We love a challenge, and a recent design provided a great opportunity for our group at Hawver Display to develop an innovative design solution that met the client’s unique display case needs. Kimber America, a manufacturer of high quality 1911 pistols, approached Hawver Display with a request to develop a handgun display that solved some unique problems for them and the store owners selling their firearms. The acrylic Kimber firearm display needed to help potential customers easily identify the Kimber America product. This has become especially crucial in the competitive environment of firearms retailers throughout North America.

As we reviewed the requirements of a display for this product, it became clear there were a number of issues surrounding the sale of this handgun product line in the typical retail situation.

1. Stand Out in the Crowd
   Most firearms are black and stainless steel and tend to look alike.
2. Working in a Tight Squeeze
   Space on the shelves is limited such that the firearms lay very close together.
3. Seeing isn’t Always Believing
   The transparency of the shelves allows the products to interfere with one another visually making it even more difficult to view and recognize a particular brand.
4. Stand in Line
   Space in front of the display case is limited and anyone standing at the display case to see in effectively blocks others from being able to see.

Most firearms retailers employ glass cases to display handguns for their customers. For the most part, these handguns lay flat on glass shelves. Glass shelves are wonderful for allowing light to pass through so that products on the lower shelves are not sitting in the dark. However, the fact that these products are laying down forces the customer to walk all the way up to the case and look down inside. There are several problems with this situation.

As our designers began to consider the answer to some of these issues, the features required of an effective pistol display became very clear. First, the display must hold the gun up to allow it to be seen through the front of the glass case and to allow Kimber’s product to effectively “stand-out” in the crowd. Second, the manufacturer’s logo must be prominently displayed helping a potential customer quickly identify the product line.

Hawver’s display solution for Kimber was a clear acrylic display that holds the pistol up at an effective angle for better viewing along with the company logo sub-surface silk screened right up front. This design worked very well and rendered additional benefits. The fact that the acrylic display holds the pistol up at an angle allows the product to take-up less space making the Kimber section of the case less-crowded and more organized. Additionally, when the product is removed for customer viewing it has a precise location to go back to - leaving Kimber’s part of the display case organized and predictable. Each acrylic handgun display can hold a variety of guns yet always shows the Kimber America logo. This design project included unique challenges. Kimber America’s new display case set up is now noticeable, unique, organized, and easy to maintain.