Chicago NeoCon 2012

By: Anna, ACS Intern


Located at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, NeoCon is North America's largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors. This year's event was my first chance to attend this incredible expo as a student designer. I was able to see thousands of innovative products and resources for all areas of commercial design. With more than seven hundred showrooms it was overwhelming, but there was so much to discover and learn. 

Arriving at NeoCon, the show room I was most interested in seeing was that of Herman Miller--I had a feeling their products would be presented in a beautiful and grand way and they did not disappoint. Along with the presentation of their newest concepts and designs, there was an excellent exhibit depicting the work of Alexander Girard. Girard was the Director of Design in the textile division at Herman Miller and held this position from the early fifties to the late seventies. His timeless designs were featured throughout the show room on artwork and upholstery displaying his ever modern work. 

The vast number of showrooms and products presented at NeoCon is far too much information to process in two days, and though much what I saw remains a blur, there were some specific trends that stood out to me: 

The first trend was felt. I have never seen this material incorporated into any commercial interiors, but at NeoCon felt was applied to flooring, furniture, acoustical panels, and numerous other products. Its use seemed limited only by the designer's imagination. FilzFelt is a distributer of wool design felt, and was the featured provider in several of the show rooms utilizing the material. The FilzFelt company has a large focus on custom fabrications in both the commercial and residential markets. 

Another trend that stood out was the repeated use of white boards within work spaces. While this is not a foreign idea to most collaborative work environments, I saw it used in several unique and innovative ways. Idea Paint was featured in several show rooms for their white board wall covering. They provide a finish that can be applied over any paint color, turning the space into a collaborative one. This is a creative way to encourage your employees to work together that is low cost and has little impact on the environment.  

A concept that was prevalent throughout the show was "more talk, less technology". This is the idea that technology has taken over social interaction and we need more face to face discussion and collaboration within the office in order to grow more complex, innovative ideas. This theme was largely reflected in the product design throughout several of the showrooms, and products such as Buzzy Booth’s, as well as collaborative work stations by Herman Miller and Hon all supported this movement back to literal collaboration.

NeoCon not only had great things to observe, but excellent hands on activities as well. At the ASID (American Society of Interior Design) booth there was an opportunity to design a pair of TOMS shoes that would later be distributed to children in need within the Chicago area. After hearing about this activity I could not pass up the opportunity and was able to design a small pair of shoes for a young boy. It was touching to see so many skilled designers coming together around a common cause and doing something to help those in the city around us. 

My experience at NeoCon was a great one. As I learned and observed throughout my two days there, I gained knowledge about products, companies, and materials that I will be able to apply in my future designs. My experience left me wanting to come back for more and I will surely be there next summer to do it all again at NeoCon 2013.