QPS pulls out the stops to revamp district of Columbia

When outdoor clothing retailer Columbia wanted to refresh its London showroom with a suite of new graphics it called on its preferred creative and print provider, Fenton, Staffordshire-based QPS Print, which has completed several projects for the brand over the past year.

What was produced?

QPS proposed to use a number of different materials and substrates throughout the showroom, including Foamex, which the business prints directly onto using its three Fujifilm Acuity Select HS flatbed printers. It also used 10mm black Foamex to cut the Columbia brand name and logo, creating depth that cut self-adhesive vinyl would not have achieved. The business produced this element using its Esko Kongsberg XL20 cutting table.

“As part of the brief Columbia wanted to display the history of their brand. We achieved this by creating a montage of cut materials that we again printed directly to. We also used framed items and mounted these directly to the wall to create the display,” said QPS managing director Jamie Copeland.

“We also produced several lit LED lightboxes at two different sizes. These were produced from powder-coated aluminium with a 60mm deep profile. The lightboxes were finished with printed fabric graphics, with a standard silicone edge that will allow them to be swapped out by Columbia staff in the future.”

What did the job entail?

QPS first visited the showroom to carry out a site survey and to discuss with Columbia the purpose of the space, who it would be used by, and the impression that the brand wanted the graphics to create.

The QPS design team produced visuals as a first draft of what they had interpreted and, once the designs were agreed and signed off by Columbia, the company moved forward to the production of the various elements. Installation was then carried out by QPS’ in-house fitting team.

What was the feedback?

From receiving the original brief to delivering the final install, the project was completed in just over three weeks, prior to the end of November 2019 and just ahead of schedule, and Columbia was extremely pleased with the outcome.

A spokesperson for the brand said: “QPS were fantastic from start to finish; in guiding us to what would work well, graphic design and implementation. We’ve had a number of great comments on the look and feel of the showroom.”


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