Cellular South

The idea was a cool and edgy store for Cellular South’s first integrated interactive online and in-store experience. The store would provide anytime, anywhere solutions to the wireless lifestyle shopper. Cellular South’s only caution was “don’t think wireless or cellular.”

We developed “clear connections” as a design filter. The message referred both to the product quality and the open, upfront dealings of the company. The result is an enthralling, hip environment with interconnecting shapes that seamlessly blend technology into the highly functional space. Thanks to the magic of holographic film and full-motion video, a five-foot, rotating, translucent Cellular South phone captivates and intrigues shoppers.

Like the website, products are segmented by lifestyle and usage. Each has a focal point, in which the relevant merchandise and product information are presented on screens, alongside live handsets. Monitors display all the needed information, eliminating the need for product-level graphics, which minimizes clutter.

Our management of the sourcing and implementation on the retail store design project ensured that the materials were right, and the complex fixtures comprised of thousands of pounds of glass and electrical wiring for 28 computer stations, fit precisely into ceiling elements.

Just as Cellular South desired, its new destination, while drawing high levels of mall traffic, is not a store — it’s an “unstore.” It’s a place to learn how to shop and pay bills virtually. Instead of keeping merchandise on the floor, items are purchased online and picked up at a pay station, reducing shrinkage and requiring a small staff. Visitors feel welcome in this new shopping experience, which has won several design awards and is a quantum leap from the company’s old look.