When a campaign runs across hundreds of stores, a good idea is not enough. The display has to withstand real use — the weight of products, repeated handling, and the logistics chain getting it there on time. Every step has to work in sequence.
This is the story of how Marimekko’s Finnish retail campaign was delivered in partnership with Logistigo. The project covered display design, production coordination, and distribution to stores — resulting in 490 displays rolled out across Finland in a single campaign.
490 displays for K-Citymarket and K-Market
Marimekko wanted to grow the visibility of their products in retail stores across Finland. The goal was ambitious — and it required a complete solution where displays, POS materials, and logistics were aligned from the start to work in a real store environment.
Logistigo designed and produced the in-store display roll-out for K-Citymarket and K-Market locations in collaboration with Marimekko. The project included the design and production of 490 displays with all components, and logistics to Marimekko’s warehouse in Vantaa.
This was not a single display — it was a large production run where every phase had to be repeatable and controlled. When hundreds of units are being produced, design, production, and distribution need to be managed precisely from the start.
Design started with the products
A retail display shouldn’t be designed around appearance alone. What matters is how many products it needs to hold and how the structure performs in actual use.
In Marimekko’s case, the starting point was the information the client provided about the products included in the campaign and the quantities each display needed to carry.
“At the start of the design process, the client sent us a list of the campaign products and the product quantity that needed to fit into the display. That quantity set the parameters for everything that followed.”
This determined the structure, dimensions, and capacity of the display directly. These practical starting points are what decide whether a retail display actually works — or remains a good-looking concept that doesn’t survive contact with a real store shelf.
From sketch to production — step by step
Logistigo follows a phased approach to display design. This avoids unnecessary detours and ensures the solution goes through client approval before any production begins.
The process for this project:
- Sketch — initial concepts developed on paper
- 3D model — feasibility verified digitally before committing to physical production
- Prototype — a physical sample produced for client approval before the full run
The phased approach is especially important in large campaigns. The earlier a problem is caught, the smaller the risk that the same issue repeats across the entire production run.
The prototype put the design to the test
Marimekko used the prototype stage to test how the display would perform in practice before committing to full production.
The prototype allowed the team to evaluate:
- Material suitability for the application
- Structural weaknesses or areas for improvement
- The load-bearing capacity of pegs and shelves under real product weight
“The prototype lets us test whether the chosen materials are right for the display and quickly identify any weaknesses or areas to improve. Checking the load capacity of pegs and shelves is especially important — the weight of the products must not put the structure under excessive stress.”
This stage was essential. The displays had to withstand real-world use day after day, not just look right in a design file.
70 kilograms of load shaped the material choice
In Marimekko’s campaign, each display carried approximately 70 kilograms of product weight. That figure had a direct impact on which materials could be used.
A durable wood structure was chosen for the frame — ensuring the display was safe, stable, and built for long-term use in a retail environment. The decision wasn’t driven by aesthetics. It was driven by what the structure needed to withstand.
When a display carries significant weight, material selection is not a detail. It’s one of the most important decisions in the project.
A modular structure built for future campaigns
A well-designed display doesn’t serve just one campaign. In Marimekko’s project, the structural modules were designed so they could be adapted for new products and future campaigns.
“Good design enables long service life. The modularity of the display structure means it can be adapted for new product families or campaigns down the line.”
This is a significant decision from a business perspective. When a display isn’t single-use, the return on the investment continues beyond the campaign. A modular structure extends the useful life and makes future activations more flexible.
Store-ready in 4–6 months
In a large-scale campaign, the timeline has to be realistic. In Marimekko’s project, design and production kicked off in January 2020. The finished campaign arrived in K-Citymarket stores in August and K-Market stores in October 2020.
For a project of this scale, a design and production cycle of 4–6 months is standard. It reflects how many steps a successful retail campaign involves: design, approvals, prototyping, production, and logistics all have to work as a single coordinated sequence.
What campaign logistics actually means in practice
Campaign logistics means the warehousing, management, and distribution of retail and marketing materials — POS displays, fixtures, and campaign collateral — to the right stores at the right time.
In practice, it means:
- Campaigns launch as planned, not when the last delivery catches up
- Materials arrive at the correct locations, not at a central depot waiting to be redistributed
- Deliveries are coordinated, not a series of disconnected shipments
- In-store visibility is consistent across different locations
- The campaign doesn’t depend on improvisation at the last stage
In Marimekko’s project, logistics wasn’t the final step. It was an integral part of whether the campaign succeeded at all.
What made this campaign work
The Marimekko case shows that a successful retail display comes from several practical factors working together. In this project, what made the difference was:
- Product quantities were factored in at the design stage
- A prototype was used to test real-world performance
- Material selection was driven by actual load requirements
- The frame structure was designed for modularity and reuse
- Production and logistics were managed as a controlled sequence
When these elements are in place, a display stops being a good-looking idea and becomes a functional part of campaign execution.
Summary
Marimekko’s 490-display campaign is a strong example of how retail displays, POS materials, and campaign logistics can be delivered as a single, coordinated whole.
What drove the success of the project:
- A structured design process
- Dimensioning based on actual product quantities
- Prototype testing before full production
- Load-driven material selection
- Modular frame design for long-term use
- A realistic timeline
- Controlled logistics to stores across Finland
When the goal is broad visibility across retail, these are the factors that determine whether a campaign works in practice — not just on paper.
“Logistigo worked exemplarily in the design, execution, and delivery of the campaign displays. The company had a strong understanding of Marimekko’s needs and, above all, of our customers’ needs, for whom the displays were designed. Solutions to various additional requirements were found quickly and flexibly, while customer service remained timely. Their experience was evident in everything they did.”
Lea Aarinen-Koski,
Head of Global Wholesale, Marimekko Corporation
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