Retail spaces are often awash with props. They help bring a space to life and create a scene with which to interact with. For all the possibilities of video screens, three-dimensional storytelling still works wonders within a physical in-person environment.
We love working on these projects, having undertaken a host of brilliant, and sometimes crazy jobs in the past – a life-size Barbie box complete with a clear acetate front so you could see the person performing inside, springs instantly to mind.
With our in-house routing capabilities we can easily mock up fabricated proofs to test if a concept and design works. This was the approach taken for these slot together trees and gift boxes for Japanese retail giant Uniqlo.
A smaller scale replica, shown above on the right, allows us to fine-tune the dimensions and the fixings ready for a fully printed version. The one on the left we can see a full-size tree produced for the fashion retail brand's larger stores. These particular trees and bespoke boxes used a fire-rated foamex board for prop fabrication, but it's possible to use a host of materials, including sustainable paper-based board, all depending on the jobs requirements.
The final brief saw The Graphical Tree direct-to-media print a variety of size trees, cut to shape on a router, and used throughout the UK sites. After the production process is complete, the shop allocations were flat-packed with a construction instruction sheet and sent to each store ready for installation by the in-store VM teams.
With items are being shipped around the country, or internationally, it's important for us to think about the logistics for the packing, as ultimately it effects the end cost to the customer – which is something we're conscious of. We don't want the client to be left with a huge despatch bill if it can be avoided. We try to be as cost-effective and efficient from the beginning, right through to store delivery and installation.
