Sketches for PPG Industries Exhibit

A while back I was commissioned to develop concepts for a new exhibit for the Architectural Products Division of PPG Industries. These are a few of the preliminary sketches which were done as part of the design and planning phase. The sketches are best seen as "visual thinking"—a kind of spatial exploration of form and arrangement and not really art or drawings. The sketches were followed by a series of rough three-dimensional models which were quickly assembled in scale to replicate the size relationships of the products, the exhibit booth and most importantly the environment that viewers would experience upon entering the space.

Industrial exhibits and tradeshows are highly regulated environments which exist for a short period of time, usually for 2-3 days and sometimes up to a week. The space for the booth is rented by corporations, much like magazine advertising space. The costs are high for the design, construction, transportation to the show, staffing, travel expenses, transportation back from the show, and then the storage of the exhibit properties. But the possibilities for success are equally high. In this instance the show was attended by influential architects, urban planners, construction managers, facilities planners, and contractors from around the globe. So the opportunity to market new products where they can be seen, touched and explained in real life is the essence of "marketing." (the term having been derived from the crowded atmosphere of markets themselves)