 othing says out of date like old computer equipment. Unless it’s a computer equipment maker’s old exhibit.That was Applied Material Inc.’s challenge. The manufacturer of the machines that make semiconductors — aka silicon chips and wafers — had an exhibit that was as ‘90s as the Dow over 10,000. It was a medieval-looking fortress with Matrix-style graphics. |
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| “Applied Materials wanted us to make it inviting and approachable,” says design team member Emilio Crespo of Contempo Design. What’s more, the company wanted that goal achieved while reusing 70 percent of the older exhibit’s environment. The makeover met those goals, and then some. While the 80-by-100-foot footprint is the same as the previous year’s, the feel of the new exhibit shifts from dark and brooding to gentle. The glass storefront creates a casual, come-on-in feeling, even with the one entry point designed to control traffic. Two towers covered with super graphics — some three-dimensional — flank the exhibit. Each depicts children exploring the natural world. Magnified replicas of copper wafers bathed in ocean blue, grape, and teal hues hang in showcase windows like dinner plates at Crate & Barrel. Inside the central area attendees can watch a simulation of how a wafer is manufactured. The process shows how Applied Materials embodies the virtues of innovation and imagination. “And in uncertain times,” Crespo says, “it also reassures visitors that Applied is here and going to prevail.” Judges think the exhibit prevails. As one sums up, “They really took this exhibit a long way — WOW.”  |
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| Before and After Applied Materials Inc. Design/Fabrication Firm: Contempo Design, Chicago; 847-549-6600; www.contempodesign.com Semicon West 2002 $1 million 80 by 100 feet $100 |
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Even while using 70 percent of last year’s environment, the exhibit went from cold and dark to gentle and bright with a glass storefront, pictures of children, and warm colors. Slogans superimposed over the pictures such as “innovate,” “inspire,” and “imagine” convey a sense of simplicity and freshness. |
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