In the past year or so, as I have spoken to sign companies and other purveyors of wide-format graphics, a phrase that has come up with greater frequency is “experiential graphics,” also known as “environmental graphics.” Experiential graphics can be thought of as the intersection of signage and décor (no, I won’t draw any more Venn diagrams), and includes interior wall graphics, window graphics (both outdoor-facing as well as interior windows, such as conference rooms and offices), wayfinding signage, decorative accents like graphics applied to elevator doors, and, basically, graphics added to virtually any surface.

Some recent profiles featured here on WhatTheyThink such as Signs By Tomorrow’s American Diabetes Association office and SpeedPro Apex’s Volkswagen dealership, as well as some forthcoming features—and conversations I had at last month’s FESPA Berlin—demonstrate how this specific wide-format niche is expanding. I highlight experiential graphics this week because pursuing that particular application requires a bit of a different strategy than traditional commercial printing—or even traditional wide-format printing.

In the first place, experiential graphics are almost entirely confined to office spaces. So far, owners of residential or non-commercial spaces have yet to seize on the ability to create a completely customized, digitally printed interior—although ask me again about that in two or three years. These are business offices and they are often new constructions. As businesses, associations, or other organizations move into a new office, part of their M.O. is to brand their interior space, their environment. And this is where digital wide-format printing comes in.