flōtblog: How fotoflōts are used

Steve Pacinelli and his fiancee Gretchen started Pictures Worth Printing, a photography business “primarily focusing on the love and relationships people share with one another.” One of their clients were looking for “a different way to display some of their wedding/engagement pictures.” Steve found fotoflōt and created this wall arrangement for them:

Read more about Steve’s use of fotoflōts here.

Tags: arrangement, fotoflot, multiple images, wall, wedding

Bob Miklosey contacted us to see whether we could handle a panoramic image over 50 inches wide. We told him our widest size is 30 inches, but some customers have split large images into two or more panels, mounted side-by-side. Bob ran with the suggestion and created this innovative fotoflōt arrangement:

Most images are split in the center, but Bob broke it into 10×30 and 10×20 fotoflōts, perfect for this image. Then he wrapped the image around a corner, a great way to bring a 3D effect to a panoramic display. This picture gives a better sense of the 3D effect:

Contact us if you have your own mind bending ideas.

Tags: arrangement, fotoflot, large installation, multiple images, wall

Right now our largest-size fotoflōt is 20″x30″. We get many requests for larger sizes, and growing numbers of customers are ordering multi-panel configurations when their size requirements exceed our current offerings.

The example below shows how a 40″x60″ image can be displayed on fotoflōt. The original image was cropped into four 20″x30″ segments. Each segment is mounted on a 20″x30″ fotoflōt and the four panels are mounted as shown.

While this approach can’t be used with every image, it’s surprising how often it not only works, but actually enhances the visual impact. So next time you have a project that involves a very large image, keep fotoflōts in mind.

Tags: arrangement, fotoflot, large installation, multiple images, wall

Squares are highly versatile and can be combined with a wide range of other fotoflōts to create beautiful arrangements. The fall colors example below combines two 20″ squares with a vertical 15″x30″. You might experiment with a variety of combinations to get a feel for what’s possible, and what looks good to you.

Tags: fall colors, fotoflot arrangement, square

Square sizes are popular these days, for good reason. Either individually or in arrangements, they create a clean look that has staying power. They’re especially attractive in configurations of multiple fotoflōts because they work together harmoniously.

Here’s an example. The center image is a 20″ square, and the two on either side are 10″ squares. There’s also a 15″ square fotoflōt, and you can create an endless variety of configurations that work well, drawing on one, two or all three sizes.

Tags: arrangement, fotoflot, multiple square images, square

Our granddaughter is a year old and recently began walking. She had been taking a few steps for a couple weeks and clearly was determined to master the walking thing. We took her to a nearby park and let her go. After 30 minutes of nonstop walking and a few stumbles, she got it and was able to make it 20 or 30 steps.

The collage below captures her determination and her progress from tentative steps, through some off-balance moments, to a confident stride.

The 5″x15″ fotoflōt size is especially good for this type of collage. It works well with three or four images, but can also work with more or fewer. And it can be displayed on a desk or wall.

Tags: Collage, fotoflot, grand child, photo desk stand, photo display, photo wall mount, Story telling

Dozens of our companies, government agencies and nonprofit organizations use fotoflōts to highlight projects, activities, awards and other subjects. They use fotoflōts to help tell their story to clients, partners, team members and other stakeholders. They tell us that fotoflōt’s quality reinforces the message that their offerings and accomplishments are also of the highest quality. Examples include Priio and Blair, Church & Flynn.

Priio is a product development company that used fotoflōts to decorate their office entryway, creating multipanel installations. Here you can learn more about Priio’s use of fotoflōt.

Blair, Church & Flynn is an engineering consulting firm that recently moved into a new office facility. They decided to use fotoflōts to display photos of completed projects taken by the firms’ engineers. Here is more detail about the fotoflōt installation at Blair, Church & Flynn.

Tags: fotoflot, fotoflot.com, frameless, magnet mount, office decoration, photo, print, Story telling, wall

Blair, Church & Flynn is an engineering consulting firm. They recently moved into a new office facility, and were making a decision on how to decorate it.

They offer comprehensive engineering services including surveying, planning, design, project management and construction administration.

The firm’s marketing staff was responsible for the project, discovered fotoflōt and decided to display photos of completed projects taken by the firm’s engineers.

Blair, Church & Flynn like the clean modern look and the ability to change images. They also like the convenience of ordering online and not having to go through the framing process.

Blair, Church & Flynn have used fotoflōts in innovative ways. For example they have combined fotoflōts with award plaques, and also used them for signage.

More articles about organizations using fotoflōt …

Tags: fotoflot, fotoflot.com, frameless, magnet mount, office decoration, photo, print, Story telling, wall

We had wanted to put up a wall of family pictures in our study for years. Once fotoflōt was born, it was a no-brainer to use it for this project. It took a while to get our act together, but we finally got it done last year. We’re delighted with the result. We have a total of 16 photos on two walls, and are adding another area on a third wall. The fotoflōts are a mixture of sizes from 7.5″ x 10″ to 12.5″ by 15″, which work well in this space.

