Strengthening a Young Company's Brand Identity Through Interior

Strengthening a Y oung Company‘s Brand Identity Through Interior Design

Felicia Schneeweis

Spring Semester 2020 Master‘s Thesis

Berlin International University of Applied Sciences

Advisor: Prof. Yüksel Pögün-Zander, PhD Second Examiner: Prof. Javier Martin

Table of Content

1 Introduction 5 1.1 Aim of the Thesis 5 1.2 Methodology 6

2 The Change of Retail in the 21st Century 7 2.1 Historical Development 7 2.2 Online Shopping vs. Retail Shopping 12

3 The Value of the Brand Identity for the Future of Retail 16 3.1 Branding Through Design and Architecture 17 3.1.1 Apple Store 5th Avenue NewYork City 18 3.1.1.1 The Brand - Apple 18 3.1.1.2 Architectural Elements Implemented in the Store 20 3.2 Best Practices of Branding in Terms of the Use of Interior Design 32 3.2.1. Freitag Flagship Store Zürich 33 3.2.1.1 The Brand - Freitag 33 3.2.1.2 The Store 35 3.2.2. MYKITA Store Berlin and Barcelona 42 3.2.2.1 The Brand - MYKITA 42 3.2.2.2 The Store 44 3.2.3 Aesop Stores London, Geneva and Brussels 48 3.2.3.1 The Brand - Aesop 48 3.2.3.2 The Stores 49 3.2.4 Camper Stores NewYork City Lab, Milan and NewYork City 60 3.2.4.1 The Brand - Camper 60 3.2.4.2 The Stores 61 3.2.5 Valentino Store Rome 68 3.2.5.1 The Brand - Valentino 68 3.2.5.2 The Store 70

4 Conclusions 75

5 Practice - Design Project 78 5.1 The Brand - YOU MAWO 78 5.2 The Design 79 5.2.1 The Task 79 5.2.2 The Concept 81

Bibliography 88

1 Introduction

Digitalization is a permanently present topic in the 21st century, that changes almost every part of our lives and shopping is no exception from that. These days a large amount of the things we buy are purchased online. Online shopping is faster, easier and simply more convenient. That raises the question if we need physical shops at all anymore. But people still have the longing to go outside and have a stroll through actual stores. It is like drinking coffee, of course you can make a coffee at home, but it is just way more intriguing to have it in a cafe. What makes the latter more charming is not the coffee itself but the experience. Brick-and-mortar stores need to do the same and become more competitive to their online competitors. Since online shopping wins regarding convenience, the physical stores have to make up for it when it comes to experience and engaging in sensory perception. When people go to a store today, they want a special shopping experience, that makes it worth their while. The trend does not go to any kind of experience, but more specifically to a brand experience.

Creating a special shopping and brand experience requires a thoughtful store design, including architecture, interior design, product design and graphic design aspects. The design and architecture need to reflect the brand and make it physically accessible for the consumer. This is quite a challenge, when we consider what a brand actually is. A brand is just an abstract concept, the idea of certain kinds of products, values and characteristics. Rolling those rather abstract things into a physical, tangible design seems quite complicated. While the goals might be clear and there is plenty of good advice, the different strategies and approaches behind achieving these goals are often just vaguely explained and nebulously presented.

There are plenty of books that give functional advice and present successful retail designs, but the relation between the brand and the actual design and the concept behind this relation most often stays incomprehensive. Yet most designs have two layers, the directly functional aspects, for example circulation, logistics etc., which serve as the foundation of the design and a second layer which is the aesthetical part, which serves for the branding and experience. The functional aspects are usually clear and based on hard facts that can be read up on. But the second layer,where the designer's creativity comes into play and which makes the brand experienceable by the customer, is hardly anywhere explained. There are some simple and obvious strategies apparent in some designs, but in other cases it is much harder to pinpoint down why exactly a design is successful and how exactly it refers to the brand it is representing.

1.1 Aim of the Thesis

This thesis aims to explore the relationship between brand and retail design in times of modern shopping and the brick-and-mortar store as a tool for brand experiences. It looks at what kind of spatial strategies can be applied for branding in retail design and differentiates various strategies through which retail design and architecture represent brands, the influence the brand identity has on the store design and the stores impact on the brand. These insights will be used in the process of creating a new store design for the brand YOU MAWO. YOU MAWO is a German eyewear manufacturer that uses modern technologies like face-scans and laser-sintering1 to create eyewear that is individually adapted to the customers face.

1 Additive manufacturing technique, that sinters metal or synthetic materials by using a laser

Currently the brand only sells through selected opticians and has no individual stores or brand space. This is why a specially designed retail system would enhance the brand recognition and presence at their external sales points. Additionally, a complete individual store design would create a totally controlled environment and brand space, which will push the brand identity and value to the next level.

The design concept will include a system that can be used as a modular shop in shop system for their B2B2 sales channels at external optician stores, but also serves as a base for the brands first flagship store. Based on the results of the previous research, the concept will engage with the brand identity and create a brand experience which is coherent with the brand’s background and values and translate them into a spatial strategy.

1.2 Methodology

This will be approached through various complementing steps. In the beginning a brief summary of the historical development of shopping, retail and stores will be presented, to understand why retail is at the point where it is today and facing so many new challenges. This will be followed by a comparison of shopping in traditional brick and mortar stores and online shopping, to respond to the current situation of shopping. This will identify the potentials and weaknesses of physical stores and show how online shopping and brick and mortar stores can complement each other. Afterwards the value of branding and the brand identity will be discussed, accompanied by the example of an especially remarkable store design. The example is the Apple store on the 5th Avenue in NewYork City. This example will show how in this case the store design and brand identity are connected and how certain architectural elements can support representing a brand. To do so, first the brand Apple will be analysed, regarding their history, products and values, followed by analyzing the store, separated into the different important architectural elements and its interior. Since the new demands for stores have spawned outstanding examples of interior design in the retail field, it seems best to learn from them directly. Therefore several case studies will be reviewed as best practice. Each case study includes a summary of the brand and its products, before reviewing the corresponding store’s interior design. The selected case studies include the Freitag Tower in Zurich, the MYKITA stores in Berlin and Barcelona, the Aesop stores in London, Brussels and Geneva, the Camper stores in NewYork City (Camper Lab), Milan and NewYork City, as well as the Valentino store in Rome. The goal of the case studies is to extract different schemes and strategies behind their design approaches. The results will be collected in a table, which enables a clear understanding and comparison of their features and characteristics. Based on this table the store designs and their concepts will be compared and conclusions drawn from that. The results will be incorporated in the strategy for the design of a modular store design for YOU MAWO, in regard to their brand identity. This will be approached similar to the case studies, as at first the brand’s history, products, values and concept will be analyzed. Following that, a design theme which represents best the brand identity will be created as a base for further functional aspects. The design theme will be matched with the functional and logistic requirements of the store and the B2B channels. The result will then be finalized into a complete design for a flashipstore and its complementary B2B system.

2 Short for business-to-business, retail system where the manufacturer sells goods to another business and not directly to the customer

2 The Change of Retail in the 21st Century

2.1 Historical Development

To understand the changing needs and challenges of the retail world, it makes sense to go back first to understand where retail is coming from, in order to understand where retail is going. This requires a brief historical recapitulation.

