We’ve worked across numerous projects with Manchester Airports Group (MAG), but this one got us all a bit giddy. When the team at East Midlands Airport wanted to turn a windowless seating space into an interactive play area for young children, we couldn’t wait to get going. Travelling abroad with young children can be stressful. In response to this, MAG had developed a suite of playful characters to appeal to children and communicate a range of messaging. The creative team at MX took these five characters to create a fun and vibrant room with custom designed play area graphics across three large walls and the floor too.
The EMA team brought us in to discussions at an early stage of the project. They has chosen a selection of interactive puzzles, games and equipment that we would design our play area graphics around. They supplied us with a handy plan and audit of the units with dimensions and a preferred position height. Catering for children between ages three to 12, some of the puzzles began at just 500mm from the floor and some reached to up to 1200mm – whilst a freestanding aeroplane structure would sit centrally within the room.
Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the works completed this week! It looks fantastic and it’s going to be received so well by colleagues and customers when the equipment is in!
STACIE - EAST MIDLANDS AIRPORT
The play area graphics for the walls spanned three elevations. We chose the back wall to introduce the Little Flyers characters and create a branded feature wall for photo opportunities. This wall would form the backdrop for activities and greet visitors as they arrived. There wouldn’t be any puzzles or games on this wall, we chose to locate these on the two larger walls on the left and right to help distribute children evenly and avoid overcrowding in corners. The wall graphics for the play area are designed to reflect the local countryside and create a landscape the flows from the floor design to the walls.
All of the products we used had to be checked and approved ahead of the install, detailing technical specification and fire ratings. We used a specialist one-piece wallpaper product called One Wall that adhered to the strict fire regulations at the airport. This clever one-piece product means that the play area wall graphics can be fitted in one piece. No joins or seams for little fingers to pick at. It’s durable and can withstand light bumps and knocks, whilst also being easy to keep clean with a damp cloth.
The floor design for the play area graphics is based on the airport runway and apron at East Midlands Airport. The illustrations connect with the hilly wall graphics to form a panoramic display that the children can immerse themselves in. The runway has been designed to accommodate the freestanding aeroplane structure in the centre and create a fun and interactive scene for role-playing games.
The floor graphics have been printed to a durable and long-lasting substrate called G-Floor. We print to the underside of this clear plastic extrusion, creating the thickest wear-layer in the industry. This impressive product can last up the five years and sometimes even longer depending on footfall.
We installed the play area graphics for both the floors and walls in just three days. One day was required to screed the floor and prepare the surface for the floor graphics. The second day was spent laying the G-Floor which was installed in two welded sections. The final day saw the three One Wall graphics installed. These wall graphics sections could only be fitted once the floor graphics were completed. The final, finishing touch was a small set of signage. This was intentionally separate from the wall designs to offer flexibility for the future.
If you’d like us to transform your space with engaging play area graphics, then drop us a line. We’d love to hear about your project and discuss how our creativity can make a real impact for both staff and visitors. You can call us on 01332 613 900 or email us at ideas@mxdisplay.co.uk.