Product Pivoting with Kimball

Many companies have made adjustments and pivoted their businesses to reflect the circumstances of the pandemic. With a rapid influx of (as many have said) “unprecedented times,” businesses have to get creative in order to continue to serve their customers well and accommodate the current social environment. One company that has done this incredibly well is our client for this week’s journal, Kimball International. Kimball is a company of people with product solutions, mainly oriented around creating design-driven furnishings for businesses and homes. It was a pleasure to work with Kimball and experience firsthand their commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.

During this time, Kimball has been working diligently to introduce products to their clients to help bring people back into the office and simultaneously keep everyone safe and healthy. This project was about displaying their new line of COVID-related items in the office context so that Kimball’s clients can see how to introduce those items into their own corporate offices. The variety of products included a host of tools to assist social distancing, ranging from safety signage on the floors and “One Way” signs for the walls to plexiglass dividers between desks and workspaces.

Working with reflective materials is especially difficult as it requires a method of lighting called “tenting.” Because the plexiglass shows the environment around it, the photographer must either tent with a black cloth or white cloth to reduce the surface’s reflection of the surrounding environment. The color of the cloth depends on the angle of the product and the look and style that the client is hoping to achieve. It’s amazing how these little behind-the-scenes adjustments drastically change the final outcome! We had a wonderful time using this tried-and true technique to show off such a special product line.