The way we shop has evolved and changed enormously since its beginning. Originally shopping happened in the form of markets, the earliest known of being the market at Thebes around 1500 BCE (Chung et al.2001, 30). Those markets converted to covered markets and later to arcades, department stores and finally malls (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 63). The first arcade, the “Galeries de Bois” (Fig. 1) was built in 1786, followed by the first department store “Au Bon Marché” (Fig. 2 and 3) in Paris in 1852 and the first mall-like format “Country Club Plaza” (Fig. 4) in Kansas City in 1922 (Chung et al. 2001, 31-32). Arcades were characterized by buildings that accommodated stores and had covered passageways in between, connecting buildings and stores (Fig.1 and 5). The early department stores had a similar appearance, but as opposed to the arcades they consisted of one single large open building housing products of many brands as one shop under one roof (Fig. 2 and 3). As we all probably know from our own shopping experiences, malls are also similar to this, since they usually consist of one large building, but the difference to the department stores is that they accommodate multiple individual stores that are spatially separated from each other.

Figure 1: The First Arcade “Galeries du Bois” in Paris (Source: Brown University Library, Galeries de bois, Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/mar/30/galeries-de-bois-paris-history-cities-50-buildings)

Figure 2: The First Department Store “Le Bon Marché” in Paris in 1880 (Source: Archives Le Bon Marché, Le Bon Marché in 1880, Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.completefrance.com/travel/holiday-ideas/paris-department-stores-1-3181774)

Figure 3: The “Le Bon Marché” Today (Source: Gabriel de la Chapelle, 2019, Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.departures.com/art-culture/bon-marches-public-art-exhibition-joana-vasconcelos)

Figure 4: Part of the First Mall “Country Club Plaza” in Kansas City in 1930 (Source: Missouri Valley Special Collections, The Plaza Theater in 1930, 1930, Accessed August 13, 2020. https://martincitytelegraph.com/2019/12/26/the-country-club-plaza-the-nations-first-outdoor-shopping-mall/)

Not only the form of retail changed over time, but also its purpose. While the early markets purely followed the need to acquire goods, this changed with time too. With the formation of a growingly wealthy class evolved the desire to gain comfort and distinction through a more sophisticated shopping experience (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 97). These efforts already started in the early 19th century with the formation of more elite shopping arcades that distinguished themselves from profane shopping ways not only by the higher exclusivity of the offered goods, but also a more sophisticated architecture, like the shopping arcade “Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II” which opened in 1876 (Fig. 5)(Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 97). This seems like the first conscious move towards modern retail design and experiential shopping.

Figure 5: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan (Source: Matthias Rhomberg, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Milan, 2015, Accessed August 13, 2020. https://www.archdaily.com/644233/monocle-24-playful-design-role-of-luck-in-shaping-cities/5582d3d3e58ece1737000002-mono cle-24-playful-design-role-of-luck-in-shaping-cities-photo)

The challenges that retail faces today are not only a consequence of progressing digitalization and growing e-commerce, but also due to retail's general lack of innovating. The retail industry is historically notorious for trend-following instead of trend-setting (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 12). One cause of that is that while the world around us and the way we want to shop have changed enormously, the success of many stores is still measured the same way it always has been, by sales per square foot (Stephens 2017, 137). While innovative approaches for stores are out there, they have a hard time becoming the norm, as an innovative shopping experience is valuable for customer and brand, but might not directly lead to an increase in sales per square foot. Another reason for the struggle of the retail industry in europe nowadays is the stagnation of economic growth in this field. For example, retail sales in Germany have not notably increased between 2000 and 2013 (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 13). This led to changes in the retail structure and the decline of department stores that could not withstand the pressure from specialized and aggressively pricing retailers (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 13). On the other hand new retail forms emerged, like for example the invention of the flagship store in the 90’s (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 72).

The flagship store can be seen as the “heir” of the already mentioned more prestigious shopping formats, like the arcade in the 19th century (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 97). Like its predecessor it is more curated and exclusiv than the average shopping experience, being “the contemporary and differentiating format of the 20th and 21st centuries” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 97). A common design strategy enhancing the flagship stores special and exclusive character is “visual dearth in large spaces to underscore the sense of scarcity or uniqueness” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 98). In most cases the singularity of flagship stores is even twofold, in the special collection of exclusive products and through a unique store design (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 98). The conceptual exclusivity of many flagship stores often tries to justify high product prices through a visual gesture of “value and uniqueness” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 183).

Department stores are not the only format that struggled due to changing customer behaviour. Already from 1980 to 1990 the time people in the US spent in malls has halved (Chung et al. 200, 74-75 citing Hassel, Houston Chronicle 9 October 1996). In 1995 still 38% of people said they wanted to shop in malls less often (Chung et al. 2001, 78-79 citing Labich, Fortune 29 May 1995). This seems drastic, considering that the mall was previously seen as the mundane and glorious shopping format of the future. When the first modern inside mall was built in 1956 in Minneapolis, it was a totally new shopping format and the first retail format whose existence was enabled through air conditioning (Chung et al. 2001, 116). The implementation of air conditioning allowed for a constantly controlled, artificial environment with the highest comfort for its customers (Chung et al. 2001, 116). It was the first space that was completely independent and disconnected from the exterior in this proportion (Chung et al. 2001, 116). Therefore the air conditioning did not only allow for larger interior spaces in general, but also increased sales, because customers would come more often, from further away and spend more time, which all contributed to the customer spending more money (Chung et al. 2001, 116). The importance of the mall was not only based around it being a place for shopping, but also it being an event space and meeting point, because of its comfortable environment (Chung et al. 2001, 116). It was even predicted by some that city centers would die a “slow death” due to favoring shopping malls over individual stores downtown (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 8). But the people’s desire and need for them have revived city centers with small stores (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 8) and the mall was soon the format to struggle.

The changes in retail culture are due to continuously changing challenges and possibilities. The “Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping” describes three major shifts in the shopping structure. The first is the expansion of “physical space”. This describes the enlarging size of stores,

possible through technical innovations like for example air conditioning, escalators and higher mobility (Fig. 6)(Chung et al. 2001, 132). This made shopping more convenient and heavily impacted our built environment (Chung et al. 2001, 132).

Figure 6: Early Escalator at Department Store Harrods in 1989 (Source: BBC Two, Britain’s first escalator, 1898, Accessed August 13, 2020. https://twitter.com/BBCTwo/status/484065358983471105)

After the “physical expansion” reached its limit regarding store sizes, shopping expanded into other activities and programs (Chung et al. 2001, 133-134). This means that shopping integrated into new spaces, like airports, museums and train stations, which primarily function did not used to be shopping, or that did not previously include shopping at all (Chung et al. 2001, 134). This becomes obvious through the fact that airports and malls are visually indistinguishable in large parts of their interior (Chung et al. 2001, 134). The third change is the expansion in information (Chung et al. 2001, 135). Through new technological inventions, ever more information about customers and all parts of their life can be collected, improving customer targeting (Chung et al. 2001, 135).

This shows the impact technological inventions and innovations have always had on brick-and-mortar stores and the way we buy things in general. As the innovations continuously sped up and their impact increased it is no surprise that they eventually led away from brick and mortar stores and into the new world of online shopping. This led to the biggest challenge brick and mortar stores have faced so far, because the common differentiating strategies for retailers used to be price and assortment. Pricing became more and more competitive, pushing retailers to either the top or bottom of the spectrum and the assortment of retailers can not compete with the vast assortment of e-commerce anymore. Therefore both strategies do not work as differentiators anymore (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 14). This created the need for new strategies to differ from competitors. One of those new strategies was branding, which became a very successful and trending tool for creating a unique identity for former indistinguishable brands and their products, which will be discussed more detailed in chapter 3.

