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order to better position the Food Bank to meet the increasing need for years to come, NIFB launched a Capital Campaign “We are running out of space, but not out of hungry people” to build a new Food Distribution and Community Nutrition Center. The campaign was a success and The Food Bank opened the doors of their new facility.
To recognize and thank the donors for their support, the Food Bank wanted a unique donor wall that fit the new open space of the lobby. The challenge was designing something that spoke to the food bank and their campaign, but fit the space. The creative process went from a logo wall using actual food cans to, a display of food cans, but the final design was geometric formation of cylinders to represent cans.
To also add a sense of impact, images and quotes were incorporated into the layout. The final design identifies four levels of giving, relates to the food bank, adds shape, color and reflection to the space.
The curved tin was also designed into the facilities wayfinding and room naming opportunities for donors to be recognized on.
A touch screen kiosk was developed for the lobby which displays informational content about the food bank and is also an educational component about features of the building.
The result was a one-of-a-kind look and design the Food Bank was proud to showcase and share with the community it serves.
Annual donor membership and volunteer support helps achieve the mission – to provide nutritious food to all those in need. This yearly support is now recognized on the custom donor display found in a main hallway of the food bank. Both the annual wall and the volunteer wall use Presentations Rail Wall System with color sections to distinguish categories. Yearly updates are easily made by inserting new prints into the grid columns.
The result is an attractive display of names which shows importance and thanks to those individuals making a difference.
Inspiration for the updateable donor recognition displays comes from quilt patterned tiles located on the building’s exterior. With the donor recognition displays, they give reference to the local farm culture and the state of the art animal show arena in which the donations were given. The quilt display allows for various levels of recognition. The “Block by Block” donor display and it’s partner display “Champion’s Circle”, creates added interest in the campaign. Each wall underscores the importance of community giving. Currently the donor display is located inside the expansive hallway adjacent to the arena. Bright primary colors stand out against the grey and brown minimal space. Individual tiles are added every year as more donations come in. Due to the success of the ongoing campaign, a second donor quilt wall was created to accommodate the additional donors.
The different tile colors and size pieces on the quilt donor recognition display represent the different giving levels. For details about the campaign, a companion key accompanies each donor display. It tells the story of the campaign, shows the different giving levels and brochures are available for potential donors to take. Continually promoting and celebration the ongoing campaign for current and future donors.
Focusing on a renovation for the 100 year old theatre, the board wanted to update the existing, hard to read donor recognition panels and they wanted to include past and present donors. At the beginning of the renovation stage is when we were asked to scout a location for the new donor wall. Within moments of entering the new atrium lobbywe knew where the new donor panel should be located. A 30’ x 20’ wall next to the concession counter was the perfect spot to give the most visibility and recognize the generous donors. The beautiful floor length windows opposite the proposed donor wall allowed viewing from the street, even when the theatre was closed. Throughout the ornate theatre there are spectacular plaster theatrical masks, so when we picked the iconic tragedy/comedy theatrical masks for the overall design, it seemed a natural fit. We began by hand drawing the masks, and then through graphic art a pointillist art piece was designed. Composed of individual, black matt Plexiglas pieces with screened names, each size denotes giving level and a star represents prior status. Most importantly they are easy to read.
Because the Theatre Board wanted to make sure all of the arts were represented, a custom wallpaper ribbon with other theatre concerns was developed for the center of the donor wall. The tragedy/comedy faces were a focal point in the spacious new lobby.
Sadly, because of the devastating flood of June 2008, the Paramount Theatre is closed and the spectacular donor recognition wall no longer exists.
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ith global vision and innovative curriculum, Kirkwood is redefining the role of the community college in meeting the academic needs of the 21st century. Now more than ever, that vision is reaching far beyond its growing main campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Working in partnership with eight school districts and other community partners, Kirkwood’s Jones Regional Education Center in Monticello will have a significant impact on the entire region, creating more educational opportunities, additional economic development and a better workforce.
To recognize this great partnership Kirkwood asked Presentations to design and create a recognition display for the new facility. Our first step was understanding this partnership and then to figure out in what way can we express this on a wall. A quote from Kirkwood’s President captured just that and we decided it was a great message to include within the display. Using the circular Kirkwood logo as the focus we designed arched sections to wrap around and create a sense of connection and partnership. We designed the piece to be an abstract art form on the wall which gives it interest to stand out and be noticed. The President’s quote is included on the largest section then the three addition overlapping layers stair step back to include around 200 partner/donor names. To create a lasting impression we created every thing on custom cut aluminum panels and applied clear lexan prints to allow the shimmer of the aluminum to shine and create impact.
The result is a one of a kind donor recognition wall that provides a lasting reminder of a partnership within a community which created a center that will serve as a national model for other rural areas to follow.
