Heinz’ New “Wall 57” European Innovation Centre Brand Experience
Acrylicize has delivered a bespoke mixed media wall dedicated to the pioneering and ever-evolving history of Heinz has been unveiled at the brand’s newly opened European Innovation Centre in the Netherlands. The project shows how a normal atrium can be used as a brand education opportunity for visiting customers and employees.
‘Wall 57′, designed and built by London art collective Acrylicize, stands 3m tall and 20m wide in the Centre’s atrium. Serving as a visual showcase and exploration of the brand, both past and present, the wall demonstrates an inspired layout and design that focuses on the concept of innovation.
Initially conceived as an architectural feature, which formed part of the wider building project in Nijmegen, undertaken by interior architects Strategy Plus (formerly DEGW), Wall 57 now stands as the building’s focal point, fusing elements of art installation with architectural detail and proving Heinz’s revolutionary creativity throughout the past century.
James Burke, creative director at Acrylicize, said of Wall 57: “Working with Heinz on this monumental project has been a rare and extraordinary opportunity to get under the skin of a brand that means something to us all. It’s been so much more than beans and ketchup, with the Acrylicize team travelling to The Netherlands to explore the brand’s archives and convey the results through art.
“We’ve created a one-of-a-kind experiential archive of the entire Heinz brand, with no soup can left unturned. We’re inviting the viewer to engage and interact with the wall, to uncover the many layers and to learn more about the Heinz history from the past 100 years.
“It’s been an honour to collaborate on a piece of history. We hope that what we have created will stand out as something unique, as a piece of art and heritage, and as something that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world – much like the Heinz brand itself.”
Divided into five areas, the wall reflects the brand’s key pillars of innovation: packaging, production and distribution, marketing, the iconic products and recipes and the brand philosophy.
To draw these foundations together, Acrylicize took a lead from the iconic Heinz branding and the recognisable logo, designing a wall layout using the famous Keystone shape. Overlaying the logo multiple times, they have created a unique network of 57 ‘windows’. Each of these windows tells an important story about the brand, captured through extensive research and reference to the archives, as well as stretch sessions with key Heinz personnel.
Wall 57 pays homage to the level of detail and craft that goes into each Heinz product, making use of a series of handmade tactile elements, all deeply connected with the heritage of Heinz. From the tomato seed and iconic ketchup bottle to the household fork and fridge, these well-known materials that make up the Heinz brand find a place on the wall.
Joel Bearden, Heinz Brand Communication Manager, said: “I thought it was going to be a piece of Art but what it’s turned into has taken a life of its own. What we now have before us is an eye-catcher that encapsulates not just the history of Heinz, but also the future.”
Wall 57 also makes creative use of lighting to add a sense of constant evolution and positive changeability; neon illuminates the keystones, enveloping the history of one of the world’s most famous brands in the spotlight it deserves.
Inspirational quotes by founder Henry John Heinz are peppered across the wall in celebration of the great entrepreneur and business mind driven by a deep-rooted commitment to innovation that Heinz maintains to this day.
“To do a common thing uncommonly well, brings success” – Henry John Heinz
Design: Acrylicize
