Orange County United Way needed a traveling photo exhibit that could carry its homelessness awareness campaign from lobby to lobby — portraits of the outreach workers, healthcare providers, and volunteers it calls the Unsung Heroes, each paired with their story. Nothing on our shelf was shaped for that mission. Two weeks after the first conversation, ten house-form story podiums were.
The mission
United Way's campaign pairs portraits of Orange County residents — outreach workers, healthcare providers, volunteers, community leaders — with the history of homelessness in the United States. The exhibit had to move between lobbies, halls, and community spaces, set up in minutes without tools or a crew, and give each story a place of its own.
It also had to look like what it was about: a home.
The brainstorm
Within days of the first outreach we sat down together — these sessions happen in person or over Zoom — and sketched the answer live: our podium, reshaped into a 42-inch house silhouette with a peaked roof, finished in black ebony. The roof panels became the canvas — two 26" × 17" printed mirror-plexi story panels mounted to a plywood substrate on velcro standoffs, so panels swap out as the exhibit evolves.
The build
Because the design started from our flat-pack podium platform, we went straight to production. Slot-together plywood construction, no tools required, each unit packed flat in its own carton with the printed panels protected in slotted trays — built to be installed, packed, and installed again at the next venue.
The result
Ten story podiums now lead visitors through United Way's Orange County headquarters, portrait to portrait, each one a small house holding one person's story. When this run ends, the whole exhibit packs flat and travels to the next lobby.
Total time from first conversation to finished install: two weeks.
“We didn't have what they were looking for. So we built it — together, in two weeks.”The Reframe custom build process
This is how every custom build works: reach out, brainstorm with us in person or over Zoom, and hold the finished product in as little as two weeks.
Your cart is currently empty.
Start Shopping