Plan Expo '08 Preview for Exhibitors

As suppliers of Portable Displays to numerous regular Plan Expo exhibitors, including:

Quinn
Kingspan
Henco Group
Contach Accessories
Easy Screed
Gerkros Heating Technology
Gypsum Industries
Bord Gais
Health and Safety Authority
Incontrol House Automation
Schneider Electric
Moy Isover
Newbridge Metal
Sustainable Energy Ireland

among others, we are in the perfect position to give you a preview of the upcoming Plan Expo '08 event in the RDS. This show, taking place from the 4th to the 6th November, is in its 26th year, and is a perennially popular fixture in the construction industry's calendar. This year it will feature the Irish Home Builders Association Business Seminar and the EcoBuild sub-show, focusing on sustainable energy.

The trend in Display Stands at Plan Expo has, for many years now, been towards stands with considerable height, and stands with attractive, robust aluminium elements. Longer extrusions can be used to to ensure that your display is seen above the masses of people and traditional displays, and custom finials can be used to make sure that your corporate colours or logo is clearly on display.



Another display element growing in popularity is plasma screens and moving or revolving elements which grab the eye. Using modular displays these items can easily be incorporated into even the smallest display, and the beauty is that these stands are fully modular and reconfigurable so if your next exhibtion space is larger, smaller or a different shape your stand can be adapted to suit. This display hardware is available to buy and hire so there is no need to sacrifice impact for budgetary reasons.


If you have any questions about exhibiting at Plan Expo '08 don't hesitate to contact us by phone or email.

Colours & Shapes - What do they matter in Corporate Design? Part 1

A week or two ago I read "Show Your True Colours" on Nomadic Display's Blog, and it got me thinking about the effects of colours on design, particularly for signs, display stands, logo design and large format print.

I learnt that colours have inherent qualities, and this has to be even more important for large scale displays or logo signs which are big enough to cover the side of a vehicle or building. Most of us know the basics: - red conveys warmth, power, and passion, - pink can be playful, romantic or feminine, - blue and green are clean colours used almost exclusively by soap and toiletry makers - and orange can denote health, energy, vibrancy...

But did you know that certain colours are subconsciously favoured by men or women, and I don't mean pink versus blue. According to Joe Hallock, purple is generally disliked by men, as is turquoise and most warm colours, including orange and brown! One fact I found particularly interesting is the link between age and colour preference - apparently people of both sexes are less likely to favour green or orange as they age, and are more likely to go for brown and purple as they get older. How many companies take this into account when marketing to age-specific sectors?

Product or Industry Sector should also be taken into account when choosing corporate colours: again there are traditional colours in corporate design such as green for health, agriculture and environmental sectors and blue for financial companies. But did you know that blue is a negative colour for Food and Beverage sectors - because blue is reported to be an appetite suppressant, as is black to a lesser extent. If you don't believe me just take a peek at these images of this yummy sushi and see what I mean... This is apparently hardwired into our brains because blue is such a rare colour to occur in foods naturally. I wonder how has this has affected the comsumption of Hellman's Mayonnaise, Salt and Vinegar crisps, Blue Smarties, Avonmore milk and Rice Crispies over the years? Do you know anyone who drinks Bombay Sapphire or Blue Curacao? Didn't think so! (For the sake of even handedness, check out this article which extols the genius of Bombay Sapphire's signature colour and design and let me know which sideof the fence you are on...)

Applied Signs & Display in the Apprentice Boardroom

We crop up in the strangest of places! We are no stranger to film and TV work and our latest handiwork to appear on TV screens is a sign used in TV3's The Apprentice. We produced a simple Acrylic Plaque to designate the infamous Boardroom...

New Design & Rental Libraries to Help You Choose the Perfect Stand

We have just launched two great new tools to take the pain out of choosing an exhibition stand design, whether you will be buying, renting or augmenting your existing equipment! With the new Nomadic Design Library and the new Nomadic Rental Library, both available online, clients can search by a variety of categories to focus their search and easily explore different options at the click of a button.

