A good reflection on your bar

People spend a lot of time staring at your back-bar, so why not give them something nice to look at - themselves!

Mirrors have had an important place in back-bar design for a century or more, of course, and today they also have a role in brand merchandising.

A new range of hand-made, bespoke mirrors, called Mirrored Art, from Alumasc Dispense uses a combination of plain and coloured glass, gold lead and crystal bevels which are bonded to the surface of the glass to give a three-dimensional effect.

"With surveys consistently showing that more than 70 per cent of people do not know what they want to drink as they reach the bar, the need for quality branded signage around the point-of-sale area has never been greater," said managing director Andy Hume.

"It can provide reassurance about the quality of a venue and help to draw the customer inside, as well as communicate something of its personality. Perhaps most importantly, with consumers clearly open to persuasion as they reach the bar, good branded signage can work alongside dispense and other point-of-sale materials to influence choice.

"Mirrors are effective because they are always positioned at eye level, and even the least vain among us find it hard to resist a quick glance now and again!"

The urge to look at a mirror becomes even stronger when you incorporate movement and light, something Alumasc Dispense has done with the EL Mirror and Magic Mirror.

EL Mirror features phosphor inks printed onto a plastic substrate which in turn is over-printed with display graphics.

"The imagery is fully illuminated using programmable electro luminescence technology, to give a sequential display which can easily be updated on site," explained Andy.

And then there's the Magic Mirror. "To the casual observer the Magic Mirror looks just like a normal mirror," said Andy. "But move within range of its in-built motion sensor and the mirror springs to life to reveal an embedded brand identity or message right before your eyes."