In Racine, Wisconsin, specific restrictions apply to businesses that wish to place signage in the windows of their brick and mortar establishments. According to local source the Journal Times, there is conflict between the mayor and local businesses on this issue.
The current law states that only 15 percent of any shop window can be covered by signage, but this is considered too low by local owners and has been even challenged by the Mayor of Racine, John Dickert.
While the space being contested refers to "commercial signage", businesses still need to think about the impact of window graphics and how much space is being covered at any given time. As the source notes, Dickert's plan instead would allow companies to use 50 percent of a window for advertising. He argues that some local participants have complied with the law so far and aren't in need of stricter governance.
"The reason for the ordinance is to have the authority to enforce the rules on those who are breaking them and protect those who do not," Dickert said. "We have to remember this situation came about because some companies were following the rules, while numerous others were not."
Another local politician also proposed to simply do away with all of the existing signage rules, but was voted down.
Relying on pre-designed signage can conflict with the restrictions in a given area. On the other hand, if your business designs custom window graphics, it can tailor them to take up the proper amount of space in its windows, especially if the standard is liable to change soon. Doing this leaves more space for other ads as well should your business desire.