2.2 Online Shopping vs. Retail Shopping

After looking at the historical development of Retail Shopping, it is also important to have a closer look at its most important alternative today. A comparison of Retail and Online Shopping will show their weaknesses, potentials and how those intertwine. E-commerce has continuously grown in the last years (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 51), making it seem increasingly competitive for traditional stores.

Since the late 90’s and early 2000’s online shopping has not only gained in size and importance, but also in quality. When online Shopping began its functions were very basic and it lacked perks compared to retail shopping. But since then a lot of innovations grew into the online shopping experience. One big step was free shipping and of course free returns (Fig. 7), to eliminate the buyers' fear of spending extra money on something that they might not like or that would not fit. In addition to that a lot of fashion online shops nowadays give their customers size advice for clothing based on former orders or other customers reviews (Fig. 7). If an item is out of stock customers can sign up to receive an email when the item is back (Fig. 8). This ensures to lose less customers, maximize sales and make sure the customer is satisfied and does not feel like he missed out on something. The interfaces and usability of the online shop websites also improved, helping to create a whole new field of user interface and user experience design. Amazon topped everything else when it comes to speed and convenience when they introduced the one-click to buy button (Fig. 9) and the next-day delivery. Furthermore, customers can get a subscription when ordering something, and the product for example your dishwasher tabs will be automatically bought and sent again after a month or whichever cycle suits you best (Fig. 10). All these innovations are implemented to increase convenience and reduce impediments.

Figure 7: Zalando Online Shop Interface with Size Recommendation (on the Right) and Indication of Free Shipping (Top and Right Side) (Source: Zalando Website, Accessed August 13, 2020.)

Figure 8: Zalando Online Shop Interface with Back in Stock Notification (Source: Zalando Website, Accessed August 13, 2020.)

Figure 9: Amazon Online Shop Interface with One-Click-to-Buy (Buy Now) Button (Source: Amazon Website, Accessed August 13, 2020.)

Figure 10: Amazon Online Shop Interface with Subscription Option (Subsribe&Save) (Source: Amazon Website, Accessed August 13, 2020.)

Another important perk of online shopping, the vast selection and variety of products, is also what it makes it the most competitive. The selection is broad, but it is also extremely easy to find exactly what you are looking for through detailed search engines on websites. Compared to retail shopping that saves a lot of time and effort. Buying in an offline store you will possibly not know if they sell the kind of product you are looking for and if they have the right kind of that product for you. So you might be on the safer side checking it out in their online shop in advance. This shows a significant factor of bricks and mortar stores versus online shopping. It is not either the one or the other, but in reality the two are intertwined. There is no clear separation, the customer might just as well inform himself in the online shop, but buy in a brick and mortar store, or the other way around.

The benefit of the large assortment makes online shopping still more attractive than traditional brick and mortar stores, but it also makes it a challenge for the online store operators at the same time, as competition is nowhere as close as in the web. All it takes to lose a potential customer is one click to another online shop. This also makes it incredibly easy for customers to compare products and prices. Furthermore online shops do not follow any opening hours, which on the one hand makes them available to the customer at all times, but also has influence on the buying decision. When a customer is in a shop he has to buy something immediately or go through the effort of coming back at another time. Online the customer can postpone this decision and might eventually forget about it. This could also go the other way around and a customer might not actually buy something because of not being sure about it and then not wanting to go back later. Online Shopping is a big time saver. One does not have to leave the house to go to one or even several shops. The customer can have a look at several different stores, that might in real life be quite far away from home and each other and this from the comfort of his own home.

Besides all it perks, online shopping has its errors. It has probably already happened to everybody once, you order something and when it arrives it is just completely different than what you expected. The colour might be different, the material, the size, it might feel or smell weird, or sometimes you might just be buying a photo poster of the item you wanted. This could be related to the fact that online shopping works almost solely visually and even what we see relies heavily on the products photography or rendering. Sure online shops are catching up with 360° views of their products. But seeing something online and seeing something in real life will will never be the same no matter how

advanced technology will be. Take silk as a material for example, it is an especially expensive material, but its most valuable quality being really soft and having a great touch will never come across as convincing on a photo as it does in real life. On the functional side is this one of the strongest arguments for brick and mortar stores, the multi-sensual experience of products. Besides reviewing the physical product in a way that is virtually impossible, brick and mortar stores also meet a different demand. We stopped purely buying things to fulfill our needs a long time ago, in modern times we also shop for entertainment. The ladder craves for real life experiences in the physical world.

This also explains why still 85 to 90 percent of purchases happened in brick and mortar stores in 2018 (Medina in Klanten and Kouznetsova 2018, 2), because “As long as humans shop for reasons beyond the mere acquisition of things, physical retail spaces will remain relevant.” (Stephens 2017, 117). In fact, brick and mortar stores can be so appealing that even Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos admitted being interested in opening physical Amazon stores, when his company finds the right approach to it (Business Insider 2012). In the early times of e-commerce brands started establishing online shops in addition to their brick and mortar stores, or brands directly took off with an online store. Today the brands that were born as pure online shops also notice the importance of a physical space representing their brand. A good example for that is the US-American eyewear brand “Warby Parker”, which was founded as an online business that would send their customers a set of glasses to try on at home. The concept was very successful from day one, but nonetheless the brand started engaging in brick and mortar stores later on. As the brands co-founder Neil Blumenthal states, „We believe the future of retail is at the intersection of e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar“, the brand sees brick and mortar stores as an opportunity to “create special moments” and “build relationships” with their customers (Inc 2013).

Even Though the comparison makes it look like online and retail shopping are solely competitors, this is - as briefly mentioned before - not entirely true. In most cases a brand has both a retail and an online store. In fact, 48% of the 1000 largest online shops in Germany also had offline presences (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 51). When we accept the changed role of the retail store, we should see online and retail shopping as complementary partners. This also demands consistency between both parts, as customers expect and rely on this and do not want to be confused by any discrepancies (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 325). The online shop might seal the deal, but the retail store as a place for brand experiences might be what leads you there. Also, far more sales are generated through getting information online, but eventually buying offline, than the opposite way (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 51). When done right, both will complete each other and lead to the strongest possible brand. There needs to be a distinction between their functions. Online Shopping fulfills needs, in the fastest, easiest and most convenient way and better than retail stores could possibly do this. Therefore retail stores need to redefine their functions and reinforce their new role. Especially when it comes to experiential store design, as “every store needs to be a small Coachella experience— an experience that engages all five senses and remains with shoppers long after they’ve left the store.” (Stephens 2017, 136). This new identity of brick and mortar stores as entertaining spaces of brand experiences not only justifies their existence, but also enhances the brand and its value. Brick and mortar stores, especially flagship stores are not pure sales channels, but also marketing tools and advertising, “the store is media” (Stephens 2017, ix). In fact the opening of a brick and mortar store with a good brand experience can even increase website traffic for the brand in the area around the store through a higher brand awareness (Stephens 2017, 128).

3 The V alue of the Brand Identity for the Future of Retail

As discussed is chapter 2.1 retail increasingly depends on alternative differentiation strategies, besides price and assortment. One of those differentiation strategies that has been in the picture for a while and almost seems natural these days, is branding. The term first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1959, when the idea of brands and branding as we know it today became more recognized and acknowledged (Bastos and Levy 2012, 356).

