inspire: retail design blog » Trends

Cupcakes in Abu Dhabi

Nick — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:30:09 +0000

Via a submission, London based carbon, have recently completed a project in Abu Dhabi for Bloomsbury’s.

A free standing cupcake kiosk in Al Wahda Mall. The architecture and components were designed as a ‘kit of parts’ so the design can work for roll out locations across the Middle East and India.

Shopper-Centric Design eBook

Nick — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:51:48 +0000

Here’s a nice little eBook, courtesy of Elateral.

Just the right thing to get those juices going for your New Year’s to do list. Of particular interest is the four principles and seven imperatives and some good links at the back of the book. Happy reading.

Here’s the download link. (You’ll need to give up your email address).

Happy 2012 with energy boost

Nick — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 07:40:48 +0000

Next year’s colour will be (says Pantone) Tangerine Tango. I used to have a bike this colour!

Vintage Tesco

Nick — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:33:49 +0000

Even Tesco is getting in on the vintage act. Their store at Goodwood Revival harks back to the 60′s complete with retro packaging and hairdo’s.

Many more photos on Tasteologie and the Daily Mail Online

Can you tell navy blue from black?

Nick — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:51:04 +0000

According to the PSFK Future of Retail Report …

67% of customers who try on items buy them. Only 10% of customers make a purchase that they haven’t tried on. That’s why stores have begun to make changing rooms more attractive to customers.

Lighting is of course the key element in changing rooms, if you can tell navy blue from black you know the lighting is working. Then come the add ons. Mary Portas when launching her new shop for women is going to have fitting rooms with a choice of lighting modes.

Neither do changing rooms have to be static tucked away in a corner. Bloomingdales in Santa Monica have installed pods that retract into the ceiling.

Also of note in the same ‘retailtainment’ vein, the Topman personal shopping suite by Lee Broom.

And now … the pop up mall

Nick — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:53:05 +0000

Coming to Shoreditch, London in August 2011 is Boxpark. A pop up mall of 60 containers on two floors located opposite the Tea Building.

More information and a nice little video on the Boxpark website. Definitely worth a visit in the summer to what should be an interesting and original addition to Shoreditch.

Think Quarterly from Google

Nick — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:40:08 +0000

Google launches Think Quarterly, “a space to take time out and consider what’s happening and why it matters.” This issue is dedicated to data.

D’Espresso – New York

Nick — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:22:53 +0000

A nice little coffee shop in New York (on Madison Avenue). The optimum word here being little, at only 420 square feet (39 square metres) the designers have done a great job of tricking the eye into making you believe you’re in a larger space. The back wall becomes the floor with the floor and other walls covered in library book wallpaper.

I’m starting to see quite a few smaller shops covering their entire wall space with wallpaper of some description, a quick and easy way to change your look almost overnight, or a bit of theatre if you did it during shopping hours.

Originally from The Cool Hunter.

Not for sale

Nick — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:04:21 +0000

A new store in Paris, the Smart Store where everything is not for sale, but can be tried and tested.

From LSN:Global

More ecommerce retail design

Nick — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:59:22 +0000

It wasn’t just Apple who launched their new season’s range yesterday. Over the past week or so a couple of big players in the fashion stakes have added ecommerce to their UK sites.

Gap and Zara have very different approaches. The Gap model is pretty standard while Zara goes for the big centre stage image route as well as a lot more readable content and options for iPhone, iPad as well as Lookbook, Magazine (coming soon) and video.

Links:

www.apple.com

www.gap.eu

www.zara.com

Also worth a read is Econsultacy’s review of the new Gap website