Why does design matter in a retail space? And, how does it effect your customers experience? A creative studio in Helsinki tries to answer these questions by building a pop-up cafe with suspect furniture and fixtures. Like an episode of Candid Camera, the cafe is rigged with poorly designed furniture waiting to fail. Unsuspecting patrons are challenged with the uncomfortableness of good and bad design. And the Internet is involved.
Source: core77.com
How About Gardening or Golfing at the Mall?
After decades of decline, malls across the country are being redeveloped by communities and planners trying to forge new gathering places out of vast lots with empty buildings.
An incredibly inspirational free-standing Starbucks Coffee using stacked shipping containers. Clever thinking has created an almost effortless gathering space away from the crowded malls. (Just add a few trees to soften things up a bit) Creative Solutions approves of this idea and more like it. We can’t quit you Starbucks.
Source: inhabitat.com
Ideo Offers 4 Strategies For Reinventing The Retail Experience
IDEO knows a thing or two about designing things that sell. Their suggestions for reinventing the retail experience should be considered money in the bank.
This is a great example of how store fronts can transform into engaging interactive displays for the public using off the shelf tech - and lots of creativity. Expect to hear the word ‘aware’ a lot more regarding visual display. Some choice tech notes for those who need a bit more info on how this was done.
We used a high quality projector and semi-matt foil from the hardware store to project the eyes to the window. They are rendered by a WebGL frontend using a shader sphere effect. The detection is performed by OpenFrameworks and the Kinect.
An Arduino controlled servo motor, pushing a button on the projector remote, is turning the installation on at 4pm and off at 11pm.
Source: thefoxisblack.com
You knew one day those mannequins would move. Bizarre, yes, amazing - totally.
Source: japantrends.com
The Hudson Hotel is a favorite hangout when CS is in NYC. Look what type of retail-bending shenanigans their up to for Fashion Week.
To celebrate Fashion Week in New York, USA, Hudson Hotel will feature a large vending machine in its lobby that will carry fashion ‘necessities.’ The luxury items will be from upcoming and promising designers from the U.S., including a diamond and wood strand bracelet from Ruby Kobo, a python clutch from SANG A, hand-made 7-fold wool ties from Public School, and a rabbit fur jacket from Jolibe. Other designers include Alice Ritter, Gemma Redux and Grey Ant.
Vending machines are always thought of as easy-access for disposable goods. Maybe we’ll see the fortune teller machines revamped into Mac genius bars. We can hope.
An illuminating illustration demonstrating Apples dedication to design theory and practice in everything they do. via IFOApplestore
Source: ifoapplestore.com
The power of Life-Like mannequins
Interesting NPR Story on Life-Like Mannequins effect on shopping
COMME des GARCONS has a new retail concept shop in Japan. Looks like a mashup of a surplus store with some new ideas. Love the density of the merchandising while everything still remaining shopable and visible. Japan only.
Source: freshnessmag.com
