Emirates Superboard Goes Live

By yadz | May 27 2008

Teaming up with our old friends at ism in Boston, Big Swing just completed illustrating Emirates Airlines’ Toronto superboard imagery.

Think making a giant 16’ by 65’ superboard from low-quality files can’t be done? Big Swing says think again. We used the Emirates Airlines’ low-quality files to create lush imagery that says luxury to the thousands of people who pass by it each day.

The Assignment

Emirates Airlines wanted to highlight the luxurious first class quarters available on their trans-continental flights. We knew the center photo would just need a little cleaning up. Up-resing that image would be a snap. The challenge? The wooden cabin doors.

Emirates is very sensitive to the quality of craftsmanship on their aircraft. They use beautiful materials and consider every detail. The doors had to look perfect. Using the existing artwork was out of the question. The image lacked the resolution and clarity we needed.

Our solution: Use their files and our ingenuity to create an original photo-realistic illustration. Emirates and the agency were game, and we got to work.

Our approach

We began working on the left side door, using the original artwork and the art director’s comp as a template for the composition. Once the client approved the basics, we began adding shape, detail, and flare effects, adding texture to the wood and a delicious polish to the metal frame and door handle.

Then came the fun part: “mucking” everything up. We added film grain and softened the doors so that the finished image would look photo-realistic and mesh with the rest of the board. Then we created the second door from the first, changing the lighting to make each door look truly unique. Finally, we assembled the finished imagery.

The final image was 16’x65’ at 75PPI, or 58,500 x 14,625 pixels. The client was thrilled. Another impossible assignment, made possible by Big Swing. Photo illustration with a push.

Finished imagery

Filed in Advertising, How we get stuff done, Illustration, Just finished