Losing weight takes discipline and determination, and in our business, weight-loss success brings a huge pay-off. Dropping those pounds means healthy cost savings for our customers on things like shipping, setup and drayage.

But how can you shave unwanted pounds without skimping on beauty, durability and function? Easy! Shed dusty old notions about exhibit construction, and start thinking like a genius.

Think like the Wright Brothers. Before the two bicycle mechanics from Ohio launched the age of flight with the first airplane, they spent years tinkering and inventing. They built a printing press as teenagers and later designed their own line of bicycles. Our engineers at Access love to tinker, too. They borrowed from aircraft technology to create a new type of wood-framed exhibit that’s 40 percent lighter that traditional wood construction. Some components are a whopping 83 percent lighter.

Think like Leonardo da Vinci. This unparalleled creative genius is the true Renaissance man. It’s astonishing that the same person who painted the Mona Lisa filled notebooks with sketches for inventions ranging from a helicopter to a solar power collector. We borrowed a page from Leonardo’s notebook, inventing an ultra-light exhibit that doesn’t sacrifice the creative beauty our customers expect from Access. It allows even more flexibility for unique design and custom finishes than our other light-weight exhibits.

Think like Frank Lloyd Wright. The American architect didn’t churn out buildings following a tried-and-true formula. He shaped each to its surroundings. His Chicagoland prairie houses reflect Illinois’ smooth landscape, and Fallingwater, the tiered home in Pennsylvania, mimics the 30-foot cascade beneath it. Our new exhibit technology adopts Wright’s principle; each piece expresses our client’s unique message. It’s not a cookie-cutter system or a pop-up display. It’s a new way to build custom exhibits.

Think like Ben Franklin.We identify with this Boston-born founding father who said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” But he wasn’t a miser. He lived well and invented dozens of practical, money-saving things that made life better. The Franklin stove heated homes more safely and with less wood than a fireplace, and he fashioned the first urinary catheter to relieve his brother’s painful kidney stones. We think like Franklin as we refine our new exhibit technology. We’re testing lighter, less expensive materials that will deliver great paintability and hold up in shipping and setup. Given its low production cost, durability and money-saving light weight, we believe Franklin would have approved.