Corporate Branding & Events

The cold winter gloom was at an all-time high come the end of February, so the McDonald’s corporation decided to show Chicago there really is light at the end of the rainbow; in this case – The Shamrock Shake.

Under the creative direction of McDonald’s agency We Are Unlimited, Chicago Scenic was tasked with event design and fabrication of the cloud-shaped pop-up the Shambow, a serving station distributing free Shamrock Shakes.  Chicago Scenic also coordinated the unveiling event with the help of Ravenswood Events.

We Are Unlimited stated they were looking to provide a “unique experience for people in the hopes that they were inspired to ‘shake’ off their winter blues in anticipation of the arrival of spring.” The corporate event was launched the week of St. Patrick’s Day, the traditional seasonal release of the Shamrock Shake and, this year, the Shambow’s unveiling. 

Chicago Scenic’s team managed their time efficiently through a design, drafting, construction, and installment process that spanned just over a month, working with designer Steve Dennis of DesignSmith to create numerous renderings for the serving station before deciding on the sleek white cloud with a single window. Dennis’ cloud design also complemented the green mint rainbow that was created with a combination of water-vapor, fog and projection-mapping technology. The water rainbow, designed and installed by London-based design company Grey World, would rotate through different “mini projection shows” every few minutes that would result in the rainbow leading to the cloud serving station.

The sturdy cloud was coated in white laminate to create its glossy finish; LED-tape framed the edges and created the signature golden arches of the McDonald’s logo.  With rain pouring down, job lead Andy Lemerand and crew installed the Shambow in only a few, short hours.

Thankfully, the clouds parted as guests lined up to take pictures with the Shambow in Daley Plaza. They were intrigued by the secret Shamrock-shaped window in the center of the cloud, ready with their phones for their “Instagram moment”. When a guest approached the window, it opened and a hand offered a free Shamrock Shake.