DESIGN PROCESS
FROM ROUGH IDEAS TO EFFECTIVE IN-STORE SOLUTIONS
Korbel
Client Brief:
Korbel is the oldest operating champagne manufacturer in America, with a long, storied history.
As such, the brand desires to position product in a custom-designed display which conveys that heritage in an elegant and desirable way.
The display will be primarily set in floral departments in supermarkets to gain incremental "special occasion" purchases.
Natural Response
Client Brief:
Retailing from $2,495 to $4,995 in queen, Natural Response mattresses “are intended to impress consumers seeking the epitome in sleep luxury and comfort, and to deliver highly elevated margins to retailers who floor them.”
The spa-inspired line will be showcased and
stage-lit in a Zen-like environment in keeping with the beds’ “serene yet stunning” design.
Initial ideas like the ones shown here help guide the project kickoff phase by stirring some sort of emotion within all parties involved. Usually we find that there are some elements that are immediately well-received and others that are quickly dismissed as out of budget, not compatible with the brand, or just unliked for any other subjective reason. These are all good things to know before embarking on the next phase: rendering.
The final product is shown here in a liquor store setting. The initial run of this display was 300, and the client requested that the unit ship assembled. Because of the tight tolerances in this particular design, the wires that hold the bottles had to be perfectly bent and welded. Multiple prototypes afforded us the testing necessary to ensure excellent build quality and field performance of this unit.
Most new designs begin as a rough marker sketch like the ones shown here as a response to a rough design brief. Quick sketches like these help us explore and share ideas both internally and at client review sessions. These early “ideations” help guide the overall creative direction of the project by uncovering both desired and undesired ideas.
Seeing the final assembled product for the first time is always an amazing feeling, especially with a complex design such as this. Careful planning and a steady but quick and methodical approach throughout the entire development process yielded a finished product that looked nearly identical to the initial concept renderings. The materials used in this installation were heavy and durable, designed to perform for years on-site.
West Marine
Client Brief:
One of the largest "big box" marine stores in the U.S., West Marine operates about 300 stores and are actively growing.
West Marine recognized an opportunity to add value for their customers and increase their revenue through simply educating shoppers on reccommended safety equipment for their boating adventures.
To do this, we together developed a high-profile display with integrated touch-screen tablet that allows the shopper to retrieve a vessel-specific shopping list.
Endcap displays like this West Marine interactive are often challenging. This is primarily because the design must adapt seamlessly with an existing fixture, to which, many times we do not have continuous access. The initial phases ignore many of the unknowns and ideas are presented based on general concepts, shown in skech form as seen here. The quick sketches serve to help establish an initial direction for the project.
This display shows very well with built-in backlighting systems, beadwood textures and a unique taj-teak base cover with a flush wood inlay feature. The touch screen positioning was determined by studying human factors diagrams and optimizing the angle and height of the screen for maximum ease of use.