Impression and Bolton Library & Museum Services share a long-term, collaborative partnership in the creation of immersive, engaging and fun exhibition and gallery spaces at Bolton Museum. In 2025, our team was brought on board to deliver the museum’s latest “Reebok & Walsh: The Bolton History of the Running Shoe” exhibition.
With years of experience in creating eye-catching sports and retail graphics for major brand names, Impression was commissioned to design, print and install an immersive running shoe-focused exhibition, incorporating contributions from shoe designers, athletes, archivists and sneakerheads to capture the interest of everyone from fashion lovers and sports enthusiasts, to those with an interest in local history.
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| Client | Wigan Council |
| Sector | Local Authority |
| Location | Wigan, Greater Manchester |
Contributor collaboration
Collaborating with our clients at Bolton Library & Museum Services, and with valuable input from collaborators including designers, athletes and the sneakerhead community, Impression’s Consult phase identified the themes for this temporary exhibition, understanding how our client envisioned showcasing this insightful local story.
Impression drew on our retail experience to plan a gallery space packed with eye-catching props and graphics, informative wall displays and display stands which would not only withstand plenty of visitor activity during the 6-month exhibition period, but made the running shoe exhibits the stars of the show.
Impression’s in-house Design studio designed educational displays which stretched across the temporary exhibition gallery’s wall spaces, highlighting information about the evolution of the running shoe, together with large format graphics and wall vinyls that made the most of our client’s carefully-curated imagery.
As a shoe-focused exhibition, we loved creating bespoke display props and cabinets in the style of true-to-size and oversized shoe boxes. Sharp graphics perfectly replicated Walsh and Reebok styles, and these unique gallery features make for great talking points.
It’s critical on any exhibition project that all materials are produced to the highest standard, in time to meet our clients’ launch schedule.
Impression’s Create team, based in-house at our Greater Manchester workshop, managed the print and production of all “Reebok & Walsh” products, including the build of bespoke props, large format graphics print and display cabinets, quality assuring all print throughout to ensure our work met our client’s vision for its exhibition.
Bringing the exhibition to life, Impression’s Deliver team professionally handled the installation of “Reebok & Walsh”, from wall graphics, framed artwork and display units, to the careful positioning of props and exhibits.
“Reebok & Walsh: The Bolton History of the Running Shoe” was installed and opened on time, ready for the museum’s busy summer season. Celebrating the running shoe’s origins and Bolton’s role in its story, the informative exhibition and its accompanying events programme was warmly received by visitors of all ages as they engaged in this topic of local significance.
Celebrating Bolton’s role in this fashion and sporting story, Bolton Museum’s “Reebok & Walsh: The Bolton History of the Running Shoe” exhibition featured unique props, wall and cabinet displays created by Impression to showcase the origins and evolution of the running shoe.
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