The Mall – Hoarding Signage & Graphics

The Graphical Tree were approached by The Mall in Walthamstow, London after an unfortunate fire incident occurred at the premises in August, closing the centre for two to three weeks. As a result we offered support to the shopping centre producing large format graphics around the mall site including internal and external hoardings, floor graphics, wayfinding signage, solar films for the on-site offices, window graphics, A0 posters and banners.

The client needed a partner who could react quickly to the everchanging print and signage requirements caused by the fire. Over the course of six weeks we created, produced and installed a number of print and signage elements across the site, which concealed the emergency works as well as informing the public and local residence of the shop re-opening times and the work in progress.

As on all ocassions for major on-site jobs like this one, we underwent an extensive site survey to aquaint ourselves with the location and site fundermentals. You can learn a lot during site visit. It’s never as easy as printing self adhesive or dibond hoarding graphics and placing them in-situ. There’s plently to take into consideration such as checking surface materials, health and safety issues, positioning of air-conditioning units and installer access, to name just a few.

Before each installation we prepare full Risk Accessement and Method Statement documents so the installation team, onsite secruity and planning teams know what is required. Once this is all in place, we’re all confident that the job can run smoothy.

The first stage of the job, after the initial meet and greet and site visit, was to take a brief for the full requirements. This included a creative brief to design the layouts for the hoarding graphics. Using the identity guidelines for The Mall we set out to create visuals for the various aspects of the project.

Once the creative was signed off we printed, and subsequently installed, internal hoarding graphics for the following: a walkway 3m x 60m; a high-level wall hoarding 10m x 18m; and a tunnel wall, also 10m x 18m. Externally we produced a 70m external hoarding, consisting of 75 direct-to-media printed panels with an anti-graffiti seal, which were screwed to an existing timber frame.

An additional second stage of design, production and installation was the updating of the main high street entrance to encourage shoppers into the centre. This involved pillar and floor graphics, as well as perforated, inside applied vinyl, on the main high-level windows.

The hoardings promote The Malls affiliation with the Walthamstow Borough of Culture, as well as positive messaging about the site being up and running as smoothly and as quickly as possible for everyone. The shopping centre is a prime retail location within the borough, offering a supporting infrastructure to the local community. It’s here we can add extra value to our clients, and their customers, by making sure we are available and efficient with our understanding of the brief, creative layouts, multi-stage sign-offs, production, installation and after job care, as we can be.

The successful successive stages of these initial projects has helped us foster an ongoing relationship with The Mall. After helping out in such a difficult and crucial time, they know that they can trust us in the future.

If you would like to speak to us about a project, and especially a retail or construction hoardings project, please get in touch. We’d be happy to share our experience and knowledge with you. You can find our contact details here.