Apples and oranges, though colorful, were a little too ordinary for Central Market's 'Confuse Your Juicer' advertising campaign, aimed at portraying the upscale specialty and fresh food store's passion for food. So instead, a blown up horned melon popped out of two billboards in Austin and Southlake, Texas. 'We tried to take the in-store experience out of the store,' says Eric Webber of marketing and creative agency McGarrah/Jesse.

The prickly produce’s three-dimensional effect was created using a combination of intricate photography, Photoshop work, and some deft printing and installation. Initial capture was done with a Canon EOS 5D digital SLR in conjunction with a 100mm micro lens, followed by the addition of subtle shading on the bottom and sides of the spikes via Photoshop CS3.

Final output was executed by the Dallas Branch of Kubin-Nicholson, which has a longstanding relationship with McGarrah/Jesse. Kubin used its EFI Vutek 5330, taking only about half an hour to produce the seamless 14 x 48-foot billboard graphic, at 150 dpi, onto Cooley Flex vinyl.

To further intensify the melon's 3-D look, 2 1/2 x 20-foot extensions were added to the top and side of the billboard. Kubin-Nicholson also printed the extension work, and provided the extension plywood to the installation company. The install company adhered the Cooley extensions to the plywood, creating the horned melon's overhang.

Overall, just as the horned melon-which tastes like a cucumber and kiwi combined-is likely to confuse a juicer, the image of it is likely to make viewers believe it’s popping out of the billboard.

KUBIN-NICHOLSON
www.kubin.com