Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest manufacturer of LCD screens, engaged Fahrenheit 212 to create new product solutions that would extend their existing capabilities in LCD technology into new markets beyond TV display panels, cellular phones and digital cameras. Identifying and commercializing new applications for LCD technology was critical for Samsung’s LCD division in its pursuit of sustainable and margin accretive growth in what had become a technically complex yet commercially commoditized industry.

“The question arises as to whether the positive effects of a video wall even make up for the investment in time and manpower. Samsung ID offers the definitive and positive answer to this questions — it’s as ingenious as it is simple.”

— BIS News, May 2008

Fahrenheit 212 identified 10 new markets that met pre-defined technical and commercial success criteria, and then developed a portfolio breakthrough new product solutions across these discrete markets. One of the two initiatives that Samsung went on to commercialize was based on an assessment of the tradeshow industry: tradeshows relied heavily on visual displays, were global in scale, offered a high degree of consolidation and had demonstrated a high level of receptivity to innovation. Research with tradeshow customers identified a specific pain point with existing solutions: the majority of tradeshow exhibits were used and discarded, which was seen to be inefficient both financially and operationally.

Based on this market exploration, Fahrenheit 212 developed Samsung ID (“Interlocking Display”) – the world’s first modular digital display wall. Inspired by the simplicity of Lego, Samsung ID’s plug-and-play system gave tradeshow exhibitors and retailers a way to deliver a fully customizable and scalable video solution with significantly greater flexibility and at a lower cost compared to conventional large format displays installations.

Samsung ID was launched in the first half of 2008 as one of the first innovations in the Samsung’s Large Format Display business unit. It was showcased as one of Samsung’s top innovations at the 2009 International CES conference where it won the International CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award, and has been deployed globally in applications as diverse as tradeshows, retail, subway stations and art installations.