On their case: Studio C specializes in designing for retail and trade show displays.

Athletic, tan and casually hip, Craig Bouman and Eric Steele don't seem much like businessmen.

But the two youthful, laid-back suffer types play a big role in designing the in-store look of a $40 million apparel empire--the 16 Paul Frank stores across the globe.

Steele and Bouman are co-founders of Studio Concepts--also known as Studio C Inc.--the firm behind the interior set-up of Paul Frank stores in the U.S. and London.

Aside from having a hand in the hip digs that house pop-cartoon icon Julius the monkey in Paul Frank stores, the two have lent their vision to projects for huge national active-sports brands such as Volcom, Quicksilver, Roxy, Stussy, Fresh Jive, as well as Santa Monica and Malibu-based shops Monkie and French Kitty.

Now, having carved their niche in the active sportswear world, they're looking to bring the same cool, clean sensibility to other arenas, such as automotive and high tech trade shows.

"Trade shows don't have to be boring and stuffy; the kind of thing that makes you think of suits and ties, and the displays don't have to be gaudy, either," Steele said. "I think it's time to bring a more fun feel to that kind of space."

It's an approach the Long Beach-based design firm is pursuing with some success.

The company designed the first uber-cool Paul Frank store in San Francisco in 2000, the L.A. shop on Third Street the following year, and is behind other Paul Frank stores worldwide--as well as a new location on Melrose Avenue set to open this summer. So far this year, Studio Concepts has worked on projects including four new retail stores and two trade show booths.

Bouman and Steele are known for attractive, visually clean designs, with architectural styling and practical touches. For their sportswear clients, they custom-design adjustable shelving, hang bars, rails and even cubbies that can shift from spring to fall, when lighter fabrics make way for big, bulky jackets and heavier pants--a shift that can cramp available space.

It was their hands-on experience that led to the in-store design world.

In 1997, the two friends were working in set construction on the Sony film "My Giant," when a friend who worked in the trade show business suggested they get in touch with a local skateboard company looking for designers to build a show booth. "

The two friends went in and met with representatives from the company--El Segundo-based World Industries--and hit it off. Shortly thereafter, Steele and Bouman started building the booth in their garages.

The booth was a success, and so was their timing in the industry, as skateboarding and surfing gear became a mainstream staple. World Industries later acquired several other brands, and sent their design and booth work to Steele and Bouman.

"At the beginning, we were very fortunate with World Industries' success," Bouman said. "Word got around, and we started working for a lot of local brands."

The big break came when Studio Concepts was hired to design a trade show booth for Paul Frank Industries. The project went so well it led to the design of Paul Frank's first retail store in San Francisco.

"Obviously, they've done such an amazing job for us that we continue to work with them," said Tim Cadiente, vice president of marketing for Paul Frank Industries. "Trying to find a design studio to communicate your brand vision to the world is not easy, and they've really helped us do that."

After about two years of toiling on their own, Steele and Bouman hired a staff to help handle the workload.

The scope of their work has increased dramatically as the skate and surfwear brands have become more popular. Studio Concepts now has about 20 full-time employees and does $3.5 million to $4.5 million a year in business.

While apparel is responsible for much of Studio Concepts' initial success, the company is ready to take its creative and edgy expertise into other arenas, particularly high-tech and automotive brands.

To accelerate their automotive appeal, Studio C has hired a public relations firm that has experience in the automotive world-the firm's clients include HKS USA and BMW of Riverside--and plans to start a direct mail campaign in the coming months.

Studio C has already put a foot in the door, though, having worked on projects for West Coast Choppers, Spareo Motor Sports Inc. and luxury alloy wheel maker MHT Wheels Inc.

"We want to get into display build-outs for automotive trade shows," Bouman said. "It's a pretty small niche industry, and people always ask, 'What do you do again?' A lot of people think we make cabinets, but the store interior and all those booths have to come from somewhere, and we want to make it look cool.

Studio C

Year Founded: 1997

Core Business: Designing and building retail store interiors and fixtures, and trade show booths.

Founders: Craig Bouman , Eric Steele

2005 Employees: 18

2006 Employees: 20

Goal: Extend reach into automotive, medical and high-tech retail and trade show work.

Driving Force: Combining function with clean, contemporary aesthetic design.

ANNE RILEY-KATZ

Staff Reporter