REAL PROJECT · INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AND CUSTOM MANUFACTURING
A display stand that captures the spirit of the Fragata Libertad
Demountable display stands for the Fragata Libertad
How could a display stand represent the history of a sail training ship and travel with it? We created a demountable system inspired by its sails and rigging, from concept through manufacturing.
DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDY · INSTITUTIONAL DISPLAY STANDS
When a display stand becomes part of a ship’s identity
In March 2017, A1Pack developed brochure display stands for the PyMEs al Mundo programme, presented aboard the Fragata ARA Libertad. We drew on the sail training ship’s sails, ropes and nautical tradition to create a demountable product suitable for displaying institutional material during its activities and voyages.
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01 · The challenge: displaying and representing an identity
A system was needed to display company and institutional brochures during a travelling exhibition associated with the Fragata Libertad. A conventional stand could hold the printed material, but did not express the ship’s history or, by itself, address transport, assembly and use in a nautical environment. We wanted the display stand to become part of the story: a functional object that also represented the frigate’s spirit as a cultural ambassador for Argentina.
- Initial requirement: present brochures and institutional material for PyMEs al Mundo aboard the frigate.
- Conditions of use: facilitate transport, assembly, dismantling and display in a naval setting.
- Opportunity: create an object that conveyed the ship’s historical and symbolic identity.
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02 · The concept: turning a sail into a display stand
The design proposal originated entirely at A1Pack. We studied the frigate’s most recognisable elements: its unfurled and furled sails, rods, ropes and mooring points. From this language, we developed fabric panels with brochure pockets, supported by a mast and tensioned like a sail. In the original concept, wind could give volume to the piece rather than simply posing a difficulty, reinforcing its visual connection with the ship.
- Identity: a reinterpretation of the frigate’s traditional sails and rigging.
- Function: pockets sewn into the panels to organise and display brochures in different formats.
- Concept: using actual nautical forms and elements as functional parts of the structure.
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03 · Technical development: wood, sails and marine ropes
The structure was made of wood, with a mast connected to the base through interlocking joints to facilitate assembly and dismantling. The sails were made of cotton fabric, evoking historical sailcloth, with sewn pockets for brochures. After use, they could be rolled up and fitted onto the mast. Marine ropes braced the assembly and were secured to cleats and anchoring points on the base. Each technical solution also contributed to the product’s visual identity.
- Structure: a wooden mast and base joined by a demountable interlocking system.
- Display surface: cotton sails with brochure pockets and a roll-up system.
- Bracing: marine ropes, fittings and cleats to stabilise the fabric panels.
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04 · Manufacturing, installation and outcome
To bring the concept to life, A1Pack coordinated woodworking, textile fabrication and assembly workshops, integrating materials, techniques and finishes into one development. The display stands were installed aboard the Fragata Libertad for the March 2017 presentation of PyMEs al Mundo and, according to the project experience, accompanied the ship on its international voyage. Installation photographs show the system in use, with brochures, tensioned ropes and institutional plaques. The result was a functional display object that also belonged visually in its setting.
- Physical object: demountable brochure display stands inspired by the sails of the Fragata Libertad.
- Production: coordination of woodworking, sail fabrication, fittings and assembly.
- Outcome: onboard installation and use during a travelling institutional exhibition.
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Design also means understanding what an object represents.
The value of this development extended beyond manufacturing a brochure stand. It emerged from studying the frigate, understanding its history and turning its sails, ropes and rigging into functional components of a new product. The stand could travel aboard while also expressing the ship’s identity.