As the first major design project for Year 1, the retail
brief seemed quite daunting to me as it became clear that our skills from the
first few weeks of the term were about to be put to the test. Given brand names
out of a hat, furniture company ‘Moooi’ was the particular company that I was
to redesign the Newcastle Reiss store for (located behind Monument). With other
course members securing well-known names such as ‘Bose’ and ‘Smash box’, it
would be safe to say that I had mixed feelings about my brand, which was
completely new to me. However, I would
soon be reminded that the project would only be as good as we made it, backed
up by a strong concept and selling point; the unfamiliarity with the brand
didn’t have to hold me back.
The brief stated that we were to produce: a 45-page A3
development pack, 2 A2 sized boards, 2 concept models and a final architectural
model representing our idea. With just three weeks to achieve the goal I knew
that I would need to plan out my deadlines efficiently, ensuring that I could accomplish
the brief to the best possible standard. Of course the first thing I needed to
look into was the brand itself, and headed straight to the online site for
primary information about products and history. I was pleasantly surprised by
what I discovered, showcasing quirky and exciting furniture pieces and light
fittings, there was great potential for the shops design and arrangement. Better
still, I was able to learn a lot about a variety of important designers (such
as Marcel Wanders) and am sure that I will use the company’s products for
future tasks.
My chosen art gallery theme (displaying the unique and
individual pieces) was the main part of my project that inspired me to
experiment with the conceptual models and develop the look of the store in
order to relate to the company. The last thing I wanted was for the concept to
not make sense, so I played around with appearances and scales on ‘Google
Sketch Up’ to ensure that the display would look effective. I also used the software when looking at my
primary concept of shipping containers and understood that the size of the
installation would actually have been much too big to fit into the shop space.
I find the programme quite easy to use as I have had previous experience in
using it for past projects, and so it speeds up my thinking and testing process
for simple proposals. It is also fascinating to input the company’s products
(sofas, lamps etc) within the different settings, knowing that scales have been
measured to the correct proportions to function fully.
The ‘Art Gallery’ concept came from a past trip to the 2011
Chelsea Flower show in London, where I discovered a particular exhibition that
used golden picture frames to emphasize the flowers. I realised that there was
an opportunity to experiment with scale here, and so took the concept and used
it on much bigger pieces of furniture such as sofas and side tables, which
proved to be successful. I was glad that I had a strong starting point for the shops
interior that could be developed further to realise an effective end result,
however, there was a matter of how practical the concept would be when it came
to construction.
The architectural model supplied me with a practical form of
piecing together the display case, testing scale as well as appearance. Despite
being extremely intricate to create, the final look worked well with the shape
of the store and even created a new room at the back for appointments or
meetings to be held. I feel that this
was strongly aided by the conceptual models because of the way I could
visualise the different units and how the customer would ultimately interact
with them. Furthermore, they reassured me of how bold the final look could be
once the materials and colours had been added onto the final section and plan.
Despite the materials being made out of simple white card, the model
representations were clear and effective, even helping me to illustrate my idea
during my final presentation.
Using Photoshop to render the plans and sections was a whole
new experience as I had only been using the software for about 6 weeks with
roughly 2 tutorials. However, I found it enjoyable to use once I’d got my head
around the main process and the large variety of tools on offer. It helped me
massively in understanding the final aesthetic of the shop as well as
constructing my 2 A2 boards to a good standard. For me, I would say that
rendering my plan, section and elevation of the ‘Moooi’ store was actually my
favourite part of the entire project; it felt great to have the freedom to
experiment with colour and graphics, comparing appearances quickly to realise
the best look.
With the project finished and work submitted, the final process
was to present everything to a small group and explain the thought process
behind my concept. I felt comfortable explaining my work because I knew my
designs back-to-front and was proud to talk about the project that I had put so
much effort into. The general feedback from my tutors was really positive, and
constructive where there was room for improvement; small points will stay in
the back of my mind for future projects, such as remembering to include section
lines on my section drawing and maybe researching competitor stores in the
area.
To conclude, the main thing that I feel I have learnt from
the retail project is managing time effectively to ensure the best possible
outcome for my work. It was extremely encouraging to achieve (what felt like) a
huge task in such a short period of time, knowing that I am able to perform
well when put under pressure; I was motivated mainly because of the fact that I
was enjoying the design process so much, whilst learning new skills and
techniques along the way.
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