Calgary-based Studio Y Creations (SYC) has been in business for nearly 24 years, designing and manufacturing dimensional displays for themed environments, such as amusement parks and shopping malls. Over the course of the past nine years, however, the company has become better-known for its Imagination Dental Solutions (IDS) brand, which focuses specifically on decorating pediatric dentists' clinics, both to help them stand out in the market and to put young patients at ease.
坐落于卡尔加里的SYC标识公司已经走过将近24年了，它主要是为主题环境设计制作立体显示屏，例如游乐场和购物中心。然而，在过去九年里，这家公司主要是以IDS为人所知的，IDS指的是装饰儿童牙科诊所，来帮助他们在行业中占据一席之地，并且减缓小朋友对医院的恐惧心理。
Inspired by new dimensions
灵感来自于新维度
When David Nolan started SYC in 1993 with his business partner Andrew Hulbert, they were inspired in part by Dan Sawatzky's Imagination Corporation in Chilliwack, B.C., which was already building a strong reputation for distinctively styled themed pieces.
1993年，大卫·诺兰和他的合伙人安德鲁·赫尔伯特创立了SYC公司，他们是受到了丹·萨瓦卡在奇利瓦克创立的创意合作公司的影响，该公司在特殊主题风格设计方面已经有很大的名气了。
“I saw Sawatzky's work at a mall in Calgary, the Chinook Centre, back when I was hand-painting window art for the Stampede,” says Nolan. “It really stayed in my mind. I’ve never met him, but he showed the industry what we could do.”
诺兰说：“我在卡尔加里见过萨瓦卡制作的切努克购物中心的作品，以致于后来在我为Stampede手绘窗纸艺术的时候，脑海里总是闪现萨瓦卡的作品。我从来没有见过他，但是他为我们展示了我们应该做些什么。”
At first, SYC specialized in hand-painting temporary backdrops and producing foam props—such as columns and arches—for professional photo shoots.
起初，SYC公司是为专业摄影公司制作手绘临时背景幕和泡沫小道具的，例如柱形物和拱形物。
“Given the market, ours were short-term indoor pieces and easily damageable,” Nolan recalls. “We knew we would eventually need to find a way to protect the foam better, so we looked into various materials and ended up using a hardcoat. Then, as we more and more frequently used hardcoated foams for photographers' props, we realized we could also build sculptures for parade floats, museum displays, trade show booths and theme parks.”
诺兰回忆道：“在市场中，我们的产品是短期室内用品且易损坏的。我们必须要想办法更好地保护发泡板，因此我们找到各种各样的材料，最后选择使用硬膜材质。随后，在我们越来越频繁地使用硬膜发泡板来做摄影所需的道具时，我们想到还可以为游行花车、博物馆展览、交易展示摊位和主题公园制作雕刻品。”
With this expanded scope, SYC grew year-over-year, employing a skilled team of designers, marketers, fabricators and installers. Along the way, they adopted digital technologies, including three-dimensional (3-D) modelling and computer numerical control (CNC) routing.
拓宽了在这些领域的业务之后，SYC公司一年一年发展壮大，拥有技艺精湛的设计团队、市场营销团队、制作团队和安装团队。在工作过程中，他们将数码技术运用其中，包括3-D模型和数控技术。
“When the first CNC routers were available for cutting foam, I was against the idea, since I liked the imperfect nature of cutting by hand,” says Nolan, “but now we know there's no way we could do our work as effectively without routers.”
诺兰说：“当第一台CNC数控设备切割发泡板的时候，我是持反对意见的，因为我更倾向于自然的手工切割产品。但是现在我们意识到，如果不用数控设备，就无法高效的完成制作项目。”
They handled projects for Canada's Cirque du Soleil and WonderWorks attractions in the U.S., among others.
在他们的制作项目中，最著名的就是加拿大的太阳马戏团和美国的颠倒屋游览胜地。
“We worked on many incredible builds,” says Nolan. “Then, in 2008, we went to a trade show for the theme park industry and realized it was going to get hit hard by the Great Recession. Shortly after that show, we created IDS. Dentistry represented an untapped industry where we saw a lot of opportunity.”
诺兰说：“我们和许多宏伟的建筑项目都有合作。在2008年，我们参加了主题公园的交易展览会，并且意识到将会受到经济大衰退的重创。那次展览会过后不久，我们创立了IDS.牙科装饰部门，在这个未经开发的领域我们看到了许多商机。”
Bringing Disneyland to dentists
将迪士尼乐园带入牙科诊所
At the time, it was not uncommon for pediatric dental clinics to feature colourful decals or even simple murals on their walls, but SYC was offering a type and level of creative expression few of them had ever considered. Before launching IDS as a brand, the company had handled one dental office project, to which the client replied, “You've really got something here!”
