Following the recent success of several of our clients, the 3D Exhibits team is more convinced than ever that vignettes are a powerful way to increase the success of a trade show exhibit.
Vignettes evoke imagination, increase dwell time, draw attention and increase prospects' understanding of your brand and products.
Click here to learn more about why to incorporate a vignette in your trade show exhibit design. If you're already onboard, here are some techniques for getting the most out of your trade show booth vignettes:
Select featured products carefully. Place the products you want to highlight in vignettes—either alone or with a few complimentary products you are hoping to cross-sell. Don't try to incorporate the entire line or you'll risk having nothing stand out as all of your products blend together.
Create a story. Capture attendees' attention and evoke visitors' imaginations by creating a cohesive and consistent story. Your vignette should include products, a few props and look like a real-life or themed setting that expresses your intent—whether it be aspirational or utilitarian.
What you want is for visitors to see your vignette and then ask themselves: What is this place? What sort of person lives or works here? How does this relate to me and my life? Everything matters from the name on the spines of the books you select to the pattern fabric you drape over the table.
A great example is the pet vignette Amcor used to showcase its ability to create packaging for pet products at Pack Expo. The placement of several samples of Amcor dog treat packaging on the floor next to the "kitchen" counter—along with a food bowl and dangling leash—communicated Amcor's capability loud and clear. Not a single piece of signage was necessary.
Simplify. Learn from the high-end clothing retailers that only display one of each item in their stores: Include just enough elements to tell the story—but no more. And make sure the focus remains on your product.
Add too many props and your visitors won't know where to look.
Likewise, you can think of it as being similar to when a realtor stages a house for sale by removing clutter and even the current owner's personal photos. You want to leave room for the attendee to imagine herself as part of the scenario.
Balance. Apply the rules of good artistic composition: Place things in groups. Create triangular areas to encourage people's eyes to move through your vignette. Add visual interest by selecting items with a mixture of shapes, textures and sizes.
Adhere to a planned color palette. This could be tonal, pastel, brights or an other palette that reinforces your brand image.
Highlight your message. Draw attention where you want it with light, accent color—or even the sizes of the objects. Any fixtures should be almost invisible.
Leave adequate white space around your vignette to help visitors focus. Blank space can make a powerful frame.
Create the right perception of quality and brand. Make sure your finishes and props are consistent with the quality and price-point of your products. There is a big difference between what you need to do to catch the eye of Home Depot and what's going to attract Restoration Hardware.
Involve multiple senses and activities. Engage attendees further by integrating taste, touch or smell as appropriate.
For instance, if your goal is to communicate homey, you might pipe in the crisp, cinnamony scent of fresh-baked apple pie. Or if you're trying to communicate that your baking sheets are commercial grade, drive your point home by baking—or at least serving—cookies from your cookie sheets in your bakery vignette.
Place signage at eye level. It's better no to include any copy in your vignette. But if you have to, place it at eye level where visitors are most likely to see it.
Plan ahead. Save time at the show by planning and setting-up your vignettes ahead of time. Take digital photos so your team can quickly recreate the scene once you get to the show.
If you'd like to explore how a vignette might work in your exhibit, shoot an email to ngenarella (at) 3DExhibits (dot) com and I'll hook you up with one of our exhibit designers.
