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Pushing the enclosure envelope, part 1

While traditional designs still make sense for a great number of applications, there are other times that call for something special. We take a look at some recent enclosure designs that use imagination and artistry to give kiosks a whole new look.

May 15, 2005

To Frank Olea, a kiosk is more than a device, more than a tool, more than a high-tech box. To him, a kiosk can be — should be — functional art.

As vice president of sales and marketing forOlea Exhibits/Displays Inc., a California-based company with 25 years experience in the design and manufacture of kiosks, exhibits and retail fixtures, he has come to understand that every project is different. He willfully abandons the one-size-fits-all approach to design, focusing instead on each unique application and the relationship it will have not only with its users, but also with the physical space around it.

"Some kiosks, you want them to blend with the environment, an interior or a lobby," he said. "But other kiosks, you want them to stand out and be noticed from the other side of the room."

While many enclosure designs look similar, with perhaps a tweak here and there to differentiate, Olea said his company tries to focus on designs that are entirely their own. He does warn, however, against designs that are too abstract, unusual or trendy.

Olea's new "outdoor sculpture" kiosk concept

"When you're trying to be on the cutting edge of design, in a few years you could look back and say, 'Oh, that's so obviously 2005,' like how we look back on something from the '80s now," he said. "You don't want to use up-to-the-minute trends, necessarily, or colors that are the 'now colors' — you want to use things that are a little more timeless, the silvers. They're always going to be around. My designers are always working on coming up with that happy medium — (making a design that is) unique to its environment, but not so unique that it needs to be changed within a year."

Olea says the thinking behind the company's new outdoor concept is "outdoor sculpture" — making the kiosk a component of the architecture, not just a lock-box that holds a device. "We want it to complement a building's exterior, rather than just be a pure utilitarian design," he said.

Here's a brief look at some other enclosure designs that push the envelope — or, in some cases, tear it apart entirely.

Frank Mayer's wireless, portable kiosk for BMW

Grafton, Wis.-basedFrank Mayer & Associateswas contacted by BMW in late 2004 to help build excitement for the new X3 model. One portion of the marketing plan, which doubled as a philanthropic event, was a series of "ride-and-drives," which raised money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

"They went out and did a phenomenal job by having these ride-and-drives, where people could go and donate money through the kiosk with a credit card swipe," said Ronald Bowers, senior vice president of business development for Frank Mayer. "And it raised quite a few million dollars for them."

A big part of the event was the ability to test-drive the X3. So when it came time to design the kiosks, Mayer's team built a slick enclosure that resembled a surfboard — and, more importantly, folded down so that it could actually fit inside the new BMW.

"So, the criteria were, it had to be a wireless technology that could easily be put in the back of a BMW X3, then unloaded and put up in the remote event marketing location — it could be a parking lot or a racetrack or an airport," Bowers said. "There were a number of places it was used, and it created a very successful operation."

Thanks to wireless technology provided byNetkey, the X3 kiosk can be set up virtually anywhere; an internal Sprint data card allows it to access the Internet for remote management and content update purposes.

"Uniquely, it was form follows function — our core business is visual merchandising," Bowers said. "We approach our design for the kiosk, whatever that might be, based off of our visual merchandising experience — we try to create a branded experience. The primary thing is, there has to be a call to action that involves the consumer, the retailer, and the product itself."

He estimates that about 350 of the units are currently in the field. "I believe there's an order pending for probably about another 500," he added.

D2 Sales' "Tree of Knowledge" kiosk

The Mequon, Wis. company D2 Sales LLC prides itself on thinking that is "definitely outside the box." With its first design, D2 wanted to show its creative and open-minded approach; that led to the "Tree of Knowledge," which can currently be seen in the company's lobby.

"The tree was D2's first kiosk and was designed as a statement of the company's philosophy on kiosk building —that enclosures don't have to be limited to just a box," said D2's Sandra Nix. "As a company, D2 believes that enclosures should be a natural extension of the content and of the company's image as a whole. D2 works primarily with companies for whom brand integrity and message is key, because we have the ability to create an enclosure that accurately integrates that look and feel into the customer's brand experience."

The tree itself is made of powder-coated steel. It's a particularly ingenious example of good design that also improves functionality — cables run through the "trunk" of the tree and out through the roots, making them completely inconspicuous.

Other projects D2 has spearheaded include a colorful and inviting kids kiosk for Burger King and an Internet access "phone booth" for SBC/Yahoo!, currently deployed in Chicago and Dallas.

KlearFlex's design for a real estate agent combines transparent and translucent materials with special lighting.

Real estate agents are constantly looking for ways to stand out from their peers — it's a brutal business, and increasingly competitive.

One Michigan agent contacted KlearFlex Kiosks, a company that specializes in creative use of lighting and translucent materials to make visually striking designs.

"This is the most unusual case we have made to date for a customer," said Chris Dupree, vice president of KlearFlex. "It is fabricated acrylic material and has a touchscreen in the roof. The base has a backlit sign on three sides. It is very unique." The kiosk is used in the agent's office, but is also taken to special shows and some house showings.

Dupree said that his company focuses on the unique aesthetic possibilities that begin to emerge when you combine traditional materials like metal with translucent and transparent materials and special lighting.

"These kiosks definitely get noticed, which is what we are all about," he said.

Some of the most dramatic and visually memorable designs in recent years have come from the mind of Julian Bowron.

Bowron, who started the Canadian firm The Feature Factory in 1984, came from an artistic background — he apprenticed in sculpture, blacksmithing and photography in Vancouver and studied industrial design at the Ontario College of Art.

Today, The Feature Factory and its sister company The Kiosk Factory consistently turn out designs that are not only visually stunning, but are logically tied in to their use and placement.

One of the company's most popular designs was a series of campy ticketing kiosks for the Famous Player movie theater chain, including alien, butler and Ming designs. "Apparently the Alien ticket machines are among the most heavily used kiosks in the world," Bowron said.

For a deeper look into the mind of Julian Bowron,be sure to read our "Who?s Who" profilefrom October of 2002.

[Editor's note: As the title of this story suggests, we're hoping to make this a regular, occasionally recurring feature. So if you've recently completed an enclosure design that you think is visionary, please tell me about it —send me an emaildescribing the project, and please include a photo.]