Toys r us: architectural branding
The scrolling graphics in "synthesizer" mode changing from a scenario of kids faces to an abstraction of the Toys R Us color palette.
Branding the Toys R Us flagship store in the media-dense environment of Times Square, Grace Ong Yan and an interdisciplinary design team at Gensler developed an innovative scrolling billboard that generated its own advertising revenue.
The “building board” consists of 165 individual modules, on the same grid as the curtain wall system. Each is controlled by a programmable scroller, allowing up to seven separate scenes to be displayed. The result is flexibility in creating a dynamic choreographed show. An eighth panel, which is clear, reveals the interior of the store. the Toys R Us store is an excellent example of architectural branding.
View of the "synthesizer" transition as it completes to a facade of the company's color palette.
The facade in clear panel mode, revealing the spectacle of a ferris wheel inside the store.
The Toys R Us dynamic facade. A transition from a kids face facade to a logo-rich facade.
Early facade study addressing projecting images of the audience- kids.
Early facade study exploring a transitional view into the interior of the store.
Digital study model exploring how the facade interfaces with the store.
The scroller system changes to the clear panels, revealing the store interior.