Search Filters include:
- Size: From 3m to 12m Plus
- Shape: Inline Stands, Island Stands, Peninsula Stands, as well as Counters, Kiosks and Others
- Minimum & Maximum Price
- Add-ons/Features Including: Height up to 4.87m., Backlighting, Lockable Conference, Storage or Meeting Area, Computer Workstation & Product Display

If you have any questions at all about using these facilities, don't hestitate to contact us on 01 8712300 or info@appliedsigns.ie.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Do you have what it takes to be part of our team?

Here at Applied Signs & Display we work in a fast paced and and varied environment. Our range of products keeps us on our toes. The nature of our customers business (events, sponsorship, film and TV productions) means that tight and super-tight deadlines are our bread and butter. And, our commitment to outstanding customer services and the highest production values means that working here is not always easy, but quote often highly rewarding... If this sounds like a place you could thrive, read on...

We are currently looking for a highly talented Middleweight Graphic Designer to join our creative team.

Requirements: A degree in Graphic Design, with a minimum of 2 - 3 years studio experience is required, together with a high level of proficiency in the standard suite of Mac packages. Experience in the area of large Format Digital Printing and/or Exhibition Design would be a distinct advantage.

Duties: You will be expected to have the ability to manage multiple projects and deliver to tight deadlines whilst maintaining the company’s very high standards of design and production. You should be comfortable working in a team environment whilst taking ownership of solo projects.

Email colette@appliedsigns.ie with CV applications to include a 6 - 8 recent pdf samples of work.

Click here to view examples of our recent design work…

Full Report on Applied Signs & Display's "Celebrating 20 Years' Event.

As regular readers of this blog will know, on Friday 27^th June we celebrated 20 years in business with a bit of a party in our new showroom in Clonshaugh Dublin 17. The purpose of the event was three-fold: firstly, to welcome customers, potential customers and suppliers in to our new premises and show them around. Secondly, we wanted to show off our new Modular Custom Build showroom display, which we feel is worth shouting about, as it is totally reusable and customizable, has fabric, graphic and backlit panels, and incorporates a lockable room, a canopy, bar area with seating and plasma screens, as well as more traditional display elements. Finally, we wanted to have a little bit of fun as a ‘thank you’ to our customers, suppliers and staff.

The run up to the event was extremely busy, with invitations to design, print and send, goody bags to fill, and the showroom display to erect and perfect. On top of these tasks we also had to finish off general painting and decorating which had been outstanding since our move in January.

On the day itself, preparations started early, with the caterers and band arriving to setup in the early afternoon. Nicola Watkins, our PR consultant, and Michael Chester, our photographer for the event, arrived around lunchtime, and soon after that customers, friends, suppliers and interested parties started to come through the doors at an fairly hectic pace. People were free to relax with a glass of wine, or to take a tour of the building, or to have a giggle at our display of old photos, ranging from staff members in their bell bottoms to the first ‘button and band’ Pop Up displays – (they both seemed like the height of style and technology at the time!). Further entertainment was provided by Caricature Artist, Mark Heng, who had people queuing up for a ‘flattering’ caricature drawing to take home. Company Owners Colette & Larry were presented with flowers and a John Rocha Waterford Crystal Vase by the management, and the hardcore customers and staff members continued the party late into the night. Thanks to everyone who came along to make it such a special day for us.

Thanks to:

Nicola Watkins, of Nicola Watkins PR.

Michael Chester, Photographer, http://www.chester.ie/

Mark Heng, Caricaturist, http://markheng.com/

Little Bites Catering, http://www.littlebites.ie

Jim Farley & his Band

First Report from Applied Signs & Display 20th Birthday Party

Full report to follow shortly, but here are a few photos from the event. You can see our new Nomadic Display showroom stand in the background, replete with full bar area with canopy and seating. Thanks to all who came along and made the day so enjoyable...