Client: Trek
Project: HQ Refresh
►Project
Description
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Trek Bicycle is a truly outstanding organization. Recently included in TIME’s second annual TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, it doesn’t take much digging to uncover the extraordinary impact this company has made around the world.
AXIS has had the honor of working alongside Trek for nearly a decade. During that time, we’ve been a part of countless conversations focused on service, sustainability, innovation, and social responsibility, helping the Trek retail team bring these pillars to life in a variety of retail and community settings.
Most recently, AXIS partnered with Trek to assist with a remodel of their corporate campus in Waterloo, WI. This multifaceted space acts as a gathering place for employees, partners, athletes, friends, family, and stakeholders alike.
►design
process
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With nearly 50 years of milestones and memories to share, Trek set out to design an interactive brand experience employees and guests could enjoy together - one that honors its heritage, celebrates its history, and recognizes the accomplishments of its people in the stores and on the trails. Together, these unique pieces tell the stories of Trek’s legacy, reiterating the significance one person, one idea, one dream can have on an entire industry.
Working within two main areas - the public lobby and the employee commons/café area - AXIS helped Trek create four distinct exploration zones.
-Vignettes
-Timeline Wall
-Recognition Wall
-Great Rides DisplayIt was paramount these spaces be built to present A LOT of information in a highly visual, tactile manner. Trek wanted to evoke the senses of its visitors, inviting people to look, feel, hear, and see the stories in a tangible way.
Design Process:
When AXIS began working with Trek on this endeavor, Trek already had loose concepts in mind. Our task was to take these concepts, perfect them, 3D engineer them to ensure efficient manufacturability, produce them, and get them installed before Trek’s annual charity event - The Trek 100. We had just under 8 weeks to accomplish this. No small feat.
►Atrium vignettes
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Design Premise & Purpose:
Shed light on Trek’s culture, Pillars for Success, and 10 areas of focus through life-size themed lightboxes.
Design Process:
AXIS took a 2D sketch concept and engineered it to be manufacturable, adaptable, flexible, and high end according to Trek’s preferred size, material, and aesthetic. AXIS worked with internal and external Trek graphic partners to create and install the imagery within each vignette.
Key Design Elements:
Recognizing the potential within each vignette area, AXIS also helped Trek create individual multi-dimensional merchandising spaces complementary to each lightbox’s theme.
Specs & Functionality:
Total of (7) 9x9’ units
The plywood, veneer, and metal units utilize top and bottom channels to support airline cables that allow backlit signage to be displayed. The back wall contains a lightbox that holds changeable SEGs
►timeline
wall
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Design Premise & Purpose:
The intent of the Timeline Wall was to create a multi-use space displaying different aspects of the company - people, places, things, events - as it evolved over the years.
Two kiosks - a matriarch and a patriarch honoring the founder of Trek’s parents - anchored both the structural and graphical design direction.
Additionally, Trek asked for something different with this wall - something unexpected. We were asked to bring the drama!.
Design Process:
Trek provided AXIS with a 2D vision for this piece and AXIS turned that idea into a reality.
A layout was given to AXIS to guide the arrangement of the many photos, graphics, and messaging “boxes.” AXIS worked closely with Trek’s print shop to get those content pieces produced and ready for installation.
Key Design Elements:
Trek desired each graphic to “disappear” into the wall rather than lie flat to provide more visual appeal. Strategic angles were also incorporated to create interest.
Specs & Functionality:
A 12’x20’ piece of wall was installed around the corner of the lobby and continued on for another 16 feet.
►Great
Rides
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Design Premise & Purpose:
One of Trek’s passions is to help more people explore more of the outdoors on their bikes. Trek wanted to create a low-tech, but still interactive, display to showcase trails and rides within the Midwest.
Design Process:
For this piece, a series of cubes was developed, each focusing on a specific ride or trail. Users can spin each cube to get various pieces of information about the trail, see photos, snap a picture of the trail map and more.
Rather than standing at a kiosk or screen, users get to touch and connect with the experience in a meaningful, fun, and interesting manner.
As with other projects, AXIS received parameters of a 2D vision from Trek and then engineered every aspect of it into a reality. We worked with Trek’s print shop to apply the graphics onto the cubes and then installed the cubes into the wall structure.
Key Design Elements:
Created a floating wall illusion. Cubes were also designed to easily accommodate graphic updates.
Specs & Functionality:
(55) 11”x11”x11” wood and veneer cubes made up the whole piece.
►Recognition wall
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Design Premise & Purpose:
The goal of this piece was to celebrate and recognize past and present employees, shop owners, athletes, and other notable individuals whose contributions helped create the Trek legacy we’ve all come to know and love today.
Design Process:
This concept was delivered to AXIS in the loosest form. There was an immense amount of content to arrange and the engineering process proved more challenging than in other projects due to the receiving wall’s imperfect nature.
Nonetheless, a 10 foot 10 inch tall wood structure stretching 26 feet in one direction and 20 feet in the other was constructed to house a decorative weave. The weave panels were then designed to hold each graphic plate.
In addition to the wood structure, AXIS manufactured the weave panels and sent them to Trek’s printer to apply the decorative wood graphic plates. Once applied, AXIS installed the entire system to the main wall.
Key Design Elements:
The weave is an important symbolic reference for Trek, signifying the interdependent relationship between its employees’ individual achievements and its ability to make major technological advancements in the cycling industry. It was important to Trek to showcase both aspects of that story.
This was designed to be a “living wall” providing Trek team members with the ability to easily update, move, or otherwise change the content on or location of the graphic plates.
