'FRONTIN' Nicky Clarke, Birmingham

Bit of a random one I know but I'm not rating their haircuts! I was just interested in their shop windows and how they have used frosted glass/opaque style masking in the front of the store, restricting your view in. To me, it could add to the exclusivity or luxury nature of a store/brand if you are restricting the view into the store interior. This could be a useful VM technique to be exploited by a high end retailer to add to the luxury ambience and aesthetics. I noticed that the Adidas store in the city centre also used this technique and it really makes the brand stand out from the neighbouring stores that are using the standard, clear glass frontages...

Also the masking technique could work well as a visual guide to the consumer, forcing them to focus their eye on a particular gap to peer through, within the shop window. This gap could then feature a product which is exclusive to that particular store/ a new release or a seasonal must-have product, in a similar style to how Nicky Clarke have used the opaque vs. clear glass to focus the onlookers eye to the hairdressing (their product), which is actually happening within the shop, at eye level, almost like a picture frame to see yourself in... Eye level is buy level

Clear, standard glass is boring, it's all about the tints and masks. You should start frontin'