Best of the Best: Top Shops Product Spotlight

Rank 3
Crush Creative
Burbank, CA
www.crushcreative.com

Crush Creative recently teamed up with Arts & Exhibitions to produce graphics for the national debut of, "America, I am."

"America, I am" begins its traveling tour throughout the United States with its first stop in Philadelphia, PA. "America, I am" honors 400 years of African American contributions to American culture and also the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

To capture a unique, interactive environment, Crush imaged the graphics on a large assortment of materials for 12 different themed exhibits. Among those included 3,000-4,000 square feet of Artex and AB Vinyl. Some elements of the exhibit featured the words and images of influential African Americans illuminated in a dark corridor.

To light up the corridors, Crush printed the images on 4x8-foot Duraclears, which were then face onto pieces of 1 clear acrylic, each piece weighing 350 pounds.

Crush also conveyed the journey of African American culture by printing the graphics on 2,000 square feet of matte black vinyl and applying it onto milk plex.

Rank 4
Graphic Systems Group
New York, NY
www.gsgnyc.com

The Muppet Whatnot Workshop was created by NYC-based Graphic Systems Group. In November 2008, the Walt Disney Company launched the Whatnot Workshop: an online retailer of built-to-order Muppets plush toys. The Whatnot Workshop will enable consumers to design a character that is both distinctively a Muppet and uniquely their own creation, by making selections from a range of body types, features, costumes and accessories.

As part of its marketing efforts for the Whatnot Workshop, Disney entered an exclusive partnership with FAO Schwartz to create a brick-and-mortar Whatnot Workshop in the retailer's flagship location in New York City. Their objectives were to:

• Create a functional, 600-square-foot workshop that enables consumers to design, purchase and take home a built-to-order Muppet in a single short visit
• Deliver a rich, immersive consumer experience that brings Disney's trademark magic to the retail environment
• Develop a friendly and comprehensive design tool that enables customers to easily design a custom Muppet from a wide range of available options

Today Show cast. Click here to view larger image.

Disney selected Graphic Systems Group based on its proven ability to deliver successful in-store and event-specific installations, including its successful partnership with Universal Pictures to create an in-store Harry Potter boutique at FAO Schwartz. The Whatnot Workshop opened October 4, 2008. The boutique includes a cash/wrap station, three workbenches where the Muppets are hand built, ample display areas where consumers can browse competed work, accessories and options, as well as a lighting solution for the boutique. The rich and authentic detail of the boutique flows from the Muppet mythology, and will make shoppers feel as if they have been transported into the Muppets own world.

The solution developed by Graphic Systems Group provides Disney with:

• Creation of architectural blueprints and renderings based on artist's sketches provided by Disney
• A three-dimensional scale model including displays and décor
• A design aid kit that enables customers to design and personalize their Muppet plush toy and that serves as a souvenir of the retail experience. This kit was so well received that it has become the basis for the Whatnot Workshop's online customer design and ordering tools.
• Fabrication of the boutique off-site, and installation of the boutique at FAO Schwartz

Rank 6
Source One Digital
North Shores, MI
www.sourceonedigital.com

Brunswick Zone XL. Click here for larger view.