Branding describes the process of building a strong brand for your product or service by claiming its ownership. It is “a combination of differentiating attributes that connect on an emotional level with desired markets” (Funk and Levis 2009, 5). Companies engage in branding, as it is an effective tool to create value, since “strong brands can significantly bring higher prices and contribute higher profits” (Funk and Levis 2009, 2).This strategy works, because customers engage more intensively with strong brands, because strong brands create trust and identification and trigger emotions and desires (Funk and Levis 2009, 5).

Branding is a consequence of mass production and consumption. It goes beyond having access to goods, but instead focuses on having access to “particular goods” (Cairns 2010, 1). The brand behind a product is important, because it adds to the “perceived quality and performance of the product”, without actually changing the product itself. It “enhanc[es] the tangible product performance with intangible brand performance” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 17). This way the difference between a product and a branded product lies not in the product itself, but in its brand’s identity, making the branded product itself still more valuable to the customer. Branding is related to design and architecture, because “the environment surrounding the product defines the context in which the product is perceived.” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 183). Or in other words “Selling image as much as products, brands need appropriate venues, mini-temples in the service of ‘brand deities’ “ (Chung et al. 2001, 166). In those “mini-temples” devotees participate by shopping (Chung et al. 2001, 171). Their purchases can therefore be seen as collecting relics and becoming part of the brand.

Today's extent of branding and its effect on retail are also a result of a change in supply chains. Traditionally a manufacturer would sell his branded goods to several retailers, that would sell goods from various manufacturers to the consumer, but the retailer was not a brand itself (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 17). Through “vertical integration”, supply changes are nowadays widely expanded.That means the manufacturer expands its business to retailing its own products and retailers expand their business to manufacturing their own products, becoming brands themselves (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 21). Before that movement branded retail designs made much less sense. A good example for this strategy is H&M. The brand was the first clothing retailer that started designing and manufacturing their own products, leading to a coherent brand experience (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 17). Today H&M is so established as a brand, that it is even hard to imagine they did not used to be a brand themselves starting off. A reversed example is Apple. The brand became famous with their avant-garde tech-products and opened its first high-profile store 2002 in NewYork City, proving the growing importance of vertical integration at the beginning of the 21st century (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 21). Thinking again of e-commerce as a growing force, another option to implement vertical integration for manufacturers is of course selling their products online. Vertical integration gives brands the unique possibility to control their marketing concept every step of the way to the end consumer and creating a holistic brand experience (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 112). Businesses that engage in vertical integration are in general more successful than other

businesses, because branding creates additional value for the brand(Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 112).

Even though vertical integration proves to be a successful business model, it has its limits and calls for additional brand strategies. Starbucks for example has successfully implemented vertical integration, but started falling short around 2007 anyway (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 21). The brand was too focussed on conformity, that it lost its “brand’s soul” and “determined that the ‘cookie-cutter approach3 to store design had fallen out of fashion’ ” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 21 citing The New York Times, January 11 2010). Starbucks new approach values sustainability and local influences over global uniformity (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 21). This celebration of diversity and the local environment can also be noticed in the case studies on Camper and Aesop in Chapter 3.2.3 and 3.2.4. The customers appreciation for diverse and locally influenced retail designs is connected to a growing need for authenticity. Customers long for authentic brands, trustworthiness, transparency and realness (Teufel and Zimmermann 2915, 38-42). Since we tend to identify authenticity with uniqueness, this can most often hardly be achieved with mass produced goods, therefore the demand of uniqueness gets alternatively fulfilled through the retail design (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 42). A part of branding, that is especially important for interior design in the retail field is the “brand experience”. It is the touchpoint of the customer and the brand and describes “when an audience engages in your brand in person” (Funk and Levis 2009, 5). This aspect will be examined more closely in the following examples and case studies.

3.1 Branding Through Design and Architecture

After establishing the relevance of branding, it needs to be clarified how it relates to design and architecture. Since the brand experience is the interaction between brand and customer, the store is one of the spaces where this interaction happens. This is why stores are also called “brand spaces”. Another reason for this term might be that the traditional profile of a store is not that clear anymore. As the demand for special brand experiences grows, people and companies expect more from a store, than being merely the place where a product is sold. As highlighted in chapter 2.2 this can also be fulfilled through online shopping today. The higher demands and expectations of stores raise the need for a more careful and thought through store design and bring designers and architects into the picture. The main focus lies usually on the space’s interior and is usually adaptable to different spaces, as brands mostly have several stores. More holistic design approaches can also extend beyond the interior and include the exterior, like the facade or even an extensive outside space, like the plaza of the Apple store on the 5th Avenue, which will be looked at more closely in chapter 3.1.1.2. Some approaches, like for example the Camper stores in chapter 3.2.4.2, work mostly additively and add elements to the interior, while leaving the structure of the building mostly untouched. While others like the Valentino store in chapter 3.2.5.2, or the following example of the Apple store on the 5th Avenue include extensive remodelling of the space, like for example Apple’s staircase or the sky lights. The selection of famous and acknowledged architecture or design offices adds another layer to the branding, as those external partners come with an image themselves, that contributes to the hiring brand's brand identity.

3 Describes a strategy in which multiple stores in different locations are identically designed, like cookies that are made from the same cookie cutter

Obviously large established brands like Apple and Valentino belong to the avant-garde of innovative store or brand space designs, but also smaller and younger brands like MYKITA and Aesop invested from the beginning of their development in special brand experiences at their stores. Furthermore, the example of the Apple store in this chapter and the case studies in chapter 3.2 show that innovative experiential store designs are not bound to companies of certain age size or geographical origin, since the examples and case studies derive from a broad spectrum of backgrounds.

To explain this further an especially remarkable example for this will be closer introduced, the iconic Apple store on the 5th Avenue in NewYork City. In addition to the already outstanding interior design, the store features several special architectural elements that are worth a closer look. To give the store and its special features a comprehensive background, first the brand Apple will be introduced and analysed. The brands product, general aesthetic of their brand appearance, core values and other factors will be researched. Afterwards a closer look on the store and its elements will be taken, regarding colours, materials, furnishing, lighting, size, consumer experience and main conceptual idea.

3.1.1 A pple Store 5th Avenue NewYork City

3.1.1.1 The Brand - Apple

Apple was founded in 1976 in Los Altos California by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The company's first product was the “Apple I” computer (Fig. 11), which was more of a DIY kit and still far away from what we know as a pc today( Business Insider 2020), because the whole concept of a personal computer was not that established and advanced at this time.

