Recently, I had the opportunity to spend some time in our Madrid office collaborating with a cross disciplinary team to brainstorm and develop a cultural food destination concept that would be a reference point for the city of Madrid.  So far project and our ideas are having great success with the client and we are really excited about the potential of the concept.  

The experience of working abroad, for however long a period of time, in another office is fantastic!  If you ever get the chance to work in another office, especially globally, drop what you are doing and go!  It’s a great way to get a fresh perspective on what we do by seeing how other offices/cultures work and engage with each other and their clients.  Anytime you can get exposed to new people and fresh processes and ideas it’s really energizing!  This is true from both parties perspectives as well. The creative tools I brought were greatly appreciated by everyone, since it was a fresh way of working for them.  So, the door swings both ways.  I conducted a brainstorming/ideation session with the internal team only, and it was great to see everyone get excited by this “new” way of digging through ideas to discover the concept.  By the end, our brains hurt, we were a little sweaty and tired, so we went off to the bar to refresh our creative minds.  

Also, from a cultural standpoint it was interesting to see and understand the differences between what we have and do in the U.S. versus another culture.  Sometimes there are details that  seem insignificant to me (an American), but make all the difference when it comes to the experience to a Spaniard (ask me about my shrimp experience sometime).  But, being able to work through those details, with people who understand the culture, to reshape the idea to make it work, was awesome!

Finally, speaking as a creative person who is always looking for fresh ideas and inspiration, travel is always a good thing—excuse me, a GREAT thing!  I was able to work in a little sight seeing time both in the city of Madrid and in a small historical town outside the city named Segovia.  In both these places I was able to see some of Spain’s rich history, and experience the different brands and retailers that we don’t have in the states.

All in all, it,s an invaluable experience and I highly recommend it!

Stay ahead of rapid expansion
Singapore, Seoul, and Mumbai are cutting edge markets and this means high expectations. Going into a project as a designer in these cities is intimidating. Shoppers live in aesthetic cultures where every imaginable design has been popularized. These cities are changing organically. It almost seems instantaneous. Within 3 months of being away from Singapore three new malls have opened. It’s all about knowing past/ present memes and looking toward ways of either (1) creating a new twist or (2) breaking the boundaries all together.

Stand out
In most cases Western design tends to fit in with its surroundings. Success in Asia is all about being bold. Whether it be a silly chewing gum commercial or neon signage that puts Times Square to shame, there is always something screaming for your attention. When you consider how busy people are in cities like Beijing and Tokyo, getting someone’s attention takes a strong effort. In my opinion, the solution to this is a simple design that allows for a detox from all the noise.

Design practical and durable
In South East Asia dirt is a big issue. Visual identity systems are often colorful with no white. In places like the Philippines, hot weather and dirty streets make the use of that modern pure white seem like a silly idea. From a culture perspective, the European black and grey palette, that we strive so hard to achieve, is irrelevant amongst cities like Bangkok where the taxis are hot pink and golden palaces litter the cityscape.  

Be Flexible
Living in a “Cultural Salad” means tackling different issues than when in a “Melting Pot.”  Building retail experiences that resonate amongst different segments and cultures means being able to truly understand the differences of the people that make up the cultures. The smart way to approach this is to design a system of parts that can live in any scenario rather then focusing on the actual shell of a location. A clever use of universal imagery and messaging proves very effective. Just look at Wegamama’s (Japanese for “selfish”) in the UK. Their iconic image of a boy eating from a bowl is genius. You understand right away what the image is saying and without a specific identity to the subject, the photo has the ability to be relevant in any region.

    
Respect superstition
Each culture has its own specific set of rules. Going into a meeting with a clear respect and understanding for these rules can mean life or death of a project. I have been in meetings where the general feeling of a downward slopping logo mark was interpreted as negative and almost was shot down. Feng Shui in Chinese culture plays a major role in the designing of brands. I have heard of projects that needed to be reworked after a Feng Shui master came in and commented on how the shape of the logo was sucking out the wealth and positive energy of the organization. Buildings in Singapore have been publicly exiled for being too sharp and therefore allowing the positive energy to flow out of the city into the ocean. The same mood and feelings towards a store plays toward shopper habits as well. Lots of these rules may appear silly but if you really investigate some of the findings do lead to great solutions. It’s like Chinese medicine, no one really knows what goes into them, but somehow it works.

DAYTON, OHIO— Retail brand consultancy, Interbrand Design Forum teamed with Michaels, the world’s largest arts and crafts specialty retailer, to develop a new store prototype that transforms categories by creating a store-within-a-store experience in departments like jewelry-making, custom framing and scrapbooking.

