Converse sent us to Shoe Palace Little Tokyo, a key retail account in Los Angeles, to design and oversee an important product launch event for their collab with Hello Kitty. We drafted off of Converse Global Design direction which sought to use materials seen in urban environments – 2”x 4”’s, plywood, cinder blocks, bare concrete floors, chain-link fencing, and guerilla style postings. These materials were used to create an authentic urban look and feel. We tailor fit a 2D and 3D design solution to showcase the collaborative product, messaging, the specific needs of the store and its event schedule. A DJ table, an Instagram opportunity and a rotating sushi belt were added to create a highly successful activation.
The retail experience is a direct reflection of the brand—which is why it’s so important to get it right. Knowing this, Converse has trusted us with a large portion of their retail design in North America. It’s an impressive list of to-dos that includes window graphics, footwear wall graphics, freestanding displays, retail takeovers, pop-ups, custom builds and in-store video content.
Converse North America asked us to generate concepts for a proposed collaboration pitch with a national nail polish brand. The collaboration didn’t end up happening, but we really liked the work that came out of the effort. Flightdeck collaborator and artist Julie West worked her magic to create distinctive and sassy graphics to deliver a unique vibe to the displays. To make the connection between the footwear and the nail polish, we integrated the palette of colors and material textures from the Converse, nail polish inspired footwear into the artwork and layouts. Textured pink leather, suede, and canvas juxtaposed with glossy acrylics and gold glittery details make for a unique approach at retail.
Our creative director led this effort while working at a previous company. Michael Waltrip Racing wanted an integrated fan experience at the front end of their massive race shop. We scripted an immersive visitor experience to showcase each team driver followed by a complete breakdown of race car design and assembly. From start to finish, we provided 2D and 3D design along with video content, motion graphics and interactive content for this immersive fan experience.
We designed a series of large wall graphics for Nike's Innovation group. These graphics helped to bring energy and life to some really dark, dimly lit basement working spaces with little natural light. Using key sport moments for these Nike spaces was a natural fit, but we were sensitive to the fact that a 15-foot-tall athlete may be a bit distracting if you have to sit next to it. So, we designed a process to 'pixelate' the images into circles, squares, hexagons or triangles so that the image would read from a distance, but close up, the visual would transform into abstract pattern that was easy to be close to. Overall, it was a very effective way to bring some much-needed life to these spaces.
We designed a graphic and display campaign that would promote Nike Tennis during the US Open tournament. Deliverables included the event retail booth, a vehicle wrap for logistical support vans, invitation cards, and a 30 years of Nike Tennis presentation at Nike, New York.
Nike Run Club LA was one of Nike’s largest and most active running clubs in the U.S. They wanted a mobile brand presence at the many events that the club took on. Nike hired our creative director to generate the 2D and 3D design concepts of a customized Airstream trailer. With product display and storage, lounge seating and private changing rooms added, the space was tailored for club runners to connect with Nike’s latest and greatest footwear and apparel. Along with the Airstream, there was a graphic campaign designed to promote engagement in the community.
Nike Innovation tasked us with the graphic creation of a visual history of their Air Cushioning technology. These graphics serve as the entry experience in the hallways leading to their highly secretive cushioning research lab. Historic product images, technical drawings and sketches of key product advancements were featured to show a development path to the most recent Nike Air products.
Our creative director led this effort while working at a previous company. The LSU Football Operations Center visitor experience was an immersive branded sports environment which showcased their extensive achievements and awards. We worked closely with the football coaching staff, the athletic department and local newspapers to develop a series of curated historic displays with a distinctive graphic design style that would show consistently across many decades and groups within their storied football history. We also developed the 3-D trophy case design to fit into the existing architecture of the building. Integrated specialty team position feature displays were also created throughout the facilities to celebrate group achievements.
When the U.S. Track & Field Championships came to Eugene (aka: Track Town), event sponsor Safeway asked us to create a high-impact visitor experience that would connect guests to their brand in a memorable way. Large, people-powered tread wheels generated electricity to raise awareness of sustainability issues, while healthy snacks and drinks in the Safeway lounge helped people refuel after running the wheels. This was a fun collab with Etzel agency and a great example of how the right environment can truly bring a brand to life.
Our creative director dreamed up this concept in a previous life at another agency. The task was to create a tradeshow event space where visitors could be interact with Sony's puzzle platform video game Little Big Planet. The structure and consumer path were intended to expose visitors to the series' mantra of "Play, Create, Share". A large inflatable structure was imagined to bring the game characters to life at a provocative scale. The dome, created a controlled and immersive environment for groups of players to get into the game. Game art appears directly on all inflatable structures, while interior structures were inspired by the handmade qualities of the characters with the material selection of bamboo and thick, structural corrugated cardboard for static and technology displays.
Our creative director led this effort while working at a previous company. Florida Football was one of the first large scale, immersive branded sports environments in the SEC. This carefully curated visitor experience created quite a splash in the ongoing arms race in collegiate sports. We worked closely with the football coaching staff and the athletic department to develop a distinctive visitor path that will leave a lasting impression on any recruit or visitor. We designed 3D displays and 2D graphic, video and interactive content design strategies to provide a consistent visual communication language throughout the project. We also worked closely with the fabrication and installation vendors to ensure the project was a complete success.
Our creative director led this effort while working at a previous company. He worked closely with the athletic department to develop a Hall of Fame visitor experience that would leave a lasting impression and celebrated the highlights of Vanderbilt Athletics. We did the 3D & 2D concept design as well as consulted on the visitor path.
While there’s nothing funny about Parkinson’s disease, the use of humor can be a powerful tool to raise awareness and funds. That’s the idea behind this tongue-in-cheek brand identity that we created for an annual Parkinson’s fundraiser in partnership with the Brian Grant Foundation. Besides the title, we also crafted written communications, invitations, press releases, event graphics, posters and a website for the event. The event brought in all kinds of A-listers like Brian Grant, Pat Riley, Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali and Raphael Saadiq. More importantly, it raised a big chunk of money to advance Parkinson’s research.
This was a collaborative project with Nemo design that supplied Microsoft with a fresh take on a retail experience for young cell phone consumers. Inspired by the classic Eames House of Cards, we designed a series of interlocking panels that would serve as the retail presentation structure. The concept was carried into material selection with a mix of plywood and corrugated cardboard layers.
Our creative director led this effort while working at a previous company. He worked closely with University of Florida men’s Basketball team and athletic department to develop an impressive visitor experience to showcase their school achievements on the national stage. Custom 3D & 2D displays, as well as compelling video and interactive content were created for the team’s practice and locker room facilities. In the ongoing arms race between college sports programs to attract the best student athletes, this project marked a serious escalation.
Our creative director led this effort while working at a previous company. The effort created a visitor experience that celebrates the great athletes and moments of Vanderbilt baseball. 3D & 2D displays were developed from concepts to a finished environment, working closely with the fabrication and installation teams to ensure a successful visitor experience. Go Commodores!