Figure 11: The “Apple I” (Source: Justin Sullivan, An Apple-1 computer, Accessed July 3, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-apple-in-photos-2015-8?r=DE&IR=T#the-companys-first-product-was-the-apple-i-whi ch-was-just-a-motherboard-with-a-processor-and-some-memory-intended-for-hobbyists-customers-had-to-build-their-own-case- and-add-their-own-keyboard-and-monitor-as-seen-in-the-picture-it-sold-for-66666-seriously-the-apple-i-was-invented-by-woznia k-who-also-hand-built-every-kit-5)

The brands fourth product, the pc “Lisa” was the next important step in the brands development, since it was Apple’s first product with a graphical user interface, which we take for granted today, but at the time it was an important step towards user-friendliness (Weinberger and Hartmans 2020), which is until today an important part of the brand’s identity. “Lisa” was followed by the first Macintosh, which was advertised as “the most user-friendly computer to date” (Weinberger and Hartmans 2020). Something that also describes another part of the brands identity and values well, is Apple’s 1997 ad campaign “Think different.” (Weinberger and Hartmans 2020), which characterizes the brand’s approach to continuously challenge the status quo of technical standards and lifestyles. The 90’s also brought Apple’s famous chief designer Jony Ive to the forefront with the launch of the first iMac in 1998 (Weinberger and Hartmansr 2020). It was the beginning of Apple’s biggest success period, including the company's famous iPods, iconic headphones and eventually the iPhone (Weinberger and Hartmans 2020). The iPod and the iPhone (Fig. 12) completely changed the perception of Apple’s products, because an iPod is not an MP3-player and an iPhone is not just a mobile phone, they were a whole new typus. The brand kept continuously introducing new remarkable products like the iPad,the Apple watch and the AirPods. The late Apple products also engage closer with another important part of the brand’s identity, its design affinity. The focus of Apple’s design was simplicity, “clean and friendly and fun”, the last two attributes just as important as the first, since Jobs did not want his products to be cold and pure high-tech (Isaacson 2012). The strive for simplicity distinguished Apple from other tech companies, which were engaging in a black industrial high-tech look (Isaacson 2012). “[Jobs] proposed instead an alternative that was more true to the function and nature of the products. ‘What we’re going to do is make the products high-tech, and we’re going to package them cleanly so that you know they’re high-tech. We will fit them in a small package, and then we can make them beautiful and white, just like Braun does with its electronics.’ ” (Isaacson 2012). This quote also shows Apple's holistic approach to consider every part of the process, from the product and the interface to the packaging and the point of sales. What makes Apple’s brand identity strong is the synergy between this emphasis on design and the focus on new technologies. It was important to Jobs that the engineering and technological components would not dictate the product's shape, but that the design needs were seen as equally relevant requirements (Isaacson 2012). Going forward Apple was not merely selling products anymore, but increasingly the idea of something more, a lifestyle and its brand experience. That is important, because it is somewhat easy to copy a product, “but recreating the unique alchemy of people, place, purpose and production that forms a wicked brand experience is infinitely more difficult, if not impossible [...] Consider how long other retailers have unsuccessfully been trying to replicate the Apple experience; and product has little to do with it. The truth is, Apple could sell shoes, groceries or pet food and its stores would likely be just as cool.” (Stephens 2017, 143).

Figure 12: The latest Iphone SE (Source: Apple, Accessed July 3, 2020. https://www.apple.com/de/iphone/)

3.1.1.2 Architectural Elements Implemented in the Store

The Apple Flagshipstore on the 5th Avenue in NewYork City was originally designed by Peter Bohlin of architecture office Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in close collaboration with Steve Jobs in 2006 and later remodeled by Foster+Partners architects and reopened in 2019 (Cogley 2019). Jobs' original motivation for opening exclusive Apple retail stores was his fear of not being fully in charge of Apple‘s image in external retail stores (Saffron 2010). It was important to him to create a controlled environment, because „Apple is known for its seductively tactile products, and he wanted architecture that reflected that design sensibility.“(Saffron 2010). Furthermore Jobs wanted to create not only a retail space, but a social space, a „clubhouse for Apple‘s loyal followers“ (Saffron 2010). In fact, as of early 2016 Apple’s stores are officially not called stores anymore, but “town squares” because Apple sees them rather as places to gather for their 500 milion annual visitors (Nguyen 2017). Even at the early stage of Apple’s retail store history, when most others still believed in retail over e-commerce, Jobs already believed in a „unique and compelling experience [...] Otherwise, why would people bother to make a special trip to buy a product they could order more easily on the Web?“ (Saffron 2010). Jobs’ plan seems to have worked, as the 5th Avenue Apple store attracts more visitors than the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty and has had more than 57 million visitors until 2019 (Apple 2019). After its remodelling the store became even more special, as the lower level was extended to the size of 7,000 sqm (Obermoser 2019) and completely reworked, ”The original Apple Fifth Avenue was a relatively standard Apple Store concealed by a remarkable entrance. The new Apple Fifth Avenue is remarkably special above and below ground.” (Steeber 2019). Apple’s current CEO Tim Cook said

about the stores reorientation, that “[their] customers are at the center of everything [they] do, and Apple Fifth Avenue is for them, to inspire them, and to provide the very best place to discover [Apple’s] newest products,” (Apple 2019).

The Cube The most significant and well-known part of the store is its part above ground level. It is a Glass cube, which serves as the entrance and is empty besides the iconic Apple logo glowing in white light seeming to float in its middle and a subtle elevator and staircase leading downstairs (Fig. 13).

Figure 13: The Glass Cube (Source: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Accessed May 1, 2020. https://www.bcj.com/projects/apple-store-fifth-avenue-new-york)

This feature of the store already existed in its original version, which was opened in 2006 (Cogley 2019). The idea of the glass cube came from Steve Jobs himself and was then designed by Peter Bohlin of the architecture office Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in close collaboration with Jobs (Ward 2014). A study by Cornell University showed that the cube is the fifth most photographed structure in New York City and the 28th worldwide, based on 35 million Flickr photographs (Saffron 2010). That is quite the achievement for a retail store and especially for a structure of such small size. It is also a good example for Doug Stephens statement „The store is media“ (Stephens 2017, ix), because every photo taken of the cube and its prominent logo is a piece of free advertisement for Apple. One of the reasons why the cube attracts so many people might be its special atmosphere, which even comes across in people‘s choice of words when describing the cube, which is repeatedly described as „magical“. The architecture critic Ada Loise Huxtable for example calls it a „magic crystal cube“ (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson 2020).

It is quite peculiar, if not absurd for a store in such a prime location, to relinquish displaying your products where a huge amount of people could see it. The only thing on display is an apple - the

name, the logo, the brand. Considering how important the first glance is for retail design, this seems to mean that the most important product Apple offers, is neither the Mac, nor the Iphone, but the brand itself. This aligns with the idea of Apple selling more a lifestyle and brand experience than physical products, like mentioned in the previous chapter 3.1.1.

The cube and the store beneath it are located on a plaza in front of the GM building on New York‘s prestigious Fifth Avenue. As prestigious as the Fifth Avenue is, as unprestigious was the „dismal, redundant plaza“ before Apple was „turning disaster into triumph“ (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson 2020, citing Ada Loise Huxtable). The therefore rather extreme pre-post comparison might also be something that made the store seem even more glorious. Originally the cube was supposed to be located closer to the street, but eventually Apple decided to put it at the heart of the plaza „like the Louvre4 ” (Ward 2014). This distances the cube more from pedestrians and general traffic, making it possible to look at it in its entirety and letting it look even more outstanding from its surrounding.

The construction of the cube is almost entirely made out of glass sheets which are supported by slim glass sheets, serving as fins and beams on its inside (Fig. 14) (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson 2020). The cubes forgos completely without structural steel (Fig. 14 and 15). It's only metal elements are the bolts fixating the glass sheets and even those „virtually disappear in the general shimmer.“(Saffron 2010). This is of course what makes the cube look so light and is possibly part of its magic appearance.

