# Shop window posters: signs that stop people walking past

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/window-signage-design)

A passer-by gives your window about as long as one stride. Here is how to design a poster that earns the second stride, with sizes, placement and ideas to rotate.

## The short version

- A shop window poster works when it carries one short line, readable from the pavement, plus a small supporting detail.
- A3 at 300 dpi is 3508×4961 pixels and suits most shop windows; an 18×24 inch poster at 300 dpi is 5400×7200 pixels.
- Glass reflects the street, so a window poster needs stronger contrast and a bolder background than a poster on an indoor wall.
- Place the main line between waist and eye height, where people walking past actually look.
- Rotating posters regularly keeps a window from turning into wallpaper that regulars stop seeing.

Good **window poster design** is mostly subtraction. Someone walking past sees your window for a second or two, through glass that reflects the street, from a couple of metres away. In that time they can read one short line and notice one strong colour. So give the poster one line in large type, one small detail underneath, and a background bold enough to beat the reflections. Everything else belongs inside the shop.

## One line, readable from the pavement

Write the line first and the poster second. It should make sense on its own to someone who has never heard of you: "Fresh bread from 7am", "Half price winter coats", "Walk ins welcome". If the line needs the detail underneath to make sense, rewrite it.

An A3 shop window poster reading Winter coats half price in very large type with a small line below

A sale poster at A3: the offer is the headline, and the detail tells people where to go once they step in.

An A3 barbershop window poster reading Walk ins welcome with opening days and hours in a smaller line

A barbershop poster that answers the one question people ask at the door.

- **Two to five words** for the main line. Each extra word makes the type smaller.
- **One detail**, smaller: a date, an hour, a direction. Not three.
- **No paragraphs, no lists, no small print** on the glass. Put terms on a card by the till.
- **Your name small**, unless the poster's job is to introduce a new shop.

## Window poster sizes

Choose the size from the window, not the template. A small pane of a café door suits A4. Most shop windows suit A3 or larger. In the US, 18×24 inches is one of the most common poster frame sizes. Design at 300 dpi so the type stays crisp up close.

| Size | Millimetres or inches | Pixels at 300 dpi | Good for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm | 2480×3508 | Door panes, small windows, opening hours |
| A3 | 297 × 420 mm | 3508×4961 | Most shop windows, offers, events |
| US Letter | 8.5 × 11 in | 2550×3300 | Door notices in the US |
| 18×24 in | 18 × 24 in | 5400×7200 | Large windows, US poster frames |

Common window poster sizes from print standards. Very large posters are often printed from files at 150 dpi, which halves the pixel dimensions.

- A4 2480×3508: 2480 × 3508
- A3 3508×4961: 3508 × 4961
- 18×24 in 5400×7200: 5400 × 7200

A sizes share one shape, so an A4 design scales to A3 without changes. An 18×24 poster is a little wider in proportion and needs its own layout.

For more sizes and the arithmetic behind them, see [poster sizes](https://gradiently.design/guide/poster-size-guide). If you print at home or at a copy shop, remember most printers can't print to the edge, so leave a margin or ask for borderless printing.

## Designing for glass, light and reflections

A window is a hard place for a poster. In daylight, the glass reflects the street and the sky, which washes out pale and mid tones. At night, the inside of the shop lights the poster from behind or not at all. A design that looks balanced on your screen can vanish in the window.

- Deep navy ground: #14213d
- Wine ground: #7b1e3a
- Bottle green ground: #1f4d3a
- Paper ink: #f4ede1
- Sun yellow accent: #ffd166

Deep grounds with pale ink survive reflections far better than pastel posters. Use the bright accent for one word or the date.

### Disappears in a window

- Pastel background with mid grey type
- Thin, elegant type at a modest size
- The main line near the bottom edge
- A photo with the words laid over its busiest part
- Taped at an angle with visible tape

### Holds up in a window

- A deep, saturated ground with pale ink
- Heavy type, as large as the line allows
- The main line between waist and eye height
- A calm area of background behind the words
- Mounted straight, in a frame or a clear sleeve

> **Sun fades print** A poster in a sunny window can fade noticeably within weeks, reds and pinks first. Plan to replace it, or face the window away from direct sun if you can.

## Placement: where people actually look

1. **Main line at eye height** Put the poster so its headline sits roughly between waist and eye height for someone on the pavement. Too high and people walk under it; too low and displays hide it.
2. **Near the door** The pane beside or on the door is read by everyone deciding whether to come in. Use it for the poster that answers that decision: open, offer, welcome.
3. **One poster per pane** Several posters side by side compete with each other and with the display. One large poster beats four small ones.
4. **Check from across the street** Walk past at normal speed, in daylight and after dark. If you can't read the line in one stride, make it shorter or larger.

## Window poster ideas to rotate

Regulars stop seeing a poster after a while, however good it is. A simple rotation keeps the window feeling alive. Keep the same background for every poster so the shop stays recognisable, and change the words.

- **The offer:** this week's sale or bundle, with the end date.
- **The new arrival:** one product, named, with "in store now".
- **The invitation:** a tasting, a workshop, late opening, with date and time.
- **The reassurance:** walk ins welcome, dogs welcome, card only, gluten free options.
- **The hiring poster:** "We're hiring" plus the role. See [we are hiring designs](https://gradiently.design/guide/we-are-hiring-story).
- **The season:** a quiet seasonal message that changes four times a year.

Each poster can double as a post. In Gradiently, design the A3 poster from a template, then resize the same design to an Instagram post or story, so the window and the feed say the same thing in the same look. Pro adds print PDF export with bleed and crop marks for a professional printer. The Mark keeps a calm area behind the words at every size, so the headline stays readable on glass and on a phone. For more ideas, see [poster ideas](https://gradiently.design/guide/poster-ideas), [sale post design](https://gradiently.design/guide/sale-post-design) and [small business branding](https://gradiently.design/guide/small-business-branding).

## FAQ

### What size should a shop window poster be?

A3 (297 × 420 mm, 3508×4961 pixels at 300 dpi) suits most shop windows. Use A4 for door panes and 18×24 inches for large windows or US poster frames.

### How many words should a window poster have?

Two to five words for the main line, plus one short detail such as a date or time. Anything more can't be read in a passing glance.

### What colours work best for window signs?

Deep, saturated backgrounds with pale type. Glass reflections wash out pastels and mid tones.

### How high should I put a poster in a shop window?

So the main line sits between waist and eye height for someone on the pavement, ideally near the door.

### How often should I change my window posters?

Whenever the message changes, and regularly enough that regulars notice something new. A seasonal rotation is a good minimum.