By gathering consumer insights, the team identified a need for the store to have more personality and provide inspiration and fun throughout, but with an eye on the return on investment.

“The key was to balance in-store innovations with operations to find the financially productive opportunities that allow the retail brand experience to shine through,” said Scott Jeffrey, chief creative officer, Interbrand Design Forum.

To do this, Interbrand Design Forum used its StoreBoard™ methodology to look at how space and capital could be allocated for maximum brand and financial return. This exercise freed up more space to celebrate the significant categories, and jumpstarted the process of improving organization of the store and its merchandise.

The team developed “the art of inspiration” as the design filter which led to a new layout, wayfinding program and adjacency plan that clearly showcase Michaels’ expertise.

“We wanted to communicate creativity by using the products within the store to highlight key departments and tell the story,” said Jeffrey. “This approach provides intuitive navigation and gives the store a distinctive branded personality.”

The difference is dramatically apparent from the moment a customer steps into the store. The store is an open, modern design with wider aisles, warm colors, brighter lighting, ‘inspiration kiosks’ for project ideas and work spaces for customers to lay out an idea or design before purchasing.

An entry focal creates a gathering place for seasonal and trend items. Pulled from multiple departments, the display immediately inspires the shopper. From this vantage point the consumer has a clear view of the entire store and can quickly locate her destination.

The store’s sightlines were improved by removing the top stock shelf from the fixtures. That overstock merchandise is now accommodated above the perimeter fixtures with a system that keeps the boxes out of sight.

By optimizing the use of space, Michaels was able to expand and celebrate five key departments:

* Located in the center of the store, the scrapbooking department is highlighted by a soffit featuring a graphic that emulates a paper lantern. Work space within the department allows customers room to lay out their page ideas before buying. A wood floor and additional oversized paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling delineate the department and add visual interest to the store.
* The new jewelry department offers more than 5,600 different styles of beads, which are clearly sorted. A large furniture-inspired fixture showcases the open stock beads that are new to Michaels’ offering. Typically staffed, the feature doubles as a greeter station, with its placement just inside the door. Textured carpet adds warmth and serves the functional purpose of catching any dropped beads.
* The new kids department highlights The Knack℠, Michaels’ program for children, showcasing project idea displays that offer shopping convenience for parents. The department celebrates The Knack’s branded colors and the fixtures are tiered to provide good sightlines of the entire offer. Arranged by age group, each display features a finished sample project, a free project sheet with step-by-step instructions and all the products needed to complete the project.
* The art supply area has been redefined and improved to meet the needs of artists at any level, with an expanded and easy-to-shop presentation of canvas and brush options.
* Custom framing is a key destination in the store. It is called out with a large frame feature that hangs from the ceiling. A center island encourages a hands-on design experience as the customer works alongside a dedicated custom framing staff member. The merchandise is organized by style and the new design offers increased opportunity to provide ideas and expose the shopper to options.

Organization was critical to these departments, so Interbrand Design Forum conducted research to understand consumer’s decision hierarchy. These insights helped establish category and shelving principles which led to the optimum way to group and display the merchandise and influenced the shelf and product level graphics.

“We have broken the mold of what customers expect from a craft store with this new design,” said Stuart Aitken, Michaels Chief Marketing Officer. “Our customers have told us they want freshness and inspiration from our stores, and those qualities shine through from the moment the customer walks in the front door.”

“Crafting is all about fun, and what I love about this store is that it is energetic,” said Jeffrey. “It looks like creativity is packed into the space. This makes it a more engaging place to shop, and for the employees it creates a better place to work, providing more opportunities to inspire customers.”

The first prototype opened in Hurst, Texas in early October 2008. The store pictured in West Chester, Ohio (near Cincinnati), was one of 24 stores Michaels opened utilizing the new design in 2008.

About Interbrand Design Forum
Since 1978, we have been creating retail brand experiences for companies around the world. Interbrand Design Forum’s talent for game-changing innovation led us to create a business model that integrates analytics-based strategy — the first and only company with such a comprehensive offering. In 2008, we added Interbrand to our Design Forum name to reflect our place in the world’s largest branding consultancy. We have been part of Interbrand since 2002, which makes us part of a network of 1,200 associates in almost 40 offices around the globe. For more information, please contact Beth Ling (937) 312-8803 or visit www.interbranddesignforum.com.

About Michaels
Michaels Stores, Inc. is the world’s largest specialty retailer of arts, crafts, framing, floral, wall décor, and seasonal merchandise for the hobbyist and do-it-yourself home decorator. The company currently owns and operates over 1000 Michaels stores in 49 states and Canada and 161 Aaron Brothers stores.
Close this Document