Does size really matter? Let's talk display!

Hi, one and all!

So, I'm spending this 30 + minutes working on my display that got set aside last month.

I am going to make the background out of clear vinyl. It will be about 2' or there'bouts wide, and as tall as the tent front.. from edge of top to the ground. (I will cut it so that there will be a few inches left to play with)
The vinyl was bought at Hobby Lobby in the table cloth/fabric section. I'm going to split it down the middle, use dowel rods at the top/bottom secured with velcro (wrapped around the rod - securely) I'll attach it to the tent by putting screws with eyes (the round end) on each end of the dowel, and .. from there, it's going to be a guess... we'll see what works best when I get to that point.

Next, I bought a box of heavyweight sheet protectors to put my pictures in.
Here is where my query about size comes into play:

How big should I make the images to display? I've got full sheet protectors, so, I can make the images as big or small (by putting more than one image to a sheet) as I would like.

I had first thought to make the images a 1/4 of a page. But, after folding a regular sized page into 1/4's, it seems a bit small for an image that I want people to "shop"/view.

Half a page (picture) seems quiet large (and takes up a lot of space!)
What do you think?

That would mean that each image would be 4 1/4" wide, by 5 1/4" high. Is that enough?
What would you suggest as an alternative size?
Remember, it has to fit into an 8 1/2" by 11" sheet protector.

After putting my images into the sheet protectors, I'm going to velcro them onto the vinyl.

A test run looked good. (laying the vinyl down and the picture (in the sheet protector) on top of it. That way, I can change pictures as necessary.

I will also have duplicates made and put into a note book.

My display banner (stand) is just about 6' high, has 6 of the page protectors down (horizontally) and 2 wide.... I've been finding the children don't look up, and the adults don't look down....

4"x6" is kind of "standard" size for photos, so with some careful crops the half page is close.....

I have been using about half page faces and they really do draw them in from a distance. But I am completely overhauling my boards now- going with actual photos and shrinking them to standard photo size 4.5x6 (which is just a hair bigger than 1/4 page) No idea how it will look till I get it done though. This is a photo of my old booth set up with the 1/2 page (drawn) faces from a bit of a distance so get an idea.

Geekophile, yeah, just 3/4's of an inch...

I can't wait to see the pics of your setup!!

This is a nice set up! I really need to get a "line STOPS here" sign.. *L*

And, table clothes.. I need to make some.... (ugh) I've been using a vinyl table cloth... but, for the fall festivals, they want the booths to be decorated...

I also need to figure out something for indoor fete's.. I don't have anything signage wise....
hmmmmmm......

There are photos of my different displays on my blog here http://shannonfennell.wordpress.com/whats-in-my-face-painting-kit/
I have 9 or 16 to a standard 8.5X11 inch sheet.

I've been planning to switch to larger 4X6 or 5X7 singles laminated separately for a few years but haven't got around to it. Then I could customize the display for every event... and get rid of the ones I am completely sick of... IYKWIM

I have 8 pictures on an 8.5x11" sheet, in two rows horizontally. This works out to almost exactly trading card size apiece (2.5 x 3.5"), and actually that is my new plan for my new menu - I am going to pick up some trading card album pages at the dollar store and put individual pictures in each pocket, so that I can switch them out as I want to.

Previously I had planned to make my pics regular 4x6" photo sized, then use a picture pocket like the one below, but I think I prefer the smaller pictures. Well, I'm still considering this for future. But right now I need smaller pictures because I need to keep my board for the market fairly small. And even though they are small, the kids have no difficulty picking from them - in fact I get a lot of requests for some faces that I have even smaller (about 1 1/2" square) in a border around one of my information sheets.

I use 4 different displays methods depending on the type of venue:

Festivals/PPF: I use a large, grommetted canvas banner with vinyl pockets. It holds 36 5x7 photos and allows my pictures to be seen from a distance. I only use this if I'm working with a tent.

Block Parties/Private Functions: I use either a large poster board with picture pockets for 4X6 pictures (20), a mid sized poster board with pockets for 4X6 pictures (12), a standing picture collage frame for 4x6 pictures (21)
or hard laminated design cards that have 12 designs on each side. I have 4 of each design card and I just let 3 of them float through the line and the kids can tell me which design they want (the fourth I keep at my setup so the kid can point to the desired design if they aren't sure what to call it).
I have a set of design cards for quick designs and a set for larger designs and the number to be painted/duration of booking determines which I use.

I also have a design book with the names of the deisigns printed on each picture, but i only really use that when I have tons of time and only a few kids since it takes so long for the children to peruse it.

So, if you are slow and you get a big rush how do you handle switching to the faster designs?

For my festival set-up I use large posters and 8x10's on the front to catch people's attention and 4x6 photos on the actual selection menu inside (you can see it at the back of the tent):


For birthday parties/store gigs/anywhere space is a premium, I use this setup: It's my fatmax, with a sign that I clip to my board on top of the fat max. It's a telescoping rod and then the poster has clips that clip it onto the telescoping rod. I velcro my pics onto the poster so I can change them out depending on the event.

summers4seasons wrote:So, if you are slow and you get a big rush how do you handle switching to the faster designs?

If I'm scheduled for a party that will require quick designs, but the attendance wanes, I just embellish those quick designs. I don't swap out my pictures for more elaborate ones because that would just cause more confusion than my little last nerve can handle. I've only had one customer ask why her butterfly wasn't as fancy as the other girls and I told her that the other girl came to me when there was no line and that if she popped back by BEFORE I CLOSED for the day and saw that there was no line, I'd gladly give her some extra swirls and curls. I did give her extra glitter and glittered her hair for asking though and she was thrilled to death!

The one thing I DO do is make sure that the person who hired me is okay with my doing this, most say sure because it draws kids in. I even had one lady announce to the line that the "early birds got the fanciest faces"

When I'm doing a pay-per-face event, I don't worry about the line getting long because people are paying more for those fancy designs. HTH

For my booth, I have a large, printed and grommeted banner. Its 8 feet tall and about 3 feet wide. The pictures are about 3x5 or less, depending on designs and space. I build my frames out of cheap pvc pipe to hang it. My goal is to grab those that wouldn't usually get painted by seeing what neat stuff you can get and yet still have reasonably priced and usual things that people expect to see from (pink unicorn!). If I'm slow, they get usually way beyond the board cuz I need SOMETHING to do! Long line, you get what you chose, nothing really added.



I tend at parties to go with a smaller banner I have, book of designs or nothing at all.

I <3 my giant banner.

wow, you people are impressive. I am so new to this that I use a poster board that I painted with acrylic paints and then stapled it to a wooden board that has a hindge on it so that I can close it and carry it like a suitcase......such a newbie

Hey Silly Sandee.. everyone has to start somewhere! My first board was printed out pictures, cut out, then clear taped to a piece of foam core.

even that sounds better then what I am carrying around. I am so new that I don't have any pictures yet either...I need to grab some neighborhood kids and do their faces.....oh and Ambermarie, I love your dragon!!!!