Reusable stand for trade fairs 2023

When thinking about a reusable stand we wanted to go beyond the simple fact that it could be stored and reassembled at a later date. In the end, any stand designed with that intention in mind from the beginning can be reusable. What we wanted to achieve on this occasion was a stand that carried the concept of reuse in its DNA, so that all parts of the stand were part of the set, both when it is assembled and when it is disassembled.

We start from the cube as a basic element from which the stand is unfolded and folded, being both content and container.

The use of this cube shape serves a number of purposes, from ensuring the stability and durability of the structure or maximum efficiency in the use of space, to the purely aesthetic such as transmitting order, cleanliness or harmonising with adjacent elements.

Although the basic module is a cube, the combination of several cubes makes it possible to obtain a wide variety of spaces that, within the simplicity of their shapes, provide volumetric richness and modularity. From one cube we project others telescopically and we have a tower. By joining two cubes we get a storeroom...

Beyond the cube as the backbone and storage element of the project when it is not assembled, if we go into it we can separate different elements that fit into it and that are functional at the same time. We keep the geometric game of the beginning and, as if it were a puzzle, we generate elements that become container and content again. So, we can have a table, which the chairs fit in, etc.

The initial project contemplated the assembly and disassembly at three trade shows (Construmat, SIL and Saló Nàutic) in which only the graphics had to be updated according to the subject matter of the show. The simple geometry of the cube allowed for quick and easy adaptability in each location even where the floor plan (SIL) or the location (Saló Nàutic) were very different from the usual. Only in the Saló Nàutic was a chromatic change applied to bring the stand closer to the customer's target.

The conceptual process ended with the development of a claim and a graphic line that maintained the essence and the idea that the production itself wanted to transmit: bucket, box, transport, reuse…

We see the claim as the link between the space we occupy and the message we want to convey. A tool that complements and reinforces the general discourse. Therefore, in addition to being aligned with the overall story of each show, it is necessary to link it to our intervention. A switch connecting both ends.

As we have already explained in the conceptualisation, we start from the cube as a simple element that houses and deploys many more functionalities as we move forward. So we looked for their correspondence with the policies and services of an administration (as in this case) and their impact on society (cube-wall-puff/administration-policy-action). The action of opening, deploying... everything that makes up (everything encased) a policy and putting it into operation is the only way to reach goals (horizons) where actions improve the current situation.

To create the graphic line, we started from the image associated with the packing boxes. Using resources such as: pictograms, labels and adhesive tapes. These resources make it possible to show the information to be communicated in an orderly, clear and very direct way, with contrast and without overlapping. In this way we facilitate the accessibility of information to all users and in particular to people with a visual impairment.

This information will correspond to relevant data, key words, outstanding headlines... We are eschewing printed matter as the main information medium. All the important images and videos will be displayed on a videowall.

The entire project has been developed with EFS's own team without resorting to outsourcing.