Retail Design

Design Considerations for Different Retail Formats

As customer needs change and emerging technology enables new possibilities, retail channels need to adapt in order to stay relevant. This pattern has been demonstrated throughout history. For example, before the 1900s, personal cars and home refrigerators were not widely used, so people would visit markets and convenience stores fairly often. After sub-urbanization began and these […]

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Designing More Comfortable Retail Spaces

Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

Comfort can have different meanings. It can mean physically comfortable, with soft seating and moderate temperature. Or, a person can be mentally comfortable, where a space is calm, safe, and welcoming. In a retail context, store design can play a large role in making customers feel more at ease. Have you ever walked into a

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Renovate or Relocate? Six Things to Consider

Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

Retailers and food operators are finding it harder to find new locations with strong growth potential, as much of the population growth is happening in congested urban centers, and the majority of great locations are already occupied. This phenomenon is not limited to North America, as many countries have too many stores, and are seeing

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Why Experience Stores are on the Rise

Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

Retail is taking a turn down a curious alley. Many brands are opening retail concept stores that defy all logic by having nothing for sale. From pop-up shops, to “guide-shops,” to showrooms where customers can play with the latest products in a branded environment, retailers are suddenly feeling oddly comfortable pushing less sales and more

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Using Retail Design to Bring Your Brand to Life

Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

Does the design of your store or restaurant reflect your brand’s personality? Or is it out of sync with the message that you want to convey? Retail design is a physical representation of a brand that shapes customer experiences. Lighting, color, materials, fixtures, layout, commercial retail graphics, and digital signage all influence perceptions and express

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Meet Erica, Your New Robot Banker

Digital Experiences, Financial Services, Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

We recently launched a new branch design in Beijing for CZ Bank, which included a cute and entertaining robot with was cartoon-like features and a child-like voice. The purpose of the robot was to serve as a secondary greeter when the branch was extremely busy, and although it functioned as planned, its role was more to

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A Year in Review – Recapping the top retail stories of 2015

Articles, News, Retail, Retail Design / Sebastian Maynard

We asked two of Canada’s top retail columnists — Hollie Shaw of the National Post and Marina Strauss of The Globe and Mail — what they thought were the biggest retail stories of 2015 and what those stories might tell us about the future of retail in Canada and North America. Here’s what they said: What were

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Everything Retailers Need to Know About Writing a Design Brief

Blink Tips, Design Innovation, Retail, Retail Design / Jean-Pierre Lacroix

Fundamental Elements to Design Briefs The foundation of any design project is the design brief. The two major facets included in effective design briefs are the landlord/base building requirements and the client requirements. The information below briefly outlines the key elements required to rollout an existing retail design concept into a new or existing space.

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Design Considerations for Different Retail Formats

Renovate or Relocate? Six Things to Consider

Why Experience Stores are on the Rise

Using Retail Design to Bring Your Brand to Life

Meet Erica, Your New Robot Banker

A Year in Review – Recapping the top retail stories of 2015

Everything Retailers Need to Know About Writing a Design Brief

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