Can You Put Your Shop Sign, an Advert or a Mural on a Roller Shutter?

A closed roller shutter is a big, blank surface facing the street for hours every evening. More and more shops are using it: printing their name and logo on the shutter, adding opening hours and phone numbers, or commissioning local artists to paint murals that make the street feel brighter and help deter graffiti. It is a great idea, but there are a few things to check first.

Branding, adverts and artwork are treated differently

Your shop name, logo or offers

In Scotland, advertising is controlled by the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (Scotland) Regulations 1984. An advertisement is broadly any sign or display used to advertise, announce or give directions. Your shop name, logo, phone number or "sale now on" message on a shutter falls into that definition.

Painting or printing an advert directly onto a surface does not take it outside the rules. Dundee City Council's guidance, for example, makes the point that an advert does not count as part of a building just because it is painted on or fixed to it.

Deemed consent and express consent

Some adverts on business premises can be displayed with what is called deemed consent, which means you do not need to apply, as long as strict limits on size, height, position and illumination are met. Others need express consent, which is an application to the council. Large, illuminated or prominent adverts are more likely to need an application, and councils can restrict deemed consent in certain areas. Because the details vary, check with your council's planning team before you go ahead.

Murals and artwork

A mural with no advertising content is not an advertisement. Whether painting needs any permission depends on the building and the area. It is rarely an issue for an ordinary shop, but the position is different for listed buildings, which usually need listed building consent for changes to their appearance, and conservation areas, where councils pay close attention to shopfronts. A dramatic colour scheme on a traditional shopfront in a conservation area is worth discussing with the council first.

Practical things to consider

• Your lease. Many commercial leases restrict signage or changes to the exterior without the landlord's consent.
• Perforated shutters. Graphics work best on solid laths. Perforations break up the image.
• The coil. The curtain coils tightly into the box every day, so the finish must be flexible. Thick paint will crack, and some vinyls can peel at the lath joints.
• Durability. Graphics face weather, sunlight and road grime. Ask about UV and weather resistant inks or paints.
• Graffiti protection. An anti-graffiti clear coat over the artwork makes it much easier to clean.

Ways to add graphics to a shutter

1. Hand painted murals by a sign writer or artist. Distinctive and popular with independent shops.
2. Printed vinyl applied to solid laths. Quick and repeatable, but needs the right material to cope with coiling.
3. Powder coated colour in your brand colour as a base, with lettering added on top. A good long-lasting option for new shutters.

If you are planning a new shutter, it is worth choosing solid laths and a powder coated base colour at the ordering stage so the surface is ready for graphics. You can read more in our guide to painting a roller shutter.

A quick checklist before you commission a design

• Does the design include your name, logo or any advertising? If so, check advertisement consent.
• Is the building listed or in a conservation area?
• Does your lease allow it?
• Is the shutter solid, in good condition and suitable for graphics?

We can supply shutters ready for branding

We make shutters to measure at our own premises in Glasgow, including solid lath shutters powder coated in your brand colour so your sign writer or printer has the best possible surface to work with.