Example of analog company timeline
Initial concept using the current building location as a watermarked
Early stages watermarked backgrounds changes with buildings of the time
Concept switched from smaller picture size to large wall canvases
Context
The project brief was to create a visually pleasing historical timeline of Systematix's 30-year company history, showcasing the hard work, pride, and company culture celebrated by the owners and employees. The timeline would utilize an older Microsoft Visio analog timeline and archived company images, marking essential touchstones and celebrations from 1988 to the 30th anniversary in 2018.
Method
Initial research was conducted to determine the layout space needed and possible media or materials that could be used. Many other existing solutions by other companies were observed with most being painted or directly applied to walls as decals in dedicated spaces. This project required a minimalistic budget-conscious solution, so the initial plan was to create five framed final high quality images printed in-house at a final product size of 13 inches by 19 inches. Five separate artboards were to be used, with roughly six years per board to be covered, creating a modular timeline that could easily be added to in the future with new artboards. Over a month, various initial drafts were reviewed and critiqued, with suggestions and additions added along the way.
Design Process
To create flow and tie into the manufacturing automation base of the company, a segmented track system was used to move through the timeline, wrapping around gears that visually dictated the direction while adding extra points of interest and textures. The change of years was signified along the track and on the directional gears, while touchstones are housed in ellipticals or with unillustrated textual explanations. Elliptically framed pictures have descriptive text following the path of the shapes at a size that does not challenge visual hierarchy of the overall design. The background pictures of every artboard represents the physical location of that era where the company operated.
Solution
Upon final draft review, the design was so well-received, that managers met to discuss changing the size and final print media. The new request was to finalize the existing design at the new dimension of 36 inches by 48 inches, printed professionally on canvas and mounted on chunky one-inch frames. However, due to the flow of the artboards into each other and the lower resolution photos in the smaller design, simply upsizing the vector graphic designs was not an option. The designs had to be recreated at a larger scale with augmented layouts, higher-resolution photos, and a one-inch perimeter added for overprint on the canvas mount frame wraparound. A six canvas was also added for visual balance, extra design space, and to add the years 2019 to 2021 following the 30th anniversary.
Results
The six prints were finished in time, back from the printers, and hung with additional spotlighting for the unveiling during the celebration of the company owner's retirement at the time of the new acquisition by Samuel Son & Co. The project was ultimately a success and achieved the goal of showcasing the company's history in a visually pleasing and engaging manner while celebrating the hard work, pride, and company culture that Systematix is known for.
