ust when the waters of the computer industry seem too turbulent to stick your toe in, along comes Monterey Design Systems Inc. Its newest exhibit is so soothing you want to dive right in. The Sunnyvale, CA-based software company hoped to project a specific brand image on the show floor: powerful and streamlined yet user-friendly, like their dolphin logo. Underwater Illusion An opaque, mesh ceiling blocks ambient light, allowing a clearer view of the soothing undersea images. Artfully camouflaged lights and audio-video equipment atop the cylinder generate the images and ambient underwater sounds. Soothing Image The underwater theme enables Monterey to achieve its goal of relaxed, total immersion, right down to the jellyfish chairs. Monterey brought this concept, a booth in need of refurbishing, and a limited budget to General Graphics Exhibits Inc. of San Francisco. GGE persuaded Monterey to start fresh with a custom rental, a standard exhibit structure holding customized graphics. The result? “One of the most dramatic, inviting spaces we’ve seen,” according to the judges. “You really get a sense you’re in an underwater environment.” A 38-foot diameter wall topped by a projection screen encircles the central cylinder of the 1,600-square-foot exhibit. “We wanted to create an environment of total immersion,” says GGE senior designer Michael Mood. The subdued blues and greens and the clever use of Plexiglas in the product demonstration graphics add to the pleasant feeling of submersion. The chairs even resemble jellyfish. In an industry dominated by aggressive, overheated marketing imagery, this small company attracted new customers and, more importantly, buzz by taking the opposite approach. “The trade show floor is a frenetic, over-stimulating environment,” Mood says. “We came up with a chill zone — a place to soothe frayed nerves.”		Category: Island — Less Than $150/s.f. Client: Monterey Design Systems Inc. Design/Fabrication Firm: General Graphics Exhibits Inc., San Francisco; 415-641-3600; www.gge.com Debut Show/Year: DAC 2002 Budget: $83,000 Size: 40 by 40 feet Cost/Square Foot: $52
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Scott Schriefer Is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, VT		Next Award >> << Previous Award
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