TEXTILES.ORG
By Mason Riddle
The project. IFAI wanted to freshen up its home offices in Roseville, Minn, in anticipation of a June 2012 annual Board of Directors meeting. IFAI wanted a new look, one that would update the organization’s rather bland headquarters and imbue it with a stronger visual identity. IFAI was seeking solutions that would not only be aesthetically pleasing but also welcoming.
The companies. IFAI contacted Nora Norby, president of Banner Creations, Minneapolis, Minn.
The task. Banner Creations’ task was to enliven a long, neutral-toned hallway that led to IFAI’s boardroom. IFAI had determined to typographically display a quote by George Bernard Shaw—“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will.”—on a wall-mounted banner. For IFAI, Shaw’s quote reflects the essence of its mission and vision as a creative organization.
The challenge. To create a wall-mounted banner that would simultaneously animate and anchor the long corridor space without visually overpowering it.
The solution. Banner Creations used a triptych format for the banner, thus breaking up the succession of Shaw’s words in a graphic and visually commanding way. Two font sizes were used to further activate the banner. The two end panels measuring 48 by 36 inches flank a center panel that measures 84 by 36 inches, creating a work nearly 16 feet in length. Using a dye-sublimated printing process, black ink was printed on a white polyester FR poplin fabric, creating a sophisticated, crisp graphic look.
The result. The tri-part, wall-mounted banner is deemed a success by IFAI. According to Norby, “It was a pretty standard project that turned out great. It looks wonderful in IFAI’s offices,” she confirmed. “They were thrilled. It really sharpened up the corridor.” Indeed, the IFAI offices are more welcoming and professional, giving rather ordinary surroundings a more extraordinary identity.