Recently, a few members of our Creative Services team attended the GlobalShop 2018 show. Normally at trade shows, we are there to support clients with the exhibits we’ve created for them. Not this time! Our creative team is always on the lookout for opportunities to be inspired and we’ve found the GlobalShop show to have some really exciting trends to see and products to inspire us.
As Peter Jordan, Exhibit Designer said, “Our goal was to see anything new and cool.”
The GlobalShop show is geared toward the retail industry for elements such as fixtures, displays, graphics, etc. Going into the show, our team was looking to see products that would work right off the shelf or spot a use or idea and adapt it. A lot of what they see may be too large, fragile, or costly, but can serve as design inspiration.
Creativity Finds Inspiration in All Things
The team saw several interesting techniques and products, including some very good fabric printing, such as printing that addresses the issue of blacks and grays maintaining the proper saturation even with backlighting. This works by using an opaque wash behind areas that will be black or dark gray so that light does not shine through. Other notable products or interesting applications of various elements included:
- Low-resolution, large scale, LED video walls used in unique ways
- SEG fabric displays and treatments in crisp colors, high resolution and non-standard, non-rectangular shapes
- SEG lightboxes in non-standard shapes and applications, such as ceilings, along with programmable LED lighting and low-resolution monitors behind the fabric for animated, dynamic visual treatment
- LED edge lighting on counters, walls and display elements – adding a punch of brightness to the display treatments
- Integrating programmable and color changing LED lighting into signage and profile cut letters and logos
- Magnet systems to attach accessories such as cascade clothing hangers, bag hooks, and literature holders to fabric walls
The team also took note of the prevalence of enclosed and controlled spaces, similar to a retail experience for client interactions. Some of these spaces were reminiscent of coffee shops and used ceilings or implied ceiling structures to create the appropriate feel. This type of structure ties in with the trend towards focusing on engagement and experiential marketing environments, as detailed in the popular Experience Economy book by Jim Gilmore.
It was a worthwhile trip for our Creative Services department as they work to deliver unique designs for our clients. If you would like to learn more about our design process or how we can help you stand out on the trade show floor with eye-catching design elements, contact us.
