WEEK 6: IMPLEMENT, IMPLEMENT, IMPLEMENT

23/05/22 - 27/05/22

After a week full of planning and preparations, this week is the week everything becomes a reality!

Implementing the 24hr project:

After a restful weekend it was time to implement the 24 hour project! First things first, the cage had to be emptied of all the remaining concept and then cleaned. The sales team arrived early to take of the larger pieces as this was their display to begin with. Once the space had been cleared and the panels removed it was time to venture into the depths of IKEA to find the display cubes. Due to issues with carpenters, the cubes were the only available option in such a short period of time. With those brought upstairs and the single panel installed, the graphics team could begin their work. Initially the plan was to have another 50x50 cube on top of the 70x70, but one of the benefits of working with a hands on approach is that you can make quick changes with visual aid.

As part of this process, I was in charge of discussing with the sales team how we could promote the selected products as one of the concepts I drew was using a museum layout in which above each podium a spotlight was situated. This however not appropriate for the ceiling layout had to be altered. Taking inspiration from the new circular tags used in IKEA, but also the beam of light created by a spotlight, we made the decision to have a variety of orange circles to highlight the products from a different angle. The additional table was also a quick solution to being able to promote the smaller product range such as the candles.

Due to the simple yet effective design of this media, it was instantly a hit with co-workers and we were receiving compliments for days after implementation. This was odd to me and slighting unnerving for the following implementation that I had actually taken the 3 weeks to plan rather than 24 hours! What if the unplanned project was better?! I felt that this was probably a result of not having time to overthink the design but rather just having enough time to create concepts and then implement! This did however prove to myself that I can work under pressure and sometimes it can even be my best work!

Swedish Midsummer:

The following day it was time to implement the planned project! This media is located on the store floor and therefore required a lot more planning and discussions with safety, sales and maintenance, as well as the food manger is was also my client. Starting early in the morning to avoid any customer disruption, we began to take apart the existing display that was implemented for Easter. This included moving old furnishings, flooring, vinyl panels and existing products that were on shelves. From this we could begin to install the new floor panels. The panels were definitely a down fall to the process as after having chosen them as a quick and simple option, the connections were difficult to install and this ended up taking the most time! Graphics then installed the vinyl onto the foam panels using the IKEA commercial package for this year. With this the main products could be placed in the space, which as I’d had plenty of preparation time were ready to be installed instantly and it was a matter of finding the final solutions. The chairs being the main issue in this case. How could this product be displayed while also not being functional? We solved this by using the blankets originally chosen to cover the table on the chairs instead. Although this doesn’t stop the customers completely, it removes the initial thought of seeing an open seat.

The repetition of the media worked really well in communicating the summer seasonality by creating this idea of celebrating in the sun! The graphics did a really good job at bringing the Swedish midsummer further into the Swedish Food Market by creating communication to highlight products that are traditional and a great way to complete your midsummer festivities! Commercial Lighting was the final stage as the yellow ended up looking quite dark and dull under certain lighting. The issue with lighting from above was trying to juggle the shadows created, but this wasn’t my first time doing commercial lighting and it was quickly solved before the customers entered the store!

This week was a lot, but it was very rewarding to see everything come to light after hours and weeks of planning!