Transforming empty retail space for Bolton Central Library

With Bolton Central Library's Le Mans Crescent home closed for a major refurbishment, the Library's services have been transferred to a temporary location to allow for continuation of access for local people during the works period.

The historic Bolton Cental Library is an iconic landmark in Bolton, offering much-needed access to research facilities, a wide range of literature, business support, local history and children's services. An extensive refurbishment programme, funded by the Towns Fund, will see expansion and improvements made to the children's area, social spaces, digital facilities and construction of a mezzanine.

The Library team opted to create a temporary, 'pop-up' home in Bolton town centre, occupying an empty retail unit in Crompton Place which could maintain the Library's services and facilities whilst allowing for a modern and contemporary visual appeal to attract new footfall and visitors.

Impression completes visual branding & visual merchandising installation for Bolton Central Library's temporary pop-up home

Installation to transform this retail unit included large bespoke props, designed & manufactured by Impression's team

Complete visual merchandising to windows included window vinyls, unique scene-setting & hanging displays

Internal branding, wayfinding & directional signage demarked each Library service zone

External shop front signage was installed to dual external unit entrances

Transforming retail window spaces in Bolton with creative visual branding design

Impression worked with the Bolton Central Library team to create visual branding and merchandising schemes inspired by our work in the retail sector. Using our years of experience, we applied our team's knowledge of seasonal retail window merchandising and internal store branding to create a distinctive shop front that made passers-by stop and look.

IT is an important feature of the Library's temporary home, and our visual branding designs needed to communicate that local people still enjoyed access to information technology in the pop-up unit, as well as research facilities and support with using IT. What better way to do that than to incorporate large, bespoke prop laptops and digital devices, accompanied by screenshot mock-ups and large format graphics!

Other themes included windows targeted to a younger audience, with large prop books, window vinyls and graphics encouraging children to explore reading, and a mysterious crime scene promoting the library's range of detective fiction novels.

Early visual branding designs were discussed & sketched by our Consult team

Our designs were fully bespoke to the unit and to the Central Library, developed by our in-house team during the Consult phase of the project.

Bringing Bolton Library's window themes & internal branding to life

Impression's in-house Design studio transformed our sketches into products which would withstand the practical aspects of manufacture, installation, and deliver the impact needed to appeal to people of all ages and with many varied interests.

Manufactured entirely in-house at our own Bolton production facilities, Impression's Create team quality-assured each product, ensuring props and materials are built to last, and allowing for a seamless installation to meet the client's reopening schedule.

Encompassing a full suite of products, our visual branding & merchandising work for Bolton Central Library included:

• Bespoke props, including large laptops, books & digital devices
• Window vinyls
• Hanging displays
• Large format window graphics
• Large format internal graphics & images to dress the unit
• Unique window scene-setting according to reading theme
• Internal signage to create individual library sections such as Computing, History Centre, Fiction & Children's area
• External shop front signage to street & internal shopping precinct

Professional visual branding installation fully-managed by Bolton's Impression

The new pop-up Central Library opened in Bolton in late September. Impression's experienced Deliver team was on site the week before the planned opening date, managing the full installation of our visual branding schemes through to completion in time for the launch.

Professional installation is planned and completed by a team with years' of experience in retail installation. From internal directional and wayfinding signage to complex, bespoke window displays and dual external shop frontages, together with internal graphics that created a much-needed community space out of a "blank canvas" retail unit, materials were transported, installed and finished to the exceptionally high standards we set ourselves.

Impression's visual branding & merchandising work for high street & retail in Manchester

From creative and exciting visual branding and merchandising ideas that spark interest in retail stores all year round, to consultancy that carefully considers your brand throughout and quality-assured production and installation, Impression's visual branding products for retail generate engagement and sales for well-recognised brands in Manchester, Liverpool and nationwide.

Working with high street retailers, our team brings striking visuals to retail stores, headquarters and sites nationwide that make an impact, whether generating excitement, encouraging sales or helping customers to find their way.

We take care of every aspect of your retail graphics, retail POS and retail signage project through our 'Consult-Design-Create-Deliver' methodology, turning work around quickly and entirely in-house by our Bolton, Greater Manchester team.

Discuss your retail visual branding & merchandising project with Impression today!

Get in touch to find out more about retail graphics, visual branding and merchandising with Impression, and to discuss your next retail campaign with our specialists.