Being a full service agency really gives us the opportunity to work on a vast array of job types in the advertising and marketing industries. We see everything from classic business cards and billboard designs to independent film scores and high-dollar luxury condominium websites and e-commerce solutions. Rarely does a job come through that really puts our creative team to the test, but these are the projects that we live for — and the ones that we often love the most.
Recently we were confronted with such a project proposed by Discover Lynchburg, a tourism marketing arm for Lynchburg City. We had just completed the development and launch of their new website, see at www.discoverlynchburg.org, but now they were looking for new ways to help arrivals at the airport find information about the City, such as places they could stay, eat, relax or go shopping. A kiosk sure seemed the best method to foot that bill but in true Prototype-style, we had to take it out of the box (literally – the kiosk box) and step it up a notch.
Instead of doing a simple touchscreen kiosk in a box, we decided that a full-wall print would really get people’s attention. So we handed over the initial concept to our Creative Director to let him go crazy with it. Obviously, being the backdrop for our kiosk display, he didn’t want to go TOO crazy so we took away his morning coffee’s and Gobstoppers for a week to make sure that we reigned that beast in.
Next, per the request of the client, we incorporated three 42 inch LCD HD Monitors to display a series of rotating images from around the region. Constant motion media sitting on our full-wall print… how could someone resist the urge to look at that?!
Lastly was the interactive kiosk unit itself. And while it may be the most minimalistic visual element of the entire display, the heart of it is truly unique. First our Senior Web Developer (and part-time woodworker) custom-built a cabinet just for the heart of the kiosk unit. The cabinet had to be well ventilated since it was to house a computer, Laser printer and three HD DVD players — running 24-7. So the unit is equipped with five heat ventilation grills — not to mention every single shelf was hand routed to tight specifications to allow for additional heat venting from the very bottom of the cabinet to the heat vents on the top of the unit. Lastly the DVD units were set atop laptop coolers (stands with 56mm fans running off a USB connection) to ensure that air kept moving and to increase the longevity of the hardware. Tie it all up in a pretty bow (with dual door locks of course for security) and you have a fully functional, wireless kiosk display – custom built for the client. The kiosk ties into the website database, which is managed through a CMS custom-written by Prototype, so that any time updates are made to the website… the kiosk is instantly updated as well – without anyone ever having to step foot in the airport.
But the part of the project that was perhaps the most challenging (and fun) was the installation. Two of our web development team members have done some extensive modifications on their homes – real DIY nerds – so we signed them up and sent them on their way with nothing more than a free screwdriver that we got with a UPS backup and a sliderule. Considering their limited tools, we think they did a pretty good job. (okay, that’s not entirely true – they an arsenal of tools because more tools = more cool, right?)
We really live for these kinds of projects; the one’s that challenge us the most to provide quality and creativity to our clients. They keep us on our toes and make sure they we are constantly raising the bar not only on our competition but on ourselves as well.
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[...] in June of last year, Klint reminded us all that not all jobs are created equal. When Centra, one of our clients, tasked us with completely redesigning and developing their [...]
Prototype: Blog » Not all jobs are created equal(ly challenging) – Part 2 added these pithy words on Apr 29 10 at 8:11 am