Focus on - Ultratend, Neelikon and Cri8ive attend Paris Cosmetics Global

 Focus on: Ultratend, Neelikon e Cri8ive attend Paris Cosmetics Global

Creating an eye-catching stand for an international event

2024 was year Cri8ive really went international. One of the achievements of which I'm proudest was the brand-new Neelikon stand, commissioned by Ultratend, which debuted at Paris Cosmetics Global.

Lo stand Neelikon, disegnato da Cri8ive e allestito da Ultratend, al Paris Cosmetics Global. Foto: courtesy of Neelikon.

Neelikon, a woldwide renown manfucaturer of pigments and dyes, needed a professional restyling for their stand which had already been used in several events. However, time was scarce, as Ultratend - the marketing service provider in charge of setting up the stand - needed to print out the various banners and ship them to Paris before the event launched.

That's where Cri8ive came into play! And I set out to turn the cards on what might have been a time-crutch emergy. In the next hours (and days), several frantic confcalls ensued, spanning from Italy to India and England; together, we planned what Neelikon's new stand was going to look like.

Neelikon's stand; front view...

A promotional stand that hits the mark must be eye-catching, reflect the scope of the brand it's advertising, and engage (and intrigue) passers-by, turning them in prospect audience. After some intensive brainstorming, we eventually settled for a pastel-colored palette; we felt it would best represent the richness of Neelikon's hues whilst keeping a soft, aerial aesthethic that was very pleasing to look at.

On the left side of the stand, we included little to no graphical elements in order to not clutter the LCD monitor displaying a promotional reel and the three shelves exposing Neelikon's products. The top banner showcased the partners and sponsors logos on a sky-blue background that stood out visually from the bulk of the stange. The photo of the model with her makeup inspired me to design the lower half of the stand with powdered colour pigments echoing the soft background palette.

Front view of Neelikon's stand

The graphic of the lower half needed to be decorative only, in order for the meaningful contents (such as the products range and features) to stand out visually. The tables and desk were strategically placed toto ensure no part of the written contents was covered or hidden from view.

... and back view

Once the front part was finished, we had to think about the back view. Seen from all angles, the stand had to be captivating and draw the attention of potential customers. We decided to use the photo of a model which had already appeared in older versions of the Neelikon stand - to give an idea of continuinity - while focusing on her makeup and the partners and sponsors icons.

Alongside the image, the word "colour" is repeated in multiple languages; an original visual solution that nicely captures the global reach of Neelikon's products. 

Back view of Neelikon's stand

Decorating the side door was a bit more of a headscratcher. The door should initialy have been located on the front side of the stand (you can see the original placement in the first Ultratend rendering); it was later switched for practical purposes. While the original plans were to leave moving elements (like door) blank, we felt a white square would not fit well with the aestethic of the overall stand.

Thus, we opted for the same gradient background that was used in the rest of the stand, with two brighter splotches of colour to reflect the same aesthethic of Neelikon's website. This way the graphic, while still decorative, blended nicely with the rest of the stand and with its bright yellow touches hinted at the coloured spheres in Neelikon's logo.

Photos from Paris Cosmetics Global

Below you find some photos from the event (courtesy of Neelikon). Seen in real life, the stand perfectly reproduces the subtle nuances and delicate colors of Cri8ive's layout, owing to the brilliant synergy with Ultratend's team of professionals. The graphic elements have been printed in record time on transparent adesive film, and the final result is nothing short of flawless.

Many heartfelt thanks to Rekha Yadav and Ultratend for this meaningful collaboration.