The Times Square

Times Square

Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...

 Coca-Cola Sign is an electro-kinetic sculpture created in 2004, replacing the famous three-dimensional bottle design that stood for years in the center of Times Square.

Built by digital LED display manufacturer Daktronics

Daktronics

Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...

 and titled "Simply Coke," the sign is covered in programmable Light-emitting diode

Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...

s and allows an array of graphics to be displayed.

Design and Inspiration

The multi-layered billboard has a highly complex pattern of stainless steel planes and exposed superstructure. The sign's design is inspired by Manhattan's steel and glass monoliths and the frenetic pace of midtown street traffic. The 3-D composition renders the Dynamic Ribbon Device in both positive form and negative space. The display also offers the possibility of live video streaming across the sign's curvature.

The sign attains 180-degree visibility by sculpting LED panels around the 8' horizontal thrust. According to Wright Massey

Wright Massey

Wright Massey is an American businessman and entrepreneur most widely known as the Vice President of Development of Starbucks, the Director of Design at The Disney Store, and designer of the famous Coca-Cola sign in Times Square...

, owner of Brand Architecture Inc. and creator of the sign, "We realized that a vibrant, simple design would draw focus in the frenzied pandemonium of Times Square. Drawing from recent Coca-Cola marketing research, we found the Dynamic Ribbon Device the best vehicle for conveying key brand values. We wanted a contemporary, authentic statement, full of energy, optimism, and youthful spirit. We wanted our sculpture to inspire consumers on all three emotional levels: head, heart and gut."

Behind the Design

The video programming displays a series of graphic images that are meant to connect to Coca-Cola consumers on a rational "head" level. Images communicate product names, info relating to seasonal promotions, and corporate logos in a many different languages for the global visitors of Times Square.

The sign also displays a series of graphic images that are meant to connect to Coca-Cola consumers on a "heart" level. Images are generated to elicit certain moods and feelings from Coca-Cola consumers, relating to the conditions in the Square at different times of day and night, and across the changing seasons.

The Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

 Company and MOMA

Moma

Moma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...

 (The Museum of Modern Art) selected Brand Architecture

Brand architecture

Brand architecture is the structure of brands within an organizational entity. It is the way in which the brands within a company’s portfolio are related to, and differentiated from, one another...

's distinctive design from an assemblage of fifteen design firms from across the United States.

Once the design was selected, Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

 chose Daktronics

Daktronics

Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...

and its staff of engineers to translate Brand Architecture's concept from a small-scale model into a 30-ton, six-story high, fully functioning LED video display. The display measures approximately 44 feet by 65 feet and includes more than 2.6 million LEDs with 16.5 mm and 23 mm center-to-center pixel pitches.