Plane spotting

Here it goes, the first post for the Summer Brief…

I’m currently still on placement working for a creative agency who took me to the Farnborough International Airshow, one of the aviation industry’s biggest trade shows and one of the agency’s clients for whom they designed the advertising and marketing campaign. We were there to do work for the Airshow, but also to man our own exhibition stand.

Whilst there, I was able to spend some time walking around the exhibition halls and static plane displays. I began to develop an interest in the aviation world, and was able to tell the difference between the Blades and the Red Arrows from just the sound of their engines – please bare in mind I was there for a week! I found the whole event incredibly exciting and marveled at the air displays, unable to believe the speed and agility of the planes.

It was whilst I was walking around the exhibition stands of the various international companies, passing model planes, glowing signage and two-storey stands with their own bar at the top, that I realised just how much design [let alone money] had been invested in them. One Russian company had even hired dancers to perform on their stand, to the annoyance of their neighbours.

One stand that particularly caught my eye was that belonging to General Electric [GE] who supply engines for the 787 Dreamliner, the show’s biggest attraction. Made by Boeing, the 787 Dreamliner has been causing great interest within the aerospace industry because it’s the first major airliner largely built from composite materials and is renowned for being more environmentally friendly, using 20% less fuel than previous models.

Environmental impact was evidently the concept for GE’s exhibition stand, which featured white walls with bright green streaks and type. The type was sans serif and had a friendly curve to it, reflecting GE’s logo. What attracted much of my attention were the modern luminous green line drawings on transparent plastic. The affect was fantastic, light reflecting off the surface and being able to see through this detailed drawing, but the images were also chosen carefully, maintaining a professional air yet still fun and modern. I was particularly impressed by the combined engine and flower illustration, which clearly illustrates their environmentally friendly message whilst not forgetting the product itself.

I also appreciated the contrast between the large imposing industrial engine in the centre of the stand and the clean drawings and white walls and floor. I admired how the two combined, and every detail was thought out.

I respected the GE stand not only because its concept was delivered so successfully in such a clean and efficient manner, but also because it didn’t overpower me, its concept was subtle. I wasn’t bombarded with graphics, unlike some of the other stands. It was nice to be able to walk onto a stand without feeling visually stalked or pestered. Perhaps that’s a lesson: not to forget that subtlety could be the better option.