LIGHTING UNPLUGGED

DesignContact, working for AMCI Global of Marina Del Rey, developed a program for LEXUS That included these free standing, solar powered light trees. 

These units, with weighted bases and inbuilt lift points were dropped in position in moments and provided lighitng all night on a day's charge.  Battery packs in the base were charged by panels on the tops of each "branch".  Light sensitive switches turned the cells on at dusk and the LED light sources burned brightly all night, turning themselves off at dawn.

While used only for lighting in this application, there was ample power to supply juice for interactives and other applications.

Working with our sister company DC Connect, we are developing free standing [i]cell system technology interactives that are fully self sufficient for power and light, and impervious to weather.  More on that as it develops.

NCTA - MY WORLD STUDIOS

Wow- 27,000 square feet of scenery and new technology demos.  DesignContact created designs for the NCTA exhibit at CABLE 2010! at the LA Convention Center.

Have a look at just a few of the snapshots of the environments starting with the window of the WELCOME CENTER.  Peering in from the street you can see the Studio Briefing room and bits of the Studio Back Lot beyond. 

a panorama of the SPORTS BAR environment - with a dedicated Game Room, 3D Theater viewing area and new 3D Home Televisions.  YES - they are worth it!

This is a detail of the LOFT building -an environment created to house demos that show off technologies suited to the urban environment and upscale users.

and finally a glimpse at the exterior of the SINGLE FAMILY home which featured full home technologies that allowed you to move your entertainment and information with you as you travelled from room to room.

More to come in future posts, including a full rundown of the design for the show.

Is scenic scenery making a comeback?

A few recent projects have called for a refreshing revisit of traditional scenic design approaches. 

Two examples are our work for ADOBE on the MAX Users Conference at the NOKIA Theater designed for THE KENWOOD GROUP (top left)

and the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) CABLE!2010 at the LA Convention Center, designed for FREEMAN CREATIVE. (mid and bottom left)

In both cases, the call came for putting the attendee in a new environment that transported them from the theater and the convention hall respectively and immersed them in a world more closely related to the products and brand stories that needed to be told.                               

Then this week two new projects called for scenic solutions to the environment! We think there is a trend to this design approach as a refreshing alternative to the cooly abstract or trendy spaces that can feel disconnected from the customer experience.

More examples of these, and other projects can be had for a phone call +1.973.7463512 or an e:Mail to:
Tony.Castrigno@DesignContact.com

3D BRAINSTORMING at EXHIBITOR 2010

Join my partner John Moyik and me at EXHIBITOR 2010 for our hands on 3D Brainstorming program. The teams at the 2009 event had a great time and developed some creative solution and learned creative development skills that they can take back to their own teams.

http://www.exhibitoronline.com/exhibitorshow/2010/session.asp?ID=S602

 S602 HALF-DAY WORKSHOP: Build a Better Booth Design

Discover a new way to collaborate with your design team and vendors to develop a stand out exhibit design and strategy. Discover how this unique “3 Dimensional Brainstorming” technique can help a non-design professional/exhibit manager have more impact in the preliminary design phase. You will learn to:

   ---Bring a collaborative process to your booth team

   ---Utilize a fun “3-D Brainstorming” process

   ---Use visual tools to unlock creative ideas

   ---Develop solutions in a test case with your colleagues

   ---Develop ‘stand up’ experience to help communicate your ideas

An introduction and hands-on demonstration will allow you to experience the method first-hand.   Here are some photos from the 2009 event that give you an idea of what to expect.  This team created a tropical oasis for a portable ice machine and hot box. Then they pitched the idea to the other participants.  

Still another team developed a MEGA MACHINES booth for custom spray painting of automobiles from digital files.