The goal of the event was to invite women to pull their uncomfortable shoes out of the closet and use Dr. Scholl’s insoles so their feet wouldn’t hurt. Borsa Wallace had been employed to create a simulated closet experience. They came to us, once again, pushing the envelope.
We produced the window wraps and signage for the event BUT the most challenging piece was the main centerpiece…the CLOSET. It was the visual backdrop that would make the entire concept come alive.
The Closet Backdrop
The thing about producing an unique display for an event is TIME…there is none. The date is set in stone. No time to try and fail. We have to commit to being able to do something we have never done and trust that we can make it work while meeting both the client’s design and scheduling needs. This project stretched us!
The Closet would have been reasonably simple if the boards went to the floor on the sides, but then it would have looked like an image of a closet and we needed it to have the appearance of a real closet. We needed the doors to look like they were hanging.
Everything had to be ready for first thing in the morning and then torn down immediately after the event was over. So the display had to be quickly and easily installed and removed.
Our first challenge was balance
We needed to use a mighty mount but it had to be hidden from sight. We had to adjust the pedestal base that the client requested, using an image of the pedestal rather than die cutting it to shape. That enabled us to use a mighty mount in the center, hidden behind the pedestal image. After testing the base, it held up without the need of an anchor or prop.
Hanging doors created an even greater difficulty
The doors had to be at a 45 degree angle. We managed that by using miter saw and cut the edges to make it work. Then the challenge was having the doors stay on. They were made of heavy foam board…too heavy to use typical tools like durable tape. The doors might fall off halfway through the event. We had to somehow support them from the back, but how?
We searched the local home depot for a creative solution. We were working with 1” thick foam board and decided to use drywall anchors made for hollow doors. Without going through the foam board completely, the anchors supported the weight. We added 8-inch strap hinges to secure the doors and insure their endurance for the duration of the event.
The closet was very secure by the time we installed it. The Client loved it. It was exactly what they envisioned.
Postscript:
- The client came to us 2 weeks before event
- We received files one week later
- We were trouble shooting until two days prior to the event. Finally we created a solution that we were confident would work.
- We had never done a stand with self-hanging doors.
- The closet was very secure by the time we installed it.
- Client loved it. It was exactly what they envisioned.
Dreamwalk Event was held on April 2, 2014