Out-of-Home Media – 2020 Second Place Winner
Designer:
Astral Media Outdoor
Manufacturer:
Clockwork Productions/LRA and Associates
Submitter:
Frank Turner
Client:
Astral Media Outdoor
Location:
Toronto, ON
Materials and Methods:
Clockwork Productions contracted LRA3D to produce Maker’s Mark 3D bottles to be installed on June 10, 2019 to promote the brand in the lucrative Greater Toronto Area market. The final products, three giant translucent backlit Maker’s Mark bottles, were mounted in high-traffic transit shelters in the GTA. Our process started with the creation of 3D computer-aided design (CAD) drawings of a Maker’s Mark bottle in Rhino3D, using an actual bottle with the signature red wax seals over the cork as a model. The drawing was sized to the proper scale to fit a transit shelter TSA box, and renderings were produced to ensure the look matched agency expectations. After several rounds of changes to the bottle shape and such details as the length and depth of the drips, the final approved drawing was used to create a medium-density fibreboard mould, machined in multiple layers on the company’s four-axis computer numerical control (CNC) router. The mould was coated and hand sanded to a smooth fine finish required for vacuum forming of clear plastic parts. The vacuum former was used to produce copies of the raised bottle from high-impact clear acrylic plastic sheets, each bottle was then airbrushed using tinted automotive candy paints, allowing for colour and shading details while maintaining a semi-translucent finish. The bottles were then mounted in frames sized to fit each bus shelter. While backlighting was to come primarily from existing shelter lights, additional light-emitting diode (LED) lights were attached to illuminate the bottle neck which extended above the shelter. Finally, a mask was applied to flat areas, and printed vinyl labels were adhered to the bottles to finish the look. At installation, the exterior frame was wrapped in woodgrain vinyl to simulate the look of an oak barrel. The result was a stunning realistic, larger-than-life display, impressive both day and night to pedestrians and motorists alike.