Joseph Merritt & Company on Environmental and Exhibit Display Graphics

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March 2010

Exhibits and Displays: Environmental Graphic Success

By Mike Antoniak

Joseph Merritt and Company brings it all together for environmental and
exhibit display graphics

Mike Antoniak is a freelance writer based in Dowelltown, Tenn. He’s covered digital imaging since its inception in the early 1980s, then covered early developments of digital printing as photo labs made their initial forays into wide-format printing. Since then, he’s written about varied aspects and applications of digital printing for several publications.

The varied capabilities of digital printing—combined with a creative approach to concept, design and delivery—make newly installed displays and exhibits an interactive experience to engage visitors while dazzling them with information. “We’re a solutions provider of something we call environmental graphics,” explains Ed Perry, president and CEO of Joseph Merritt and Company, Hartford, Conn. Merritt is an early and enthusiastic proponent of this approach to exhibits and displays, increasingly evident everywhere from museum halls to corporate lobbies. “We sell ourselves as a marketing concept company able to take our clients’ wish lists and bring them to life.” That mission gives Merritt a multifaceted market presence in the digital printing arena. The company is a well-known provider of print-on-demand, scanning, reprographics and large-format printing services, as well as sales of equipment and supplies in the Northeast. Exhibit and display services represent an important source of revenue for its “Big Color” digital services. “Half the time when clients turn to us they don’t know what they want, but they know they need something,” points out vice president Pat Freer. “They’re looking for that Wow Factor.”

CREATING UNIQUE EXPERIENCES

Client ambition has to be matched by budget. Merritt’s approach is to combine the best of all available options into an exhibit populated with displays that make for a truly unique visitor experience. Finding the right talent for every aspect of these projects is critical to success. “I can look through my Rolodex and find the right person to address any facet of a project.” notes Perry. “Some are already on staff, some are outsiders we bring in. And many of our customers are graphics designers who can also point us to the best people for the job.”

For specialized aspects of a project—like custom-built displays and cases—the company knows who to call. “If there’s something we can’t do in-house, we have the strategic alliances throughout the graphics industry to get whatever a project requires.”

FOUR PHASE PROJECTS

The company approaches exhibit installations as a four-part project. In phase one, the focus is concept development as team members meet with the client to discuss their goals, evaluate the space and begin preliminary planning. From there, the project moves into what Perry refers to as “script development:” working up a schematic of the exhibit as well as the content, graphics and displays to fill it. Once the concept is approved, the project moves into design and development for all the individual components to comprise the exhibit. In phase four, fabrication gets under way as graphics are printed, displays assembled and the exhibits installed. The visual impact of completed exhibits draw on the varied capabilities of digital printing technology. “There can be a lot of color, a lot of overpowering graphics,” notes Perry. “Digital printing has really helped on these projects. There’s so much high-quality color we can produce, then we often die-cut the graphics so they really stand out. When you’re walking down a hall and see 16 feet of color images, standing six foot tall, it really captures your attention and makes an impression.” An early believer in the power and potential of digital printing, Perry has assembled a diverse mix of systems at Merritt, from standard to grand format. For large-format graphics, print options include the Océ LightJet 5000 photo imager, a Gandinnovations 3150 UV-curing flatbed inkjet printer; an HP /Scitex XL 1500; and an EFI VUTEk QS3200r rollto-roll UV-curing inkjet printer. “As in all parts of our business, we also have to be cognizant of all the latest developments like electronic signage,” adds Perry. “We try to remain diversified, and able to pull together whatever it takes to make for a truly unique exhibit.” In fact, Merritt’s past projects may be its most effective advertisement for future business: “Most jobs we get are referrals based on something else we’ve done or people have seen,” he notes. The environmental approach to creating an exhibit space has been adapted to a variety of settings and situations. “We’ve done several corporate lobbies where they want to display and celebrate their rich history,” notes Perry. For nonprofits like hospitals, Joseph Merritt and Company has created wall displays recognizing donors. At Hartford’s Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority Trash Museum, Merritt’s team combined digital graphics with interactive digital displays to engage and educate students and visitors. The company’s expertise has also been called on to transform everyday RVs into a mobile gaming arcade for a video game maker, and rolling exhibits for Connecticut’s Audubon Society and the American Lung Association.

ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS

For a better idea of Merritt’s definition of environmental graphics, and all a modern exhibit can entail, it might be best to take a brief look at one installation. In 2008, representatives of Rhode Island’s Providence College turned to the company for help with an ambitious project. The goal: transform the mundane hallway leading to the athletic facilities for the school’s Friars basketball team into a celebration of the team and its enduring legacy. “They asked for our help to create an experience that would have an impact on recruits to the basketball program the first time they walk down that hall,” says Perry. “They wanted to let them know all about the school’s rich basketball history, and the players and hall of famers who have graduated from the program.” Working with the Providence Athletics Director and his staff, Merritt’s teams incorporated existing display cases into a mini-museum. In all there are 14 stories represented (seven on the wall and seven in glass cases). Each area celebrates a different aspect of the basketball program: current team members, legendary players and seasons, Hall of Fame graduates of the program. More than 3,000 pieces are featured. In each exhibit area, there’s a mix of digital prints, informative text, archival material and LCD displays playing footage of key moments in Friars history. Reinforcing the overall experience are large-format color prints of key players. They adorn one wall where the floor is an exact replica of a section of playing floor from the Friar’s Home Court at Providence’s Dunkin’ Donuts arena. “That’s a good example of the kind of custom work we’ll do to create a unique environment,” Perry says. “The floor was a new idea specific to that project, but it’s something we might use again.” Visitors can’t help but come away impressed, and that’s exactly the reaction Joseph Merritt and Company strives to achieve in all its exhibit work. “The best thing we have going for us is our reputation,” sums up Perry. “We’re quite proud of our people and the things we’ve been able to accomplish.” SDG

Because of its creative appoach to conept, design and delivery, Joseph Merritt and Company is able to offer a range of exhibit and display graphic styles—including this interesting presentation created for the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, CT.

One hallway display celebrates former ball players who went on to become Basketball Hall of Famers.

For Providence College in Rhode Island, Merritt transformed a mundane hallway leading to the athletic facilities into a celebration of the school's Friars basketball team and its enduring legacy.

Sometimes exhibit dsiplay graphics jobs involve a vehicle wrap. Such was the case with this striking RV whose exterior and interior were made into a rolling exhibit for Connecticut's Audubon Society.

This freestanding display is another example of Merritt's graphic and fabrication capabilities.

These interesting displays for the Trash Museum combine digital graphics with interactive exhibits greared to educating students on environmentalism. The museum was created for the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority in Hartford.

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