project brief & challenges—
For ON Running first flagship store in New York City a nearly 50-foot long eye-catching and multifunctional ‘Magic Wall’ with an LED video element was conceptualized. The design team wanted this Magic Wall to have a highly visible video display creatively behind a reflective metal mesh. The wall would also store shoes and merchandise inside a metal framework and have display shelves and static graphics and props attached to the metal mesh.
The video wall would broadcast generative content using health and running data and show details and information about a customer’s own running gait generated via sensors while testing out shoes in front of the display. The metal mesh allowed for freedom on the merchandise shelf placement and a dynamic and artistic effect with the video reflecting onto it. The Magic wall would be clearly visible from the street and draw attention to passersby elevating brand awareness.
We engaged in a design discovery phase to offer various LED video options and solutions for this 47ft wide x 10ft high display with specific aesthetics parameters; fitting within an extremely tight space, overcoming structural challenges, a quick turnaround time, and within a specific budget.
The display located behind the storefront windows would be exposed to plenty of ambient light but no direct sunlight, requiring a higher brightness LED’s. The limited space at the shelving system the display product required a very slim solution and customized mounting hardware. Quiet power-supplies were a must to avoid the typical sound nuisance for customers and staff inside, it had been front-serviceable and as low maintenance as possible due to space and accessibility limitations.
approach—
During the discovery phase, we looked at a transparent 3.9/7.8mm resolution product, and two slim solid panel products with a 2.9mm and a 3.9mm resolution. Our engineering team detailed the solutions out to work within the structural details given by fabricator Bono. We set up a mock-up of the three different product options in our BNY SPACE for designers Generic Specific and ON to make a hands-on and well-informed decision.
Key features of all solutions had to include:
legibility of “run analyses” from a 3-foot distance
slim mechanical design to work within the limited space
wide viewing angles at 140° ~160° for optimum image visibility
800~1200nit brightness for visibility in the daylight and high brightness environment
high-quality power supplies with low noise and no active cooling required
specific panel sizes and resolution that works optimally with the mesh grating spacing
We offered customization solutions for all the products to integrate the best possible way and reconfiguration of the product panel sizes to maximize the space.
Solution—
After a demo in our BNY Space, the client decided on the 3.9mm slim panel, and we detailed out the customization and reconfiguration of the product. We provided specific mounting/integration solutions with detailed drawings and collaborated with the fabricator Bono.
In addition, we developed systems layouts to give information on necessary power and data runs for their on-site general and electrical contractors. We provided pixel map/content deliverables to offer information on how to make the best possible content and communicate with their content creators Field.io what was required to make the connection with their media playback hardware to our control systems.
With all the unique features and customization, we were involved in overseeing the installation integration in the store in New York City.
All in all a global effort with ON’s design team from Switzerland, Bono’s structural design engineering in Sweden and fabrication in China, our design engineering in NY and manufacturing in China and Field.io content team from the UK with support from their Berlin, Germany team and obviously all the NY contractors the amazing collaboration became reality.
