Storefront Window Lettering: What to Put on the Glass

A shop window is read in about two seconds by someone walking or driving past. Nearly every mistake in window lettering comes from forgetting that.

What belongs on the glass, in order

Priority	Line	Typical size
1	Business name	6–12"
2	What you do (three words or fewer)	3–4"
3	Opening hours	1–1.5"
4	Phone or website	1.5–2"

The test that settles a crowded window: stand across the street and read it in two seconds. Whatever you could not take in does not belong on the glass — it belongs on a door sign or the website.

Placement

• Main line at eye level, around 5–5.5 feet up. Higher reads as decoration.
• Hours at door height, near the handle, where somebody checks before pulling.
• Leave the middle clear if you have a display — letters across merchandise lose to the merchandise.
• Mind the mullions. Text that crosses a window frame is hard to read and hard to apply.

Common mistakes

• Listing every service. Nobody reads eleven lines from the pavement.
• Sizing to fill the glass rather than to the reading distance.
• Dark lettering on a dark interior — check what is actually behind the glass before choosing colour.
• Forgetting the night view. Lit from inside after dark, a window reads very differently.

Lay it out first

Measure the glass, then set the lines at real inches in the designer and check each against the height chart. When it is right, a local shop cuts it from your file — and the application guide covers putting it up straight.