Trade Show Display – Giant JVC RC 550 Radio – (VIDEO)

GlobalShop in Chicago is the place to see the best expressions of Retail POS Production. That’s where Proprint Services Inc. was, along with one of their most ambitious projects to date.

When looking back on over 30 years of Point of Sale Production, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic. For the theme of this year’s show, we found inspiration in the technology of yesteryear. What started as an homage to the legendary JVC RC550, soon turned into a tribute to the Golden Age of Hip Hop (early 1980’s).

We admire the renegades – the ones who chart new territory and play by their own rules. Before the internet came along, New York mavericks like Grand Master Flash, LL Cool J, Mc Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shante and many others, changed popular music forever. Collectively they paved the way for a world-wide cultural phenomenon. Whether you are a fan or not, you can’t deny the effect that these trailblazers had on pop culture.

The Proprint Creative Department teamed up with the Structural Design team to build a scale model of this iconic radio. Using photos sourced from the internet, they enlarged it several times over to create an impactful replica.

The radio sits on a platform that is mounted on the back wall, which is flanked by 2 more walls. Collectively they support each other and provide surface area to cover in graphic imagery.

This entire display was printed on corrugate. Within the main cavity of the radio we added a few special touches: 5 sequential LED lights pulsate to the music, a solar powered peak meter and an iPod connected to a Bose WiFi Speaker. Three turntable motorswere also added to the design; a pair to rotate the cassette reels and one to turn the tape counter.

For this project, the Digital Production team selected our INCA R40i Digital Flatbed Press to do the heavy lifting, chosen for its large format capabilities and incredible quality.  The Speed of this press was also a factor because we had a specific timeline to consider. That’s what this machine brings to the table for our clients: Dependability.
* Read more about it here.

For this trade show display, the complexity of the design required thoughtful planning and sequential assembly. One of the mandates for this execution was that it could be assembled by one person. When it comes to setting up a Retail display, it’s usually a single end-user who needs to assemble the pieces to create the unit. We take the guess work out of the assembly; the Proprint Design Team always provides printed instructions along with an instruction video.

No trade show would be complete without a take-away that would capture the imagination. The Creative and Structural departments collaborated on a folded cassette. See how it came together here:

Our friends at iLive Radio were kind enough to curate over 3 hours of classic Hip Hop into a custom mix for us.  This mix not only offered inspiration during the design process, but could be overheard playing at the trade show (yes, it actually plays music too). 

A special thanks to DJ Sessions and the other vinyl collectors who dug deep into their crates to brings these classic tracks to the surface again. You set the tone.