TORONTO—Zebra Studios started out as a graphic design firm 14 years ago but these days, window displays and in-store merchandising account for about 50 per cent of the agency’s business, says principal and founding partner Joe Angellotti. “It seems people are taking their money away from traditional forms of advertising like TV and radio and they’re going in-store, where it counts.”

Zebra’s latest project was to transform The Bay’s Signature Shop on Queen Street in Toronto into a Barbie Signature Store. The creative direction came from The Bay and Mattel, the toy company that has been making Barbie for 50 years. To create the space, Zebra covered everything in black and white vinyl graphics, splattered with pink, Barbie’s signature colour.

The display also included Barbie products for sale (t-shirts, accessories, home décor, etc), an exhibit of collector Barbie dolls, life-sized Barbie designer furniture by Glenn Dixon, and some samples from Canadian designer David Dixon’s fall 2009 collection inspired by Barbie.

Before the installation, Zebra offered a 3-D rendering of the layout to Mattel for review.

Creating in-store displays requires great care and hard thinking, Angellotti says. “If it’s neat, the displays are done right and the signage is done right, you’re going to sell more product. People are realizing that and that’s why we’re so busy.” Contact: www.zebrastudios.com