What makes for a great design at retail...
Know the brand - Some people would say the difference between good and great design is simple aesthetics, but they would be wrong! There is so much more that goes into making a good design great. Knowing the brand is first and foremost, corporations spend a great deal on marketing and advertising to drive strong pre-store emotional connections to their brands and products. So if you don't understand this you have already failed.
Retail point of purchase will always be part of a bigger brand message so reflecting this association as part of the story is critical for any great design. If done correctly you can ensure shoppers will make a concise sensory connection with the brands and products when entering the store.
Understand the retail environment - most retailers will have specific requirements that have to be met before allowing a display or fixture to be placed within the store. Knowing these restrictions upfront will help save your client time and money. Be the expert! always know more about the store environment than they do and bring value to what you do.
Many large programs will often be distributed over multiple retailers, so building versatility and or modularity into a display can be a critical factor in providing an award winning design. The ability to understand the unique differences between retailers will often help you find the ideal solution that allows your designs to stand apart from the rest.
Identifying the audience - Understanding the behavior, mindset and emotion of a shopper can help deliver a more engaging and effective shopping experience. Without a holistic understanding of your consumers touch-points, it’s very difficult to develop an engaging solution that will truly influence a person's behavior to buy. So ask questions, do the research and get to know your audience. They will thank you for it when it comes time to buy!
Time to be creative and show off your brilliance - Now that you know the brand, retailer and audience you are trying to reach you are ready to be creative!
Remember creativity is sometimes just about finding simple solutions for complex problems. Easier said than done right... well maybe not! A renowned architect once stated "form follows function" and I'd like to think that it still holds true for our industry. If you're able to first design in functionality, a displays true form will reveal itself, only then can true creativity take over and allow a great design to manifest.
I've often found one of the biggest mistakes any designer can make is over designing, knowing when to stop takes discipline and experience. Great designers will always showcase the product and not allow a display to over shadow the product being presented. "Keep it clean" my professors always said, resist the temptation to pile on a lot of graphics, elements and information that will only clutter and confuse the shopping experience while providing adequate room for the product to sell itself. If you follow some of these simple rules the key to great design will soon be yours.
Choose materials and finishes that make sense to the brand and harmonizes with products being represented. Too many times I see good ideas go wrong because many display companies and their designers are feeding the beast! "Feeding the Beast" is a term coined to describe companies who've acquired too much overhead to gain specific capabilities to help legitimize themselves in the industry, whether it's wood, plastic or metal it doesn't matter you are paying for it whether you're using it or not! Great designs should never be dictated by the machine sitting in the backroom but by the solution sitting in your head.
Build a mental toolbox - learn all you can about new materials as well as different manufacturing processes, since nobody knows everything, except for maybe egotistical bosses and politicians. Find and surround yourself with a team of knowledgeable people that you trust to help guide and share your ideas with. The more items you choose to fill your toolbox with the more creative you will become!
What’s in your mental toolbox? You might be surprised what's in ours!