Windows to the World

When faced with a quick turnaround for an exciting storefront display at the MTV Store in New York’s Times Square, Duggal Visual Solutions proved itself an ideal choice for the job. The shop had just one week to produce window graphics for Yoostar, the online “greenscreen” system that lets players put themselves in famous movie scenes, in conjunction with a one-week promotion with Viacom.

In business since 1960, Duggal Visual Solutions has 30,000 square feet of space on West 23rd Street in New York City. In 2008, it added three facilities in Brooklyn (it already had one), and some of its facilities now run 24/7. The company offers not only wide-format output but also an array of other services, such as scanning, photography and design services, fine-art printing, fulfillment, offset print work, and even video/multimedia. Its corporate clients have included the likes of Disney, Victoria’s Secret, Getty Images, Abercrombie & Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, The Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren, The Museum of Modern Art, Tiffany’s, Coach, and other top-tier names.

Yoostar senior creative director Jason Falk created the graphics for the 10.5-foot-high window displays in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. “The client had a vision of green graphics that almost glowed—but faded to clear,” Duggal’s Faith Young says. The graphics were meant to give passersby an idea of what the game is about without obscuring any demonstrations that might be going on inside the store. And, as you might guess, it was critical that the product and logos could be easily seen in the final design.

It was Young who suggested a white pass under the graphics to help them pop—otherwise they’d likely be lost against the store’s interior. And once it was decided that white ink was needed, the company turned to its Durst Rho 500R for final output.
In the file set up, Young explains, white has its own channel, i.e. CMYK +W. They set the files so that the type and logos had white behind them, and everything else was clear. The one exception was the graphic over the door, which resembled a movie theater marquee: “That was a full white ‘flood,’” Young says.

Final output and proofs were done on a clear adhesive vinyl proprietary to Duggal in conjunction with Durst inks. Total output: 500 square feet. The only finishing required was trim work. Duggal executed the installation, which required four hours.

DUGGAL VISUAL SYSTEMS
www.duggal.com