With an exhibition stand the goal is always the same – to catch the eye of potentially interested clients, to make new connections, new sales, and also to stand out amongst the competition. It is also essential that the stand is ergonomically functional with seating, lockable storage and areas for marketing material if required. Designing a distinctive and functional exhibition stand means you get the most out of your investment.

Total Produce’s requirements were as follows; two catering display fridges, two fruit display units, a storage area with a coffee dock, a meeting area with tables and chairs, and an eye catching fruit display. We used the company‘s motto ‘Irish at Heart, Global by Nature’ as inspiration. The stand portrayed the dual aspects of the company. The first aspect, that Total Produce is Ireland’s largest fresh produce supplier and distributor, and the second, that Total Produce are also a Global company with a large share in the international fresh food market.

We made a distinction between the Irish and Global aspects of the company by dividing the stand in two parts, Irish on one side and Global on the other with a central meeting area to bridge the two sides. On the Irish side of the stand, natural and earthy wood finishes were used with a large graphic image of an Irish horticultural landscape. This side of the stand’s floor was finished in grass and natural woods were used to build the furniture. The finishes on the Global side contrasted with the earthiness of the Irish side with the wood painted white and clean graphics with white backgrounds were displayed on the walls. Another feature of this Global area was a perspex LED lit floor filled with Total Produce’s fruits which was a lively conversation piece for the visitors to the stand. The central meeting area had lockable storage with a tea and coffee dock and there was a hanging fruit installation with apples hanging on transparent wire which gave the impression that the fruit was floating in the air. A large overhead banner with the companies logo was suspended from the ceiling, and could be seen from all directions on entering the RDS, allowing prospective clients to locate the stand easily.

Really interesting article from the echo chamber on how big corporate brands are localising brands and making them feel more personal by minimising branding in store and creating eclectic interior landscapes.

Trends in the Retail Landscape

from the echochamber.com

We have all become more distrustful of big corporate brands. It’s hardly surprising. Pension companies go bust on us whilst

still running their witty TV ads. Insurance companies are so understanding and efficient… until you have to make a claim.

Our supermarkets offer us micro pence as an incentive not to stray. Ring for information or advice and you talk to a multiple-

choice computer. They don’t really want to hear what you have to say. Even the Police are no longer interested when your car

gets broken into. The death of deference has mutated to make us all cynical consumers. We are mature consumers in a mature

economy. You can’t sell us the dream any longer. Lifestyle is dead. Ask anyone in advertising. Big companies know they lose their agility and creativity. Many try to make up for it with specially targetted advertising but the response from the clever ones is to play Anti-Big with retail environments that feel more personal and in touch with the way we feel. These stores are not cookie cutter clones filled with marketing material. Anti-Big stores actually look like they enjoy being there. Urban Outfitters were the pioneers in this field. Their hectic and eclectic stores are essentially Anti-Big department stores selling gifts, homewares and fashion in its uniquely irreverent manner.

 

The home of Anti-Big retail in London is Westbourne Grove. This street is fast becoming London’s centre for individualistic

and creative brands …or for brands that want to appear to be individual and creative. Over the last decade this one

street has become famous for having a lively and distinctive mix of new restaurants, bars and boutiques that would be

smothered in a more central West End retail environment. More recently, some of the big brands have started to arrive.

Aveda, Camper, Agnes B and even FCUK now all have gently branded stores that fit discretely into its elegant

Georgian terraces.

Now Orange has joined the fray with a store that is completely unbranded. Two stuffed budgies in the window

are the clue that this is a tongue in cheek piece of retail irony. Handsets remain under glass and there are no prices,

or indeed, any marketing material of any kind.

 The most surprising fact about this store though, is that it is performing
well above target. The experiment has worked. It may not work for every brand but right now cynical consumers are
so tired of marketing spin that paradoxically Anti-Big is sure to become big business.

We’ve also included some other images of “All things Green!”… take a look!

The problem: The client approached us as he felt his 5m x 5m space was cramped, cluttered and unorganised. He had no branding and although the shop was very popular, the client wanted to give it some personality and brand it. He had started to focus on a coffee, tea, sandwich and cake offering and the client wanted to play up this element in the shop. Ample storage was required for the boxed items stored before displaying them. The design challenge was to accommodate and squeeze in everything needed into the 25m2 shop; a sink, ample storage, several drinks and ice cream fridges, a computer, a large coffee machine and even a toilet! Another problem we faced was that none of the walls were straight.

Previous solutions tried: Prior to approaching us the client had fitted some cupboards and bought an off the shelf display unit. Some new lighting had been fitted but it wasn’t giving off adequate light.

What Seek Design provided: Seek Design observed the client and how he worked in the space and measured everything that would need to be stored. We then worked on a revised layout which meant the messy items were concealed behind a new well located near the back of the shop. We presented the client with 3D visuals and plans. The new design included utilised the unused wall space with new ample wall storage. We added some witty wall wording to highlight the coffee and ice cream offering (“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream”) and we boxed in the drinks and ice cream fridges. We also worked on the Kiosk’s branding coming up with the idea of a speech bubble as the proprietor is very social and knows all his customers on a first name basis! This branding was used on cups, napkins and some new outdoor signage.
When the design was fully resolved with a place for everything to be displayed or stored we put together a schedule for the build. We project managed the build from start to finish including new lighting, new tiling, a new alarm system, new exterior finishes and signage, new bespoke joinery, new plastering and new plumbing.

This was a wonderful project to work on. The small space presented an interesting challenge and the result was a well organised and well finished space.

Typography has evolved throughout the centuries and today can be used in many quirky and interesting ways to create unique and eyecatching designs.

Did you know that Steve Jobs sat in on typography classes in College?  This ultimately resulted in the unique range of typographies available on apple products today.

Take a look at some of the cool visuals th ese companies created using different forms of typography! 

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