Creating a gallery-like experience at a trade show to emphasize the possibilities of Bosch tools.

Bosch is a multinational corporation with many facets. For this project, I focused on their power tools division and created a trade show booth to highlight both the strength of Bosch tools and the finesse that goes into making and using them. By positioning the power tools within the context of art-making, the intent is to spark a conversation about the spaces in which these tools are used, while simultaneously displaying a high level of craft.

Objectives

Establish Bosch Power Tools as a brand that can deliver for creatives
Demonstrate the value of high-quality tools to artists and tradespeople
Highlight new tool offerings geared towards sculptors and artisans
Align the Bosch brand with bold expression and innovation
Create a gallery-like experience in a trade show booth setting

Requirements

Emphasize the material and textural qualities of concrete
Show new products
Use a minimal form language to convey precision
Use accent colors to provide artistic quality and relief from overwhelming concrete
Display an object that effectively merges the idea of refined, handheld machinery with the delicate touch and sensitivity of fine art
Confine the booth volume to a twenty-foot cube

Rationale

A trade show booth for a company in the power tool industry typically focuses on displaying the widest variety of tools possible. What if, instead, the viewer considered the immense possibilities that exist with just a few Bosch tools?

Through creating a gallery-like experience within a power tool booth, the Bosch brand can set itself apart as a tool company that values a fine touch in the development and use of its tools and encourages its customers to do the same.

Demographic Research

Brand Identity

Typical material palette of injection-molded plastic and rubber. Metal and wood will occasionally be used in trade show booths. Concrete is very commonly pictured in advertising. In advertising featuring a face, the figure is generally depicted in black and white. Green is far less common, even though it is another popular tool range. Blue is the flagship and go-to choice.

Concrete became central to this project because of its frequent use in Bosch advertising and its symbolic significance. Concrete as a material for the booth reinforces ideas of designed dependability and strength, which are core to the Bosch brand.

Many trade show booths for tool manufacturers focus on highlighting all the new additions to their respective product lines. This is certainly important, but it provides the opportunity to stand out by taking an alternative approach. A minimal approach would focus on representing a few tools more comprehensively, or on changing the typical experience altogether.

This is where the idea of positioning Bosch as an alliance to the arts arises. It’s not necessarily about excluding the hard work of R&D; an impactful experience can turn a customer into a lifetime customer. The booth serves as a setting for a conversation about trade and art, with power tools as the mediator.

Ideation

Ideation was focused on iterations of an “L” form. The proportions of the L form mean that parts are always encompassing or overhanging, depending on orientation. Thus, it was a good choice for the booth, which benefits from the ‘surrounding’ qualities. Sculptural arrangements were preferred; the rhythm and expressive forms are key to representing the artist’s design impact on the booth. All of the ideas were focused on creating an impactful sense of scale and balance. Bosch’s control over material and execution should be reinforced through the physical control over the massive forms of the booth – to construct and suspend such large forms elegantly requires engineering and vision.

From the perspective sketches, a plan view was developed to work out how the booth would actually operate. The focal point of the booth is a large sculpture, ideally created by a real artist with Bosch tools. To the left, shelves are created as cutouts in the cylinders, which form the walls. The ‘top’ of the image, or the back wall, serves as a backlight for the sculpture, providing a backdrop. The backlight enables the sculpture to stand out on a crowded expo floor by framing and illuminating the centerpiece.

The right side displays an L-profile floor fixture, designed to balance the cylinders’ circularity and provide additional opportunities for product placement. To the bottom right, the floor slopes to a wheelchair accessible grade.

There was a focus on the bent cylinders – the form is inspired by architectural elements of the city, particularly the highway overpass. The associations with stability and longevity benefit the Bosch brand, as those qualities are desirable in the power tools it offers. In the iterations, the focus was on creating a layout of the cylindrical ‘L’ forms with a clear focal point and a sense of lightness (to accentuate the delicate touch of the crafter).

Developed Renders

Cylindrical pendants offset the angularity of the platform and backlight while also providing a downlight for the sculpture.

Throughout the booth, branding is oriented in multiple ways. The sculpture is recognizable as the Bosch logo from a distance. The outer faces of the backlight and the ‘L’ floor display both display Bosch branding, which acts as an advertisement for the booth on the show floor, where visitors may approach from several directions.

In this last detail view, the other display shelves are shown. They feature a recessed, diffuse backlight set against alternating red accents. Near the right, a brochure pedestal is situated between the backlight and the wall display. This shot also features a custom poster that matches the booth theme. The graphic reads “the power to keep creating”.

Reflection

The Bosch booth was a great foray into environmental design. In the critique, there were conflicting opinions about the concept’s theoretical efficacy. I will admit the move is risky for such an established brand. However, as a potential new direction, I stand by the premise. The very discussion about its belonging in the trade show was exactly what I hoped to foster in the final experience. To that effect, this is one of my favorite projects to date.