The client wanted a compact, illuminated countertop cabinet that would showcase their product range. The cabinet would need a rotating central hanging tree on which to display products. The cabinet would need 360degree viewing and have a strong visual presence to stand out in large retail environments. The client had been unable to find a proprietary cabinet that suited their requirements and asked Hillside to prepare concept designs to explore ideas around lighting, size, styling and features. Hillside built a lighting test rigs to establish how best the products should be lit and this guided a number of concept designs. These concepts were prepared as digital rendered images which proved very popular during reviews and the strongest ideas evolved into a single design.
The cabinets key features are its removeable, reconfigurable centre tree with height adjustable illuminated collars. The retailer can easily swap between shelving and hook-based display configurations. The retailer can also populate the display outside of the cabinet.
The concept was developed using 3D CAD in conjunction with a number of working prototypes. This approach proved to be invaluable in later stages when it came to liaising with the manufacturing partners to address technical questions concerning assembly, the rotary movement and adjusting the balance of the lighting effect.
The manufacturing of the cabinet involves several different manufacturing methods such as acrylic sheet fabrication, injection moulding, electronic assembly alongside turning/milling etc. Each component part, sub assembly and assembly were specified as a 2D control drawing accompanying 3D/2D exchange files.
Hillside supported the manufacturing partners throughout the costing, commissioning/tooling, sampling, approvals, and delivery phases. A large proportion of this occurred during the Covid19 pandemic and the agile working practises adopted by Hillside ensured everything came together for a pre the booked trade launch.