I used the following approach to designing the wall:

• Make a rough sketch of the walls and fotoflōt placement to decide on the number of fotoflōts.
• Select the pictures and decide on the size for each one.
• Draw a layout of the wall, determine fotoflōt placement and mark relative horizontal and vertical distances of the fotoflōts from a reference point in the lower left corner.
• Order the fotoflōts. When they arrive, lay out the arrangements on the floor to fine-tune. Make any resulting changes on the paper layout. Mark the position of one of the screw or nail holes for each fotoflōt, and its relative horizontal and vertical distance from the reference point.
• Using these measurements, mark each corresponding point on the wall. Use the wall bracket for each fotoflōt as a template to mark the other screw/nail hole(s), using a level to make sure it’s straight.
• Double-check the measurements. Drill the holes or drive nails, install the brackets and snap the fotoflōts in place.
• Sit back and enjoy your handiwork.

Tags: fotoflot, magnetic mounting, office decoration

Priio is a product development company focusing on intelligent, interactive products. They were looking for an approach to decorating their office entryway and came across fotoflōt, which they used to create multi-panel installations on two different walls.

The first is a four-panel installation based on a graphic illustrating how great ideas can start with a napkin drawing:

The second installation describes their design process, illustrated with product prototypes:

Larry O’Cull of Priio was delighted with the result, and found the magnetic mounting system useful:

The magnetic mounts were very helpful in that we could mock everything up, take it all down, paint, install everything and then just pop-up the fotoflots at the end (keeping them safe through the process.)

Thinking about decorating your office? Send us a note and we’ll work with you.

Tags: fotoflot, magnetic mounting, multi-panel, office decoration, rearrange

Carolyn Allen, one of our early customers, fotoflōted her entire family – seven 15″x20″ black & white portraits that she took. The fotoflōts are mounted in their stairwell. She sent photos of the installation and said, “They show how true it is that anyone can do it! In just an hour and a half we got everything in place.”

Carolyn recently gave us more feedback about her delight with the magnetic mounting system. It let her rearrange her fotoflōts as needed, and turns a typically passive experience of enjoying photos into an interactive one. Here’s the story in Carolyn’s own words:

Artwork that goes on the wall and sits in one place forever tends to get boring. I’m always on the lookout for the possibility of “active” art that can be changed in some way to keep it interesting. It was a happy day when I found that fotoflōt was even more clever than I had imagined. It offers pieces that can easily be switched around for different looks in the same space.

When family members come to visit, a quick click of the magnets moves the visitor into “first place” at the foot of the stairs. As our kids start to get married, I am adding their spouses to the gallery. If a couple ever has a tiff, I can give them a brief separation on the staircase until they work things out!

With the new packaging that doubles as storage, I will be able to have more fotoflōts than wall brackets and increase my switch-around options. This kind of art that’s quality plus fun is my ideal.

Carolyn also sent illustrations showing her husband preparing for a visit from “Daughter A”:

1. Daughter A is halfway up the stairs. She comes off the wall for promotion to “first place” at the foot of the stairs.
   
2. Daughter B comes off the prime position.
   
3. Daughter A goes onto the prime position.
   
4. Daughter B moves up the stairway – until she comes back to visit Mom and Dad.
   

Tags: active art, black and white, change, fotoflot, magnetic mounting, move, portraits, quick change, rearrange, staircase

Our family recently took a weekend trip to Montreal to celebrate my wife’s birthday and I came back with a bunch of pictures. I decided to create a collage from a couple of them on a 7.5″x15″ desktop fotoflōt.

You can use any size fotoflōt for a collage, but a few seem to be especially popular. The desktop versions are used quite a bit. I like the 7.5″x15″ size for a couple images with different aspect ratios. Several customers have used the 5″x15″ fotoflōt with three square images. Here’s an example of a 5″x15″ image that I fotoflōted:

Right now collages are a do-it-yourself project. They’re not hard to make if you’re familiar with Photoshop or a similar photo editing application. In a few months we’ll provide templates that will simplify the collage-making process.

We’d love to get your feedback on this subject. Are you interested in collages on fotoflōts? Would templates be useful for you? Any particular styles or designs?

Tags: Collage, fotoflot, fotoflōts on desks

Kerry Ellis, a SmugMug member, describes the problem she was trying to solve:

I’m sure we all have those little (or not-so-little) eyesores in our home that we’d like to conceal somehow – in a not-too-obvious and kind’a pretty way. In my home, this is the circuit breaker box, which greets visitors to my home immediately after they walk in, nestled awkwardly between the main entrance and a bathroom door on a narrow strip of wall.

This is how Kerry decided to use fotoflōts to solve her problem.

She says:

… my mother was simply floored by the idea when she visited my home during Christmas!

Read more about her approach and the result here.

Tags: circuit breaker box, fotoflot, metal surface, triptych