The Call
Retail design is never boring. It is always very satisfying when a Client calls me up all excited to thank me for a project I have designed. This happened recently to a Client in Robina Town Centre. They own the Tutti Frutti food court tenancy. It was dark and dated and its position made it difficult for customers to see as they entered the food court.
Accident
On top of this, they had closed down for a few weeks as there was an accident in a tenancy upstairs that caused flood damage to the Tutti Frutti tenancy downstairs. This became a blessing in disguise of sorts. It allowed the owners of Tutti Frutti to look at doing a minor facelift to see if the issues could be addressed and solutions found for them to help increase business.
Simple Solutions Big Impact
The main issues we identified through consultation was the visibility. We couldn’t do anything about the position of the tenancy but we could address visibility through increasing light levels and a simple rebranding of the store. The light levels were increased by replacing the existing lighting with energy efficient yet higher intensity LED lighting throughout the store. Additionally, the store was very ‘colourful’ yet by simplifying the colour scheme to an eloquent pastel blue it gave the business a fresh new lease on life. The neutral blue allowed the frozen yoghurt dispenser (which we retained the mosaic tiles) to ‘pop’. It also allowed more focus on the range of colourful toppings.
Design Principles
Contrast is a simple design principle that if used correctly can have a great impact. The Client was on a tight budget, so using high impact design principle need not always break the bank. This is the beauty of design – sometimes simple tweaks can create the desired impact without making a big impact on your wallet.
Staged Progress
In order to open up shop again and start trading the project was staged. The first stage included replacing the damaged section of plasterboard ceiling and lighting caused by the flood, and repainting. The image at the top of the article shows a before and after shot of the first stage. The second stage will be done as income begins coming in again and will include additional overhead signage, a menu panel, new floor finishes, and a new counter.
Designing Profits
Over the years what we have found is that those Clients who understand the importance of good retail design often see their business increase in sales when they engage the right designer. The right designer takes the time and effort to understand the Client’s business and use their expertise to engage the Client’s customers.
Before & After
We have also seen potential Clients who don’t appreciate the impact that good design can have on their business and wonder why they are struggling. With so much ‘noise’ for customers to be distracted by how are you going to turn their heads to hear you? At The Design Creative our many years of experience can help you to transform your business, where you can remember how your business was before and after engaging our services.