Simians Bar – Bringing Digital Advertising to the Shopfront
Client: Simians Bar
Location: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
Project: 43″ Ultra-High Brightness Digital Window Display
Display Brightness: 3,500 nits
Orientation: Portrait
Installed by: Digital Signs North East
Simians Bar wanted to make better use of its Sunderland shopfront with a digital advertising display capable of promoting the different products, services and experiences available inside the premises.
Digital Signs North East supplied and installed a 43-inch, 3,500-nit ultra-high brightness commercial window display, carefully positioned to maximise visibility from outside while preserving the existing seating area and maintaining access for window cleaning.
The Customer’s Requirements
Simians Bar is more than a traditional vape shop. Alongside its range of vaping products, Chris offers personalised vape products, custom e-liquids and his own merchandise. The premises also includes a bar and social area towards the rear, giving customers somewhere to relax and enjoy a drink.
Chris wanted a flexible way to promote everything the business offers while making better use of the shopfront to attract the attention of passing pedestrians and traffic.
A digital window display would allow Simians Bar to advertise different products, services, promotions and events throughout the day without constantly replacing printed posters or static window graphics.
The challenge was finding the right display and, just as importantly, the right way to install it.
Finding the Right Installation Solution
Following several site visits and discussions with Chris, Digital Signs North East explored a number of mounting options.
One possibility was an adjustable arm fixed to the concrete wall. Although technically achievable, the arm would have brought the display further into the premises and reduced the usable space around the existing seating area.
An adjustable mount also introduced another consideration. Because this part of the premises is used as a bar and social area, customers could potentially knock the display or alter its position.
Mounting directly from the concrete ceiling was also considered. However, this would have positioned the display too close to the shop window, making routine cleaning of the inside of the glass difficult.
Chris wanted to retain the seating area while keeping the window accessible.
After discussing the options, we agreed on a fixed ceiling-mounted installation that positioned the display approximately 70mm from the glass. This provided enough clearance for window cleaning without bringing the screen unnecessarily far into the room.
Installing the 43″ Ultra-High Brightness Display
Digital Signs North East recommended a 43-inch ultra-high brightness commercial display rated at 3,500 nits.
Unlike a standard television, an ultra-high brightness commercial screen is designed for environments where strong ambient and daylight conditions can make conventional displays difficult to see through a shop window.
The display was installed in portrait orientation using a fixed 500mm ceiling pole.
Because the existing ceiling was a suspended false-ceiling structure, establishing a secure mounting point was essential.
Before any mounting work began, we used a Wallbot scanning device to identify the position of the timber supports within the existing ceiling framework.
A timber mounting board was then installed across four supporting joists. This distributed the load across the ceiling structure and provided a secure mounting point for the ceiling pole and display.
The pole and screen bracket were carefully positioned and levelled to achieve the agreed clearance of approximately 70mm from the shopfront glass.
Keeping the Installation Clean and Discreet
The position of the screen was only part of the installation.
Power and data cabling also needed to be routed without detracting from the existing appearance of the premises.
The cabling was taken discreetly around the ceiling area and concealed within the existing decorative foliage.
This allowed us to keep visible cabling to a minimum while maintaining access where required.
The finished installation provides a clean, fixed mounting arrangement without an exposed adjustable arm, while preserving the seating area immediately behind the shopfront.
Configuring the Digital Display
Once the physical installation was complete, Digital Signs North East configured the display and introduced Chris to the available content-management options.
We demonstrated how content could be managed through a network connection using My Signage Portal or loaded directly onto the display using USB.
Chris decided that USB content management best suited the way he wanted to operate the screen.
This gives him the freedom to design his own promotional artwork and update the display independently whenever products, offers or events change.
During the customer handover, we also demonstrated the display menu, portrait orientation settings and the importance of creating artwork at the correct aspect ratio for a portrait screen.
One Screen, Multiple Advertising Opportunities
The new digital window display gives Simians Bar a single platform from which it can advertise many different areas of the business.
Content can be changed whenever required to promote personalised vape products, custom e-liquids, merchandise, special offers, events or the bar and social area.
Rather than being restricted to a single printed message in the window, Simians Bar can now rotate multiple promotions and update them as the business develops.
The Finished Result
Chris was delighted with the finished installation and particularly excited to see the display operating from outside the shop.
The 43-inch portrait display gives Simians Bar a prominent digital advertising presence within the existing shopfront while still fitting naturally into the layout of the premises.
The screen remains close to the window for strong external visibility, but the carefully planned mounting position means the glass can still be cleaned and the seating area remains usable.
It is a good example of why professional digital signage installation involves much more than simply attaching a screen to a wall or ceiling.
The mounting structure, viewing position, customer environment, access requirements, cabling and future content management all needed to be considered before the final solution was agreed.
Digital Signage Designed Around the Business
From the initial consultation and site surveys through to mounting, cabling, commissioning and customer training, Digital Signs North East delivered a complete digital signage solution tailored specifically to Simians Bar.
Taking the time to investigate different mounting methods meant we could provide a solution that worked both technically and practically for the business.
If you’re considering an ultra-high brightness window display for a shop, bar, estate agency, showroom or other commercial premises, Digital Signs North East can help with everything from the initial site survey and display specification through to professional installation and content-management setup.
Contact Digital Signs North East to discuss your digital window display project.
From our experience at Digital Signs North East
This project shows why a site survey matters before a digital window display is specified or mounted. At Simians Bar, we assessed several mounting options before agreeing a fixed ceiling-mounted solution that kept the screen close to the glass while retaining the seating area and allowing access for window cleaning. We also planned the cabling, configured the portrait display and demonstrated the available content-management options during handover.