在那个时候，对儿童牙科诊所来说，墙壁上五颜六色的贴画图案或简单的壁画都是不常见的。但是，SYC公司推出一种前所未有的创意型诊所理念。在创建IDS 之前，该公司刚刚完成了一个牙科诊所制作项目，客户称：“你们一定会在这个领域大有作为的。”
“The early adopters wanted to stand out,” says Nolan, “and now other dentists believe in the idea too and are all in for it. They recognize investing in this type of unique display work can positively impact their business and help them grow faster.”
诺兰说：“早期的采用者想要凭借这种类型的项目脱颖而出，并且现在的牙科医生也很赞成这种方式。他们意识到，投资这种独特的显示项目对他们的业务有积极的影响，并且会帮助他们更快地发展。”
Indeed, the company has handled 175 themed offices so far, with most costing their customers between $125,000 and $175,000 U.S. As Nolan explains, pediatric dental clinics have the right amount of money to do this kind of marketing properly. What's more, many dentists have come back to IDS to theme multiple offices after the success of their first.
到目前为止，这家公司已经完成了175个主题项目，成本花费在125000美元到175000美元之间。诺兰解释道，儿童牙科诊所都需要花费适量的成本来做这种正确的营销。同时，许多牙医在第一个项目成功之后，会再次回到IDS寻求其他的主题项目。
SYC's market research shows the demand for elaborate and creative displays comes from the nature of the industry. A graduating dental student has to build his/her own practice in a busy market and, in Nolan's words, “put bums in chairs,” which means (a) attracting new patients and
(b) making them feel comfortable, so they'll become repeat visitors.
SYC公司的市场研究显示，该行业主要是以精心制作的、有创意的显示项目受到大众的青睐。一个即将毕业的牙科学生必须要在社会中有一次独立的实践经验，用诺兰的话说就是，（a）能够吸引新的病人，（b）让他们感觉舒适，那么他们就会是回头客。
“One of our clients told us 94 per cent of his new customers were drawn to his clinic by the five big exterior characters we’d built for him,” says Nolan. “Patients hear about him specifically because of his unique signage. We're bringing Disneyland to their offices.”
诺兰说：“我们的其中一个客户说，他的新顾客中的94%都是被我们为其制作的五个大型人物角色吸引过去的。病人们大多是因为他的独特的标识知道他的。我们把迪士尼乐园带到了他们的办公地点。”
A custom process
定制过程
Behind the ‘Disneyland’ effect is a 132-step process, customized for each project. Computer-aided design (CAD) software turns hand-drawn sketches into 3-D models, with cutting paths configured for CNC routing. While the foam is cut, metal frames are welded and inserted as needed to maintain structural stability.
在“迪士尼乐园”效应的背后是包含132步的制作过程，每个项目都是特别定制的。计算机辅助设计（CAD）软件可以将手绘图文转变成3-D模型。切割发泡板的同时，将金属框架焊接嵌入，以固定整个结构。
“We CNC our pieces to 65 to 70 per cent of their level of detail and then the rest is done by hand,” Nolan says. “We also hand-paint everything we make, by airbrush.”
诺兰说：“我们将65%到70%的材料用设备进行数控，其余的通过手工完成。我们用喷枪来喷涂所有的材料。”
Before painting, the aforementioned hardcoat is added to ensure long-term durability, particularly for characters and signs that will be installed outside a clinic.
在喷涂之前，上述提到的硬膜是为了保证长期的耐久性，尤其是人物角色和标识，因为它们会被安装在诊所的外面。
“What stands out in the market are (a) the creative level we go to and (b) our finished product quality,” says Nolan. “We try to put in a lot of ‘gags’ during the design stage, for example, so people see something new each time they pass by our characters.”
诺兰说：“能在市场中脱颖而出的是（a）创意水平，（b）最终产品质量。我们尝试在设计环节加入一些新鲜的元素，例如，人们每次经过的时候，都能在我们的人物角色上发现一些新的内容。”
This creative and labour-heavy approach was particularly evident in a recent self-promotional display SYC created for a trade show, which won in the Unique Signs category of Sign Media Canada's 2016 National Sign Competition and was even named Best in Show. Among other stacked elements, it featured a pig with a scarf, a goose wearing pilot's goggles and a bluebird gripping the bars of its cage.
