Built on the Art of Experience
At The MART in Chicago, the Takeform showroom draws inspiration from the original masters of experience – the iconic department stores of the 1970s that transformed shopping into something immersive, emotional, and memorable.
TAKEFORM RE-IMAGINES THE DEPARTMENT STORE AT NEOCON
Something familiar hums beneath the surface the moment you arrive. A monochrome street scape. Glowing window displays. Bustling street scenes. A pay phone that feels strangely cinematic. Then the doors open – and suddenly you’re somewhere between memory and fever dream.
Spatial Reverie
For Takeform, storytelling doesn’t stop at signage. It becomes architecture, atmosphere, choreography. Our latest showroom experience transforms familiar retail nostalgia into an immersive exploration of how branded environments shape emotion, behavior, and connection.
Each color-drenched department reveals a different facet of Takeform's capabilities without ever feeling like a product demo. In one space, sculptural signage is displayed with the careful merchandising of a classic shoe department. Elsewhere, graphic films, wall coverings, acoustic materials, and dimensional panels hang in curated groupings reminiscent of vintage retail displays. Inspired by the glow of old-school beauty and jewelry counters, a violet-drenched environment pairs illuminated specialty materials with fragrance-inspired displays and intricate detailing that invites closer inspection.
Needle Drop
The experience is unapologetically theatrical. Experiential graphics pulse with 1970s energy. Laminates masquerade as vinyl records. Familiar retail rituals – browsing, fitting, discovering – become unexpected demonstrations of fabrication, materiality, and experiential storytelling.
What makes the space compelling is not simply the retro inspiration, but the deliberate surrealism woven throughout it. Nothing is literal. Every detail exists to evoke curiosity and create emotional resonance – the same philosophy that drives Takeform’s work across healthcare, workplace, hospitality, education, and beyond.
Come Shop Around
This isn’t a showroom designed to display products. It’s designed to make visitors feel something first – and realize afterward they’ve been experiencing the full breadth of a signage and graphics company all along.
Come see it for yourself at NeoCon. June 7-10 at The MART in Chicago - showroom 10-166.