Figure 14: View on Structural Elements of the Cube (Source: Peter Aaron, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Accessed May 1, 2020. https://www.bcj.com/projects/apple-store-fifth-avenue-new-york)

4 Art museum in Paris with a glass pyramid in front designed by Ieoh Ming Pei

Figure 15: Short Section of the Cube Construction and the Store (Source: Foster+Partners, Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/)

According to Bohlin the best thing about the square shape is that it is the most contrasting to the GM buildings narrow profile (Saffron 2010). This also strongly contrasts the cube from its surrounding buildings additionally to its materiality and light appearance. Through that the cube differs as much from its environment as it possibly could, putting it even more in the spotlight.

The cube is translucent, hollow and almost empty, which makes it visually the least invasive a building could be to its environment, but its impact for the brand and the Fifth Avenue could not have been any bigger, as it like already mentioned attracts more visitors than the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. In a city full of skyscrapers it has a very strong presence for a building which has almost no visual substance. The cube also solved the lingering problem of how to lure people underground. “The arrangement, said Cywinski, created a ‘ceremony of descent.’ Instead of being put off by entering a basement store, people feel ennobled, as though making an entrance into a grand house. The sleek glass container becomes ‘both symbol and portal’." (Saffron 2010).

The Staircase The cube features a cylindrical elevator and a spiral staircase which winds around the elevator. Both are also made almost entirely out of glass (Fig. 16). Staircase and elevator are barely visible from the outside, because they vanish in the cubes reflections. Especially in dim light conditions a glow rises from the store beneath, letting it be described as „a magical descent“ (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson 2020). The way down to the store and not knowing what will expect them, might give people a special sense of anticipation when entering the store (Fig. 15).

Figure 16: The Original Staircase by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (Source: Peter Aaron, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Accessed May 1, 2020. https://www.bcj.com/projects/apple-store-fifth-avenue-new-york)

Figure 17: The Remodelled Staircase by Foster+Partners (Source: Foster+Partners, Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/#gallery)

Besides its solemn effect and symbolic gesture the staircase is also the very first structural glass-staircase (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson 2020). Like most of the store, the staircase was also remodelled for the 2019 re-opening. As opposed to the original staircase, the remodelling by Foster+Partners includes a stainless steel cylinder as the elevator shaft in the stair‘s center (Fig. 16 and 17). The original staircase was more focused on glass as its main material, like the glass cube above it. Foster+Partners replaced this mainly with stainless steel, besides the railing which remains in glass. Steel is not only the cylinder material, but also the material choice for the steps (Fig. 18). The upper side of the steps is matted and has an engraved rectangular grit for safety reasons. The sides and the oblique bottom side are polished like the cylindrical elevator shaft.

Figure 18: Detail Image of the Steps in the Remodelled Staircase (Source: Foster+Partners, Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/#gallery)

Figure 19: Reflections on the Remodelled Staircase (Source: Foster+Partners, Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/#gallery)

According to Foster+Partners they wanted to create a „kaleidoscopic effect and [reflect] the sights and energy from the surrounding area“ through the mirrored stainless steel and „The carefully chosen materials completely dematerialize the form and the infinite reflections of light and the skyline create an exciting and stimulating experience“ (Foster+Partners 2020)(Fig. 19). Each step of the new staircase is only mounted on one point at its thicker end to the glass railing (Fig. 18). This and the triangular shape of the steps make them look even lighter and almost levitating compared to the original staircase (Fig. 16). The design of the steps is based on Bezier curves5 as an analogy to the design of Apple Products (Cogley 2019). This is a good example for Jobs’ original intention to have a retail design that reflects the “design sensibility” of Apple’s products as mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. The stores as “minimalist, carefully crafted environments are made to recall the reliable and rigorously designed nature of the products themselves.” (Baldwin 2020).

The interior is carefully designed with an eye for detail, like the apple products themselves, for example the glass railing levitates approximately a centimeter over the floor and is only held by the steps (Fig. 20).

5 Parametric curve used in computer graphics and 3D-modelling for smooth curves

Figure 20: Detail Glass Railing (Source: 9to5Mac, Accessed May 7, 2020. https://9to5mac.com/2019/09/19/new-apple-store-fifth-avenue-photos/)

The Interior Before the reconstruction of the cube, which also serves as a skylight, the atmosphere was already described as having “a profound sense of elegance and lightness” and “a soft and ethereal glow that belies the sense of being underground.“ (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson 2020). Now imagine this being magnified by eighty additional skylights. The natural light from the skylights is being combined with intelligent artificial light, in order to “match the changing tones of daylight through the day – producing an experience that has never been achieved before.” (Foster+Partners 2020). The skylights are embedded in a “cloud-like ceiling” made from backlit three-dimensionally curve-shaped fabric (Foster+Partners 2020) (Fig. 21). Due to a special light system, the light around the skylights is brighter, even in the darker hours of the day, so that the visitors have a stronger impression of natural light (Foster+Partners 2020). The system not only reacts to the amount of light during the different phases of the day, but its sensors also interact with the light colour, to make the lighting as naturalistic as possible (Cogley 2019). In addition to that, there is a ring of lights around every skylight, highlighting the display tables beneath it with focus light (Foster+Partners 2020).

Figure 21: The Ceiling (Source: Foster+Partners, Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/#gallery)

The materials inside the store have a subtle appearance. The floor is made from off-white terrazzo and the walls are mostly covered with pale grey Italian Castagna stone in varying stripes and with rounded corners (Cogley 2019) (Fig. 22). The furnishing of the remodelled store, like tables, seats and storage units, are made from wood, following Bohlin’s approach to contrast Apple’s clean high-tech products with rustic, natural appearing materials (Saffron, The Philadelphia Inquirer 2010). In addition to the wood, leather covered seating arrangements, trees and a green wall (Fig. 22) strengthen the natural, lively and welcoming atmosphere, while supporting Apple’s image of a lifestyle company rather than a pure tech company. The store forgos without any additional colouring besides the natural material shades.

Figure 22: Leather Surfaces and Plants in the Store (Source: 9to5Mac, Accessed May 7, 2020. https://9to5mac.com/2019/09/19/new-apple-store-fifth-avenue-photos/)

One of the main pieces of furnishing are Apple’s iconic wooden display tables in double length (Fig. 23). Their design has changed throughout the years, but the overall idea and look is still the same. The origin and importance of the tables becomes especially clear in conversation between Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s former retail chief and Jony Ive, Apple’s former Head of Design “Don't mess with the tables. They're the same tables we used in our design studio and I love that it goes from the studio to the stores [...] They're sacred.” (Nguyen 2017). This shows again, how everything at Apple is connected, the steps of the store stairs to the curves of the Iphone and the store’s table to the Apple offices. Compared to other retail displays these tables convey the feeling of coming home and taking a seat at a family kitchen or diner table, rather than being in a store and being sold something. The warm wooden colour and proportions evoke a neat, yet homey atmosphere (Fig. 23). The tables are arranged linear and mirror-symmetrical to the central axis of the store (Fig. 24). Another distinctive Element of Apple stores are the indoor trees, which are also used in the Fifth Avenue store and mirror-symmetrically aligned (Fig. 24). The trees are supposed to “make the store feel in tune with nature” (Cogley 2019). In case of the Fifth Avenue store the trees are surrounded by upholstered leather benches with a white base (Fig. 22). The use of plants is supposed to give the store a “happy, fresh and outside” vibe (Cogley 2019).

