Sage Journal   •   May 28, 2019

And now, to wrap up our BIG project with Mercy Corps, we bring you Part 2 of the Action Center Facelift.

If you missed part 1, you can go back and explore the first portion of the project.

You can also see part 1 and part 2 shown in this walk through video!

In an effort to bring more fun, interactive elements into the Action Center, Mercy Corps wanted to have graphics produced and installed on an old working telephone booth to make it not only visually intriguing, but a literal call to action piece.

Here’s how we tackled the project:

• We custom tested and supplied Mercy Corps with options for keeping the 2 top window sections see-through on all sides utilizing different transparencies and opacities of talk bubbles.
• For the bottom panels, Mercy Corps wanted them wrapped in vibrant graphics inside and out, and with some of the call to action words done in such a way that they were sometimes opaque, double sided, and/or reversed out look when inside the booth.
• They also wanted some unique detailed elements inside the booth including the coin slot, dialing instructions and more, achieved through stickers printed, installed, and hand trimmed for a perfect fit.
• Midway through the project the stickers planned for the phone frame did not achieve the desired look, so after discussing with Mercy Corps, we replaced them with a rigid sintra substrate cut into circles and installed. This was a much better solution for this surface!
• Mercy Corps also wanted stickers as take aways, so three versions of circle shaped stickers were supplied (fun fact: originally the stickers were going to be talk bubble shaped, but due do cost and the desire to have a larger quantity vs a fancy shape, we changed them to circles instead).

To draw together the room with something visually interesting that tells a story, Mercy Corps wanted to have a timeline produced and installed on the carpet! The timeline would lead visitors through the Action Center down the path that Mercy Corps has traveled over the years.

Able Sage was ready for this challenge having just returned from an industry trade show where we researched products that would give Mercy Corps the desired effect.

Here’s how the timeline project played out:

• We met with Mercy Corps and brought samples of adhesive back carpet graphics, doing a temporary installation to see how it held up over a couple of weeks of foot traffic.
• We provided samples of adhesive back carpet graphic materials to show both colors and to test adhesion even further with a piece as similar as possible to what would be produced. (we love to test and retest so we can it just right!)
• Next, we quoted out the project and put the graphics into production.
• The installation was mapped out by the client, but as happens with projects like this and all the moving parts, sometimes plans have to flex. So while the client prepared on their end, we worked on the telephone booth.
• Finally, with careful measuring and final placement, the carpet graphics were installed and the whole project was complete.

If you get a chance, stop by the Mercy Corps Action Center and explore this new interactive display. It captures the heart of what they are doing and invites you into the story. We’re proud to have been a part of making this space come to life and we’re looking forward to what’s next on the project docket with Mercy Corps. Stay tuned for future updates.