Double dip!

Camper recently installed their new store in Soho/New York by Shigeru Ban Architects.

The space is dominated by the product display wall which has a striking feature: It is two-faced allowing for dual function:

1. oversized branding towards the street

2. product display towards the store interior

With a clever trick they got two out of one.

It also creates an experience of discovery, which triggers a memorable moment in their customer’s mind, for a deeper connection with the brand.

view from entrance

view from inside

Camper Soho
110 Prince Street
New York, NY 10012
USA

Leading the way!

A good example of how design can help leading customers into a retail space can be experienced in the new LG concept store in Singapore’s Marina Bay. The dynamic ceiling feature brilliantly leads the way, organizes space and helps orientation while illuminating the path for the customer.

Done by Design Firm STOREAGE from Amsterdam, NL.

Intriguing Feature

Here is a remarkably minimalist but efficient way to draw attention.

“And A” features a linear design element, finished in signal color red, that will make sure your eyes wander from the store front all the way deep into the store. It creates a strong pull-effect initiating a motion in and around the store and giving the space a dynamic quality.

At the same time it also frames walls and divides specific areas from another.

Brilliant! by Tokyo based firm MOMENT.

View it all

New York based design firm NEMAWORKSHOP crafted a clever design for a coffee shop.

A big living room to mingle over coffee or socialize is flanked by two Library style walls that are angled inwards thus enhancing the perspective  and making the content better viewable from outside. A large mirror over the service counter extends the space conveniently and offers additional unexpected views. Loose furniture allows for flexible seating configuration. The wood floor adds dynamic to the space through its unconventional installation.

Toby’s Estate / 125 North 6th Street  Brooklyn, NY 11249

Powerful brand design

Virgin Atlantic keeps its brand promise of delivering a design enriched air travel experience with a nod to the future on its new A330 plane with a new interior concept.
The overall aesthetic is futuristic with angular lines, polished surfaces and geometric strips of lighting. The colour palette is largely neutral with pops of red – Virgin Atlantic’s signature shade – which covers stools and perches. RGB lighting can be altered to change the mood on board.
The plane is divided into different spaces; at its centre is a bar where flyers can mingle and relax. Surrounding it are stools, storage areas, private seats, standing space and storage.

Beautiful on-brand design by agency VW+BS which will certainly keep the airline desirable for savvy global citizens.

Smashbox Cosmetics – launches New Store Design Internationally!

Smashbox Cosmetics launches a new store design to expand into international markets.

Legendary and “uber-hip”make-up line Smashbox Cosmetics – a spin-off of trendy Smashbox photo studios in Los Angeles – opened its first bespoke international installation in Douglas Berlin, Friedrichsstrasse on Friday, April 27^th, 2012.

The design, crafted by omni//form,inc, a New York based design agency specialized on retail concepts for beauty/fashion and luxury, refers to the look and feel of a photo studio and captures the vibe of  the fashion, the glamour and the scene that put Smashbox studios on the map.

The product is “staged” in white boundary less space with focused lighting to create a scenario of highlights and shadows. Equipment to hold up shelving, displays and accessories is reminiscent of studio grip equipment. To support Smashbox’ image as “the digital brand” in the industry, the installation features ipads with video content and the possibility of live streams from Smashbox studios in L.A. as well as direct link ups with social media for customers to share their on-counter experience.

“It is important to create something that consumers can immediately associate with the brand,” says Péan, principle of omni//form, inc. “ Consumers in foreign countries are not yet familiar with Smashbox Cosmetics’ brand codes, so we are helping in our way to make it unique and recognizable.

For more information:

http://www.smashbox.com

http://www.omniform.us

case study: branded design – the genetic code / part 3

In the last post I was explaining how we identify the DNA of a brand and extract the aesthetics around it as a starting point for a design of the retail fixtures.

In this case study on Smashbox Cosmetics it is the smashbox camera, the  grip elements of a photo studio and the studio setup that drive the design.

           

So we take all of these elements and create a base fixture that in this case mimics the studio setup and its aesthetics:

Then we make various formats of that base module and create variations from it so we end up with a family of elements we can setup in different ways to respond to retailer needs:

A Retail Gondola

A Back Wall

The goal is for a customer to easily recognize the heritage or root of a brand to be able to develop an affection to the brand story.

Successful brands translate their story into every aspect that touches a consumer, whether it be direct communication, advertising, product, packaging or the retail environment.