Figure 23: Display Tables Made of Wood (Source: 9to5Mac, Accessed May 7, 2020. https://9to5mac.com/2019/09/19/new-apple-store-fifth-avenue-photos/)

Figure 24: Symmetrical arrangement of the store (Source: Foster+Partners, Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/#gallery)

The Plaza Another important part of the remodelled store’s concept, which is technically not part of the store itself or the interior, is the plaza in front of the GM building. Even Though the plaza is not part of the store it is still important to mention, as it is a viable part of the store's holistic concept and exemplary for Apple's integral way of thinking. As already mentioned above, the plaza had a rather negative image, before it was upgraded and revived by the Apple store. After the remodelling it became even more integrated in the store concept, with its new features additionally highlighting the glass cube in its center. The remodelling included 80 skylights, which beside their function of bringing a great light atmosphere to the store, also add to the character of the plaza. “During the day, the lamps add texture to what would otherwise be empty paving and allow light to flood in underground. At night, they illuminate the plaza with an ambient glow.” (Steeber 2019). Eighteen of the skylights become three-dimensional sculptures above ground (Fig. 25 and 26). The so-called “skylenses” are seamlessly made from the same stone as the plaza’s ground at the bottom and shaped as reflective capsules on top (Steeber 2019). Their mirrored surface still allows a view into the store and also serves as public seating (Steeber 2019). The material also reflects on the store’s interior and references the stairs material on the outside. The new additional focus on the plaza is no coincidence like a statement by the architects Foster+Partners shows. “The plaza is the perfect stage for celebrating Apple’s passions: photography, music, art and design, coding, and more.” (Foster+Partners 2020). Their intention has proven to be effective, as plenty of people gather around the skylenses and use them for selfies (Fig. 27). Like the rest of the store the skylenses are a very impressive feature to the visitors and described no less poetic than the cube itself: “The detail and dimension of each skylight is stunning — like a human iris staring into the Manhattan sky.” (Steeber 2019). In addition to the skylights and skylenses the redesigned plaza also features 28 honey locust trees at the sides, paired with linear fountains “p roviding a welcome and quiet setting to gather and sit.” (Apple 2019).

Figure 25: Skylenses by Day (Source: Foster+Partners, Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/#gallery)

Figure 26: Skylense by Night (Source: 9to5Mac, Accessed May 7, 2020. https://9to5mac.com/2019/09/19/new-apple-store-fifth-avenue-photos/)

Figure 27: People Sitting on the Skylenses and Taking Pictures (Source: Foster+Partners, Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/#gallery)

3.2 Best Practices of Branding in Terms of the Use of Interior Design

As already mentioned in the introduction, it is important to recognize that designs in the retail field which include branding aspects have two layers. On one side, there is the functional layer that ensures a smooth execution of the day to day business. This includes fulfilling norms, like for example safety regulations including emergency exits, occupational safety and fire safety regulations. Furthermore technical issues like heating, ventilation and electricity, but also logistics like stockrooms, toilets, staff rooms and circulation need to be considered in this part. Additionally, essential functions like product display, cash desks, possibly fitting rooms and others need to be integrated and thoroughly planned. Those components by themselves could make for a smoothly running store, but not for a remarkable one and surely not for a brand representing one. Therefore a branded store design needs its second layer, that addresses issues like how the brand image can be implemented, which message should be conveyed and which emotions should be evoked. This requires a detailed concept for the desired brand experience in the store which includes the stores additional content and functions. Those aspects are naturally also linked to the store’s direct aesthetics, containing materials, lighting, colours and more. Of course the functional components and aesthetic branding components are impossible to completely separate. Both are closely intertwined, as for example lighting and display solutions should for one create an atmosphere, but also need to meet functional standards. The functional and the aesthetic layer need to be balanced, to ensure a smoothly functioning store that also delivers an outstanding brand experience.

To understand what this means in practice, a closer look at several case studies serving as best practice will be undertaken. After previously looking at the example of the 5th Avenue Apple store, that showed a broader use of architecture and design to implement branding as a spatial strategy, the following case studies will focus more intensively on the interior design component.

To review the following case studies, at first the brand they are representing will be analysed. The brands product, general aesthetic of their brand appearance, core values and other factors will be researched. Afterwards a closer look on their selected interior design will be taken, regarding colours, materials, furnishing, lighting, size, consumer experience and main conceptual idea. After both parts, the brands characteristics and the retail designs characteristics will be compared and evaluated how they are connected. The selection of case studies covers a wide range of interior designs and brands representing different products, locations and values. This creates a mix, that enables a diverse comparison from which informed similarities and differences can be drawn.

3.2.1. Freitag Flagship Store Zürich

3.2.1.1 The Brand - Freitag

The brand “Freitag” was founded in 1993 by the brothers Daniel and Markus Freitag in their hometown Zürich. They were both graphic designers looking for a bag to carry their work equipment (Freitag 2020). The bag was supposed to be water-resistant, functional and sturdy (Freitag 2020), as well as suitable for bike rides and bike couriers (Gemperle 2005). After not finding what they were looking for, the brothers were inspired by the colourful freight traffic passing by on the highway next to their apartment window, to make their own bags from recycled goods (Fig. 28) (Freitag 2020). The first materials for their bags, which are still an essential part of their products today, were used truck tarpaulin, seatbelts and bicycle’s inner tubes (Freitag 2020). Due to the material choice each piece is recycled and becomes unique (Fig. 29) (Freitag 2020). The recycling factor and materials play a special and valuable role for the brand identity, as they allow for a certain kind of identification for the user. All of the materials originate from a context of mobility and sturdiness, which matches the users self-perception of a bike-courier like person and the recycling factor which becomes visible in the materials existing signs of usage, matches the users environmental consciousness. The fact that it is not just any material, but it is used and that it is truck tarpaulin tells an important story which is viable for the brand identity. Their idea became a huge success, today their products are sold in twenty-six Freitag-stores in eleven countries and at over three hundred retail partners (Freitag 2020). What started with one prototype is now an assortment of ninety models in four thousand variations (Freitag 2020), of which one is even exhibited in the MoMA (Fig. 28)(Simon 2006, 28). The brothers describe their products as “ what used to be a trend-product in the early nineties is now a classic” (Simon 2006, 28). In fact, their very first model from 1993 is still on sale and according to sales, also still in fashion (Freitag 2014). The core values of the brand are innovation, creativity and environmental consciousness (Freitag 2005). What makes them so special is their authenticity. With Freitag sustainability does not feel like a marketing tool, but an honest belief. For example, they do not only use recycling elements where it is obvious, like in the bag’s materials, but also in their production facilities where they, among other tools, use rainwater to wash the truck tarpaulins (Freitag 2012). Authenticity as an important factor for brand strategy was already described at the beginning of chapter 3. Freitag even achieves the rare authenticity of the product itself, through their unique and individual bags, as opposed to authenticity only through a unique retail design. In addition to selling their products online and in stores, the brand also hosts community events and exhibitions at their stores and in other locations (Fig. 30) (Klanten, Ehmann and Borges 2013, 34). During those occasions they address and teach topics related to sustainability and reuse, reinforcing their brands core values even more (Klanten, Ehmann and Borges 2013,34).

