the floor 5 ½ feet from the bottom. This is universal eye-level height. Play with the pieces on the floor to see how they relate to each other, and then transfer your final composition to the wall. When you stand back, the pieces should create one shape.
2. Try to create a relationship between the architectural shape of the wall and the way the frames are hung.
3. Hang the frames close together, 2” apart or the width of the frame apart.
4. Odd numbers are better than even numbers, the number 9 being particularly good – 3 stacks of 3; an arrangement of 5 and 4; 9 straight across.
5. Negative space is important. Have enough bare space around the composition so the eye can focus on it.
6. If you will be changing the subject periodically, hang the frames in a grid so that it is easy to replace images without starting over.
7. Frames make a huge difference. Spend more on the frame than you think you ought to.
8. Use 2 hooks to hang a piece if you don’t want it to move.
9. If you don’t want to hang the frames, purchase 2 or 3 shelves with lips, position them and play with the layout.
10. Hang things lower rather than higher – eye level, ceiling height and the scale of the space are the dictating factors.
11. Light the wall from above with recessed wall washers or track OR find attractive wall washer fixtures. Use flood beam spreads and either 2700K (Kelvin) or 3500K colour temperature for the lamps in the fixtures.
12. If you have a series of small images such as GIA certificates, consider using wide mats and matching frames to make an impact.
13. Hang the “art” in a space that customers can approach if you want them to read what is hung – in the entrance or close to the customer “lounge”.
14. Combine a plasma screen with the “art” to add a residential touch to your store and to present real-time information with the static images or information.
15. Frames can touch one another.