TEXTILES.ORG
By Abbie Yarger
The project. A tour promoting Gatorade Tiger, a beverage endorsed by Tiger Woods, required a large, lightweight structure that would create a memorable experience for guests and build strong brand identity. The structure had to be easily transported.
The companies. GMR Marketing, New Berlin, Wis., chose Pacific Domes, Ashland, Ore., to create a versatile, engaging dome. Pacific Domes enlisted DPI Printing Services, San Francisco, Calif., to print graphics on the fabric of the structure’s exterior.
The task. “We needed to provide superior visibility and branding that would entice the public to join in,” says Matt Delbridge, marketing director for Pacific Domes. The 24-foot dome, branded with the Gatorade logo, housed a golf simulator that allowed visitors to participate in a long-drive contest. As a nod to a commercial in which Woods drives a golf ball off the moon, the client wanted the dome to resemble the moon.
The challenge. The moon theme had to continue outside and inside the dome. Mapping the detailed moon graphic onto the faceted surface of the structure proved to be a complex task. The interior of the structure had to make participants feel as though they were standing on the moon.
The solution. Designers at Pacific Domes digitally created a rendering of the moon image that covered the exterior of the structure. The 3-D image was flattened during production to accommodate the 2-D surface of the dome, which was covered in Pacific Domes’ Event Lite, a translucent, porous fabric. The Gatorade logo, mapped and printed separately, was placed on the moon background. DPI Printing Services printed the graphics with a dye-sublimation printer. A liner made of Pacific Domes Theatre Fabric achieved the blockout effect inside the dome.
The result. The geodesic dome completed the five-city tour. Visitors enjoyed the experience of the event, and people who could not attend were able to view the event online.