Mid Year State of the Market: Maurisa Potts, in a mid year “state of the market” presentation sponsored by the Alexandria SBDC featured a headline stating, “Soft economy hitting big retailers hard.” There are, I might add, some small ones not doing too well either. Potts went on to note that online shopping is not […]
Tag: restaurant design
Contemplation – Imagine you are a retailer contemplating this tenant space. Clearly, you might be asking yourself; “now what?” Suppose a few of the questions below move from unconscious reflection to conscious contemplation without ensuing answers, then assessing a project to see what is actually required could facilitate the decision making process and provide many […]
This is an instructive exercise on two levels. First lets consider the impact of merchandise placement in the black and white photo. It is quickly apparent that the main show, directly in the line of view as a customer enters or passes by the store, is an indecipherable patch work which says little about the […]
I am always surprised when companies with large store planning and marketing resources, not to mention budgets, create and then miss visual display opportunities. It is hardly necessary to comment on the problem here. Any student of this blog can see that the white cut work backdrop forms a high contrast and visually compelling pattern […]
These storefront designs fight the exterior “visual noise,” which would actually be a lot worse had these photos been take at noon instead of early evening, by framing their storefronts with bright not reflective graphics in patterns compatible with their particular brands. Judging by the photos it is an effective solution. The shops clearly stand […]
Close inspection will reveal that these two storefront views have something in common. By amplifying the peripheral they draw attention to the particular. The textured glass used in the top panes and transom of the quilt shop have the effect of sending the viewer in search of visual clarity, which she quickly finds in […]
Speaking of the perfect daytime storefront, this photo, actually taken with a smart phone by one of my clients, could not be more instructive. Daytime storefronts almost always have a double image and often a triple or more. Here there is a perfect picture of the surrounding area reflected with varying degrees of clarity on […]
I have probably posted these notes about daytime storefronts in the wrong order. This post really should have been first because the images provide a visual definition of the main problem a designer faces when dealing with storefront display options at a time of day when the sun is shinning brightly. That would clearly be […]