This shopfront had the advantages of still consisting of traditional materials and still having the original fascia. It gave a rather bland impression because of the varnished window/door and bland signage. The oblong sign concentrated on the left-hand side of the fascia obscured the fan light of the door and gave an unbalanced appearance.

A certain amount of discussion had to take place between ourselves, Sandra (the Manageress of the Age Concern, Wolverton Shop) and Age Concern Area Office to take into account Age Concern's national image.

Colours were easily taken care of as Age Concern's blue and red were matched to Dulux Heritage colours "Oxford blue" and "Signal red". A soft white was chosen from Dulux "Jabot". These are all the gloss colours used and were complimented by Dulux Heritage masonry paint in "French grey".

It has made a dramatic difference having some strong colour on the shopfront and the soft white paintwork emphasises window detail. It certainly looks considerably more attractive and complements the improvements on that side of The Square.

An interesting detail which provides additional detail and colour is a stained glass effect film (which includes shop number) on the fan-light with matching border on the door glass. This is an extremely easy to use (just applied with a little bit of water with a dash of washing-up liquid), cost effective detail which many people have admired.

Signage was rather tricky to implement as "corporate image" often tended to intrude! The signage now gives a properly balanced impression and uses the entire fascia area . An interesting nicety is the "mock awning" edging painted on the redundant awning box.

Signs: Robert Naghi

Stained glass films: Peels of London