Working with Max & Ben was such a delight as they really worked around the clock and all hours to adhere to our desired look and feel. Everything, from design to installation, was turned around really quickly to hit our tight deadlines and to make things as simple and easy for us as possible. The fact that we were able to re-use this window again was something that the store loved as well because it really made them stand out.
Francesca Coelho, Global Windows and VM Planner, M&S
The Brief
The M&S Food team have a large window at their Royal Mile flagship store in Edinburgh, which they were looking to dress for New Year’s Eve 2020. Their design had a gold floor with a gold sparkly background and used hanging ‘2’ and ‘0’ cut outs to highlight NYE 2020. Our brief was to add disruptive lighting effects, capable of working in both full daylight and in darkness, in order to enhance the window display and engage the passing footfall. Ideally, the client was keen that the lighting effects would also have the potential for reuse in future merchandising such as Burns Night, Morther’s Day and/or Valentine’s Day. The solution’s budget needed to reflect the fact that the installation would only be sited in the window for 8 days before removal.
Solution
We had an initial meeting with the creative agency and brand design team at which we presented product ideas. We then developed a mock up sample, using the latest in programable LED tape, only days later. We decided to simulate a firework burst by using 16 x Strips of programmable LED Tape in a “fan” pattern on lightweight boards that had been pre-covered in the same gold material as the floor/backing. These were then programmed on a loop with white and blue lights in flowing patterns, with the occasional burst of red, giving the final disruptive lighting effect required by the brief.
Installation
The full mock-up was designed to match the parameters of the Edinburgh store window and was created in sections to allow transport to site and through the narrow window doorways. Our mock-up was approved in principle, with multiple programs to be added, so the final sections were completed in our studio and then installed on time on Boxing Day 2019.
Additional challenges on site included how to move large delicate boards to the window, with delivery restrictions on the Royal Mile to overlap with Store access times to achieve the most direct and shortest route to the window in question. The installation team worked on a freshly dressed window, so delicate positioning, installation and testing was required to complete the set.
Burns night Re-Use
The dynamic solution was then repurposed by redressing the boards in the Burns Window materials to duplicate the Burns Window design and the programs changed in colour and theme to give a completely new look.
