Challenge: Promoting an iconic donut shop brand moving into Chicago’s trendy, upscale “Magnificent Mile” retail district.

Customer: Graphic Alliance, Stan’s Donuts

Application: Wall graphics, floor graphics, lamp post wrap  

Solution: Mactac^® IMAGin^® StreetRap™, IMAGin RoughRAP™, REBEL^® H

Project Summary:

Stan’s Donuts has been serving up freshly made donuts of extraordinary flavors and textures for more than 50 years in the Los Angeles area, and thanks to a partnership with Chicago’s Labriola Baking Company, members of the Chicagoland community have recently begun enjoying the iconic treats, too. As Rich Labriola, the bakery’s namesake, sought to increase awareness around the opening of a new Stan’s Donuts location in one of his existing cafés on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, he decided to turn to the pros. Graphic Alliance, a full-service Chicago marketing firm specializing in print and digital media, was tapped to design and deploy engaging graphics inside and outside the bakery, and Graphic Alliance turned where they always do when they want to wow a client: to dependable Mactac graphic products.

“Our objectives were twofold,” said Eric Grossman, CEO of Graphic Alliance. “We needed to attract visitors passing by the bakery, but also keep them visually engaged with the Stan’s Donuts brand once inside the café. We always use Mactac products whenever we can—it’s the top product, and brings more magic than the rest.”

Graphic Alliance installers set about accomplishing their first goal by using Mactac’s REBEL H product to wrap the 10-foot-tall light poles outside the bakery in bright pink Stan’s Donuts’ branding. “We wanted to create a strong visual impact for anyone walking by, and we knew REBEL H would withstand the elements through harsh Chicago weather,” explained Grossman.

Inside the café, Graphic Alliance brought Stan’s Donuts’ branding to life with even more Mactac products. They used StreetRap with a PERMACOLOR^® PermaFlex^® overlaminate to wrap contoured floor tiles and RoughRAP media with a PERMACOLOR RAYZor™ gloss overlaminate to wrap wall tiles, ultimately creating a wayfinding floor graphic directing customers to the order line, and engaging Stan’s Donuts’ murals on the walls around the service counter. REBEL H product with PERMACOLOR ColorGard™ LUV overlaminate was also used for labeling atop a drink cooler due to its strong performance when backlit.

The final result was a consistently branded, visually appealing café that appears well suited for its trendy location. “We love the graphics,” said Rich Labriola. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the way the installation turned out, and we look forward to having many customers greeted by these images when they stop by for a sweet treat.”