这种有创意的、耗费人力的方案，在SYC公司为最近的贸易展览会制作的一个自我提升展示项目中，得到了极大的运用。该项目在2016年加拿大标识媒体国家标识竞赛的独特标识范畴中获胜，并且被誉为最佳展示。在众多优秀的标识中，它以戴围巾的小猪、戴飞行员夜视镜的鹅和紧抓笼子门闩的蓝知更鸟脱颖而出。
“Some of our dentists aren't specifically focused on young children, so they don't necessarily want the kiddy stuff,” says Nolan. “For those customers, we create more sophisticated, graphic-based and realistic pieces. To provide an idea of everything we can do, we annually publish a hardcover book, showcasing all of our favourite projects of the past year. That has become one of the best marketing tools we have.”
诺兰说：“一些牙医不关注儿童，因此他们不需要这些充满童趣的物件。对于这些顾客，我们会设计一些更精致的、以图形为基础的、更真实的物件来吸引他们的注意力。为了证明我们什么类型的标识都可以做，我们出版了一本精装书，展示了我们过去一年所做的所有项目。这已经成了我们的市场营销手段之一。”
Expressing adaptability
表达适应性
In addition to its higher-end displays, SYC also has some clients with smaller budgets paying closer to $50,000 U.S. for IDS environments.
除了有对更高端显示效果的需求之外，SYC公司也有一些客户想要做IDS项目，但是他们的预算很有限。
“We know some of our customers are walking past our storefront based on price alone and that's okay for now,” says Nolan, “but down the line, we want to bring them in by launching a lower-cost ‘express’ spinoff line of products.”
诺兰说：“我们知道一些客户因为制作项目的高价格，而在我们门店前徘徊犹豫，但是现在好了，我们期待他们的加入，所以我们推出了一系列低成本的标识产品。”
The express concept, still in early development, is to combine predesigned dimensional pieces with digitally printed murals. In addition to making IDS’s services more affordable for smaller clinics, this would help SYC provide modular pieces for multi-location clients, e.g. car dealerships seeking to keep bored kids entertained while their parents are shopping for a vehicle.
这种标识产品的概念仍然是关于环境的，结合了数码喷印壁画的草图设计。除了让IDS服务项目适用于较小的诊所，也会帮助SYC公司的产品涉及到多个领域，例如，汽车销售行业正在寻求一种方法——在父母买车的时候，如何让无聊的小朋友变得愉快。
 
“It's still a new idea, but it represents a way to duplicate our expertise,” Nolan says.
诺兰说：“这是一个新的想法，但是在某种程度上，它也抄袭我们的专门技术。”
SYC now operates two locations, including its 2,230-m2 (24,000-sf) head office in Calgary and another 1,858-m2 (20,000-sf) production facility in Pompano Beach, Fla. Between them, they have many projects on the go at the same time, totalling about 40 per year.
SYC公司目前有两个办公地点，包括加拿大卡尔加里2230平方米的主办公地点，和美国佛罗里达州波姆庞帕诺滩的1858平方米的生产车间。它们每年总共有大约40%的项目在同时进行。
“SYC still serves shopping centres and theme parks, but IDS is the focus of this company's future, as it's the biggest growth opportunity,” says Nolan. “The dental industry accounts for 90 per cent of the work SYC does. It's a niche market, but a significant one that's large enough for us. And we would also like to do projects for hospitals and other pediatric facilities.”
诺兰说：“SYC公司仍然为购物中心和主题公园服务，但是IDS是该公司未来的主营业务，因为它有最大的成长空间。牙科诊所行业的项目占了SYC公司所有项目的90%。这是一个有利可图的市场，其发展空间对我们来说足够大。我们也愿意为医院和其他儿童设施制作项目。”
 
Technology is continuing to change the nature of SYC's activities. The company has worked with the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset, for example, to allow dentists to test out different concepts in simulated spaces well before production. And some IDS printed murals now integrate augmented reality (AR) features.
技术也在不断地改变SYC公司营销的本质。该公司与Oculus Rift合作过，其虚拟现实（VR）耳机会让牙医在模拟空间对我们不同的概念产品进行测试。同时一些IDS喷印壁画会将增强现实技术整合到产品设计中。
“We don't sit around on our hands!” Nolan laughs.
诺兰说：“我们不会局限于手头上的项目。” |
