ADC Travelling Exhibit
ADC
Issue 32 | September 2014
Agency
SID LEE
Creative Team
Creative Chief Philippe Meunier Creative Director Marie-E´laine Benoi^t Artistic Director Simon Che´nier-Gauvreau Technology Director Kevin Sutherland Director Of Experiential Strategy Michael Turri Web Developer Steve Sauvageau
Production Team
Production Fe´lix Guyon Les Ateliers Guyon Jimmy Lee
Other Credits
Lighting Jean-Pascal Gauthier
Date
May 2014
Background
The ADC was looking to bring design and art direction craft back into its identity and wanted to redesign its logo and overall branding. Following this success, the next stage was its travelling exhibition. Historically this had been a passive experience, involving some foamcore and the world's best design and art direction pieces.
The opportunity was there to display the winning work in a much more engaging way. The challenge was to make sure the design could be shipped around the world with ease.
Idea
The advertising industry, where touchscreens reigned supreme, was obsessed with digital experiences.
This simple insight led to the creative solution. In 2014, if people wanted to see the winning work, they would have to work for it.
In the true spirit of celebrating craft skills, the idea was turned into reality with bare hands. A series of innovative machines were designed using standard sized shipping skids as the basis and taking visual cues from the branding.
A long chair challenged attendees to pedal their way through the 12 gold-winning TV ads.
A floating carousel displayed miniature design, photography and illustration winners through a looking glass.
Finally, a harp played the best of motion design and interactive with the strike of a chord.
Each of the machines was specifically designed to create an experience for guests to the show that would allow them to become actively involved in both the work and the revitalized ADC brand.
Results
The reception was like no awards gala ever seen before. People from the four corners of the world lined up to spin, pedal, and play their way through the winning work. The travelling exhibition made headlines in some of the most credible advertising and design industry publications worldwide and changed the way the ADC travelling exhibition was perceived.
Turning to low-tech interactivity transformed the passive experience of viewing award-winning work into an active and personal experience.
Our Thoughts
For me, the joy of this idea is in those two words – low-tech. Online advertising is now all about getting people to do things. To click, to play, to follow a trail. What Sid Lee have done so brilliantly here is take all that wireframe thinking and move it offline. Gamification is on the rise and the reason is because play is a fundamental human trait. It’s not kids’ stuff. Wouldn’t you love to see some of the advertising industry’s brightest stars pedalling furiously to watch the world’s best TV commercials? I would.