Motorola Launches Phones With Sleek, Chic Displays
The cell phone maker displayed its new models with museumlike care for a press preview at Studio 450.
June 15, 2005
Heavy curtains hanging in the glass penthouse of Studio 450 blocked out what would normally be a splendid view of Chelsea and western Manhattan. But attendees of the Motorola design tour press preview had plenty to gaze at inside—namely, the flashy, sleek new designs for the cell phone company's new PEBL, SLVR, and RAZR phones (pronounced "pebble," "sliver," and "razor," respectively). Motorola public relations manager Monica Rohleder and Liz Cahill of PR firm Hill & Knowlton conceptualized the Zen-inspired product launch and hired Kenny Eggerl of KSE Productions to produce the event, which he did in one month's time.
Each phone was displayed museum-style on separate metallic cases from Alu, an Italy-based maker of modular merchandising systems. Inside each case, black pebbles or shards of glass were displayed to underscore the phones' names.
Those concepts were echoed in the clean overall design aesthetic, featuring ebony stones delineating the borders of the mostly white space, product names projected on the floor, and round black cushions in the presentation area where a Motorola designer spoke to tech journalists about the company's design process and strategy. Eggerl used his own water scrim, purchased from Tsunami WaterScreens, as a projection surface to display the Motorola logo in the entryway.
To further promote the PEBL model, Cahill booked two masseuses from Simplyspa to give hot stone massages in semi-enclosed white tents on the rooftop terrace. Guests lined up in scores when the relaxing sessions were announced downstairs after the presentation.
Sonnier & Castle catered an Asian-inspired menu that included spring rolls, seared tuna on wontons, and, the big hit of the evening, mochi balls: strawberry, ginger, vanilla, or chocolate ice cream wrapped in red bean paste. DJ Heather Femia started with contemporary music and ended the night with more danceable selections. But after the special green tea martinis and soothing massages, no one appeared to be in the mood for dancing.
—Jenny Sherman
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Each phone was displayed museum-style on separate metallic cases from Alu, an Italy-based maker of modular merchandising systems. Inside each case, black pebbles or shards of glass were displayed to underscore the phones' names.
Those concepts were echoed in the clean overall design aesthetic, featuring ebony stones delineating the borders of the mostly white space, product names projected on the floor, and round black cushions in the presentation area where a Motorola designer spoke to tech journalists about the company's design process and strategy. Eggerl used his own water scrim, purchased from Tsunami WaterScreens, as a projection surface to display the Motorola logo in the entryway.
To further promote the PEBL model, Cahill booked two masseuses from Simplyspa to give hot stone massages in semi-enclosed white tents on the rooftop terrace. Guests lined up in scores when the relaxing sessions were announced downstairs after the presentation.
Sonnier & Castle catered an Asian-inspired menu that included spring rolls, seared tuna on wontons, and, the big hit of the evening, mochi balls: strawberry, ginger, vanilla, or chocolate ice cream wrapped in red bean paste. DJ Heather Femia started with contemporary music and ended the night with more danceable selections. But after the special green tea martinis and soothing massages, no one appeared to be in the mood for dancing.
—Jenny Sherman
Related Stories
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Sleek black and silver cases displayed Motorola's new cell phones at a launch event at Studio 450.
To further promote the PEBL model—that's pronounced "pebble"—two masseuses from Simplyspa gave hot stone massages in semi-enclosed white tents on the rooftop terrace.
KSE Productions projected the Motorola logo onto a water scrim from Tsunami WaterScreens.
Editors sat on round black cushions in the presentation area, where a Motorola designer spoke about the company's design process and strategy.
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![Staffing outfits also tied into the theme. 'Taking our cue from [Sawaya], we looked at fashion that pulled inspiration from Dutch painter Piet Mondrian,' explained the museum's Christina Sion. 'We worked with Artists Creating Entertainment to create costumes for a dozen performers mirroring the Mondrian Collection, designed by French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in 1965—but with a cheeky, creative twist. These human LEGO 'mini-figures' provided key guest engagement roles at the event, as well as fun photo ops throughout the cocktail party.'](https://p1-cms-assets.imgix.net/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2020/04/SY200307_DiscoveryBall_Roaming_0002__1_.5ea366a3b1c62.png?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=525&w=630)
