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Private Eyes to Privacy Film

There is a classic song by Hall & Oate’s (well, aren’t they all classics? After all, they called themselves the Beatles of the 80’s.)

Once played, of course, it gets stuck in your head and soon you’re yearning for the days of MTV (when they still played music), Family Ties and ALF.

Or maybe not – and you’re probably wondering where is he going with this?

The Song is: Private Eyes

Daryl Hall & John Oates – [Private Eyes] from Christian B. on Vimeo.

The topic of this blog is: Privacy Film…

Each month, our marketing coordinator, installer, and I are offsite photographing amazing client installations, and privacy film is weaving its way into the conversation and then onto doors, windows and other spots around the office.  There is the practical part, for example, keeping the people in the boardroom from feeling like goldfish in a tank – and the promotional part of it: creative environmental branding.

Hall & Oates references aside, here are some reasons why privacy film is peppering more offices around Chicago and beyond.

Captain Obvious: Privacy

Historically, why have people chosen privacy film? No matter how you slice it, there are times conference rooms and offices have sensitive conversations. It doesn’t need to feel like Fort Knox, but visitors want to feel discussions are discreet.  We reached out to Tom Spanier, the Principal and founder of TZS Design, a commercial and residential interior design firm (named one of the top 20 by freshome).

“Primarily clients ask us to install privacy film to a create a private space,” he says. “and to prevent eye contact for people in a conference room.”

More often than not, there is a genuine need to keep data private on projector screens and laptops. When customers and guests visit your office, this film creates privacy and reduces awkward stares.

colee-wong-nurture-life

“It is a subtle way to prevent eye contact from people passing by,” he says. “Security is important too, at times sensitive information is being shared in a conference room.”

In the past, it was just about covering up a conference room, blocking views and functional use over flashy design. With different materials and application processes, over the last five years there has been a “huge shift” to what Tom calls “functional art.”

Under the Radar Branding

Privacy does not need to be plain and Spanier finds clients are looking beyond blocking a line of sight in the office environment.

“Color film is very big right now, overlaying colors, creating interesting patterns,” he says. “Companies want a wow factor and privacy film offers tons of possibilities.”

Privacy film, maybe not the first item that comes to mind for an office graphics installation – is starting to get its due. “More and more you will see it pop up in industry publications.”

Safety also enters the discussion.

Safety Net

What goes bump in the day? Potentially the forehead of your office guest or visitor:

Private Eyes to Privacy Film 2 giphy

Adding office window frosting or 3M dusted crystal can keep people from knocking their heads in a door or window. Yes, this has happened before – and happens more often than you’d think (just ask Mike Sherkey, our director of Business Development, it happened occasionally with our own conference room and we installed own privacy film in the Cushing office few years back).

Privacy Film Graphics Cushing Conference Room

Safety was one of the reasons Nurture Life, called Cushing.

The start up offers ready-to-eat meals for babies, toddlers and kids and delivers them weekly, straight to your door. We recently completed a privacy film install for their conference room, and caught up with Marketing Assistant, Colee Wong:

“As a company that occasionally host events with parents and their children in our office space, graphics had to be kid-friendly while complementing our brand,” she says. “For curious little ones who have a habit of running into glass, the privacy film helps them avoid accidents and we made it fun.”

tom-spanier-tvs-design

Blending functionality and protecting noggins, Nurture Life makes guests feel safe while keeping their playful brand intact.

Read More About the Nurture Life project

Finishing Touch

Let’s face it – who really wants to look at blank windows in an office space? it just makes sense to take advantage of this valuable real estate and add color to the panels.

Back to Tom at TVS: “I think more companies realize it is a smart investment,” Spanier says. “adding this type of creative to a space is more cost-effective than it used to be.”

He also says oftentimes, decision makers are so pleased with the boost it provides an office space they ask:

Why didn’t we do this before?

As privacy film graphics continue to trend, we’ll share more information and perspectives. If you have any questions or if you have used privacy film in a unique way, we’d love to hear about it!

Share in the comments or give our department a call! We would love to hear from you.

Jon Davis

Jon Davis is Cushing’s Marketing Manager. From blogging to online communications, Jon writes about client developments, environmental branding, and much more. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

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