Figure 28: The First Freitag Model Exhibited at the MoMA (Source: Freitag, Accessed May 15, 2020. https://www.freitag.ch/de/about/history)

Figure 29: Freitag Bags in Front of a Truck (Source: Freitag, Accessed May 15, 2020. https://www.freitag.ch/de/about)

Figure 30: Installation “Unfluencer - De-sinning the Designer” at Milan Design Week 2019, Where Designers and Consumers Could Confess Their Sins (Source: Freitag, Accessed August 8, 2020. https://www.freitag.ch/de/unfluencer)

3.2.1.2 The Store

Zürich is the founding place of the label Freitag and live-long home of its founders (Simon 2006, 28) Therefore it made sense for the brand to establish their at the time third and largest flagship store close to their roots. The iconic Freitag Tower was designed and realised by architectural office “Spillmann Echsle Architekten” which is also based in Zürich in 2006 (Simon 2006, 28). The location of the Freitag Tower is right next to the “F-Factory” where their bags are made. Both are located in a former industrial quarter, right next to railway lines and a busy highway bridge (Simon 2006, 28). In the nowadays trendy district are several clubs and hip restaurants, all spreading the charme of something temporary, like the Tower itself (Simon 2006, 28). The location itself adds to the brand’s identity and gives it authenticity, because both - brand and location, are from a rough, functional, former industrial context that became hip and trendy. Interesting is also the Freitag-Tower’s proximity to the later built Prime-Tower, because both towers are signalling different stages of the city’s development. The Prime-Tower is a beacon for modern expensive real estate districts and the Freitag-Tower is a remnant of the last “remaining pioneers” (Kälin, Neue Züricher Zeitung 2019). The tower is made from seventeen stacked, carefully selected sea containers (Fig. 31) from the Hamburg harbour (Simon 2006, 28). The conceptual idea for the tower was developed by the Freitag founders together with the architects that also built their factory (Simon 2006, 28). The containers as a building material are an analogy for the truck tarpaulin as the main material for the bags, because both are recycling products (Kälin 2019). The tower is taking the bag’s concept and translates it identically in a larger scale ( Simon 2006, 31). What makes the structure so outstanding in terms of branding, is that it is not only a store, but also a landmark (Spillmann Echsle Architekten 2020).

Figure 31: The Freitag Tower (Source: Freitag, Accessed April 8, 2020. https://www.freitag.ch/en/store/freitag-flagship-store-zuerich)

Originally two on two containers on the left side from the tower in the middle served as a clear large showroom (Simon 2006, 28)(Fig. 33), which was later on extended by another two containers (Figure 31). On the right side of the tower four containers are stacked on each other. All of them have a glass front through which you can see a floor-to-ceiling shelving system, which was also especially designed for Freitag (Simon 2006, 28) (Fig. 34). In Between those elements are nine containers stacked on each other, creating the tower itself. The tower contains the staircase through which you can not only access the four floors on the right side, but also an observation platform on top of it (Simon 2006, 28). The observation platform features a binocular inviting visitors to do some “Truckspotting”. In addition to the binocular, visitors can find an information panel pointing out points of interest in the area and different locations related to the brand, like for example the apartment where the first bag prototype was made (Simon 2006, 28). This highlights the local aspect of their brand identity and shows coherence in their brand’s history, proving that this is where their bags originate and are still being made. On the outside of the upper containers the brand’s name “FREITAG” is printed and below it “SHOP” “ZÜRICH”. The aesthetic of the lettering reminds of original labels on sea containers (Fig. 31). Besides the internal staircase, the building also features an external staircase made from raw unfinished steel (Fig. 32). The added materials, like the steel staircase, are developing an atmospheric patina, in the same way the original materials, like the container walls and wooden flooring, already tell stories of their past (Simon 2006, 31).

Figure 32: Freitag-Tower Outer Staircase (Source: Zürich Tourismus, Accessed May 14, 2020. https://www.zuerich.com/de/besuchen/sehenswuerdigkeiten/freitag-tower)

The interior is separated in two areas, the spacious showroom (Fig. 33) and the small floors with the shelving (Fig. 34). Both spaces have rustic and used-looking original container wood-flooring and white ceiling with linear neon tubes and the showroom is additionally equipped with a rail of black spotlights (Figure 33 and 34). The center of the showroom is filled with a large industrial looking workbench (Fig. 33). It has a wooden board on top and a metal under construction with partly open plug-in system drawers, which contain Freitag bags. The metal has a light green coating, which likely references industrial machinery that was traditionally painted in reseda green according to DIN 1844 (Bundesdenkmalamt 2020). The cash desk is made from the same construction (Fig. 33). The showroom walls are light grey and mostly covered with product display in shape of same-colour plug-in boards (Fig. 33). Since it is a plug-in system, it allows for flexibility in the product display and easy rearrangement. Behind the cash desk is a construction metal grid mounted to the wall, which serves as additional product display and also evokes a raw industrial connotation.

Figure 33: The Showroom (Source: Franz Grünewald, Ignant, Accessed July 7, 2020. https://www.ignant.com/2019/11/14/freitag-sweat-yourself-shop-flagship-store-zurich-switzerland/)

The smaller floors introduce the customer to the variety of unique Freitag bags, with each model being available in endless versions due to the different truck tarpaulin cuts. The most distinctive Element in this area is the already mentioned floor to ceiling shelving system, which was specially designed for the brand and fits perfectly their 1,600 bags in cardboard boxes

(Simon 2006, 28) (Fig. 34). The design called “V30 SKID” was made by swiss Designer Colin Schäfli and won the swiss design award in 2009 (Freitag 2015). It is based on a single angular basic module (Fig. 36) that the cardboard boxes with the bags are put into. The material of the module is made from recycled plastic (Freitag 2015), continuing the brands focus on reusing materials and resources. Through its simple module-system it is highly adaptable, compact and scalable, fulfilling different retailers and locations needs. The system allows Freitag’s retailers an efficient, uncomplicated and appealing product presentation (Freitag 2015). Its plain and functional appearance keeps the focus on the bags, but supports at the same time the raw industrial image of the products and the brand. The shelf system is used at every Freitag store and most of its retailers. This in addition to its distinctive look, means that the brand can be instantly recognized by its customers (Freitag 2015). The system allows to store most of the stock compact in boxes in the shelf, showing the product specifications and a product photo on the outside of the box (Fig. 37). One of each model can be shown directly on the outside, for a closer look and touch. The structured display of the products in the shelf helps the customer to take in the stores assortment, as well as signalling the staff directly what needs to be restocked (Fig. 35) (Freitag 2015). Because every bag is unique, sales increase through a bigger selection of individual bags, making the compactness of the system key for its success (Klanten, Ehmann and Borges 2013,34).

Like the showroom the shelf rooms have the original rough container flooring and a white ceiling with neon tubes that run parallel to the shelf along the central axis of the container (Fig. 34). The space has a large floor to ceiling window, that covers the entire front side of the container, making it bright with daylight and connecting it to the outside (Fig. 34). In addition to the shelf-system, which completely covers one of the long container walls, the room is furnished with a rectangular box-shaped bench (Fig. 34). The bench is covered in used white truck tarpaulin with a black Freitag label on top of it. This gives the bench a very modest unobtrusive look, not stealing the limelight of the bags in the shelf, but still aligning it with the brand’s aesthetic. The container wall opposite to the shelf is removed and replaced with the same metal grid from the showroom wall, separating it from the staircase (Fig. 34). The staircase is decorated with an old traffic sign (Fig. 34), reminding the customer again of the bag’s and material’s origin.

Figure 34: Small Floor with Shelving (Source: Franz Grünewald, Ignant, Accessed July 7, 2020. https://www.ignant.com/2019/11/14/freitag-sweat-yourself-shop-flagship-store-zurich-switzerland/)

Figure 35: Freitag Shelving System (Source: Freitag, Accessed May 14, 2020. https://www.freitag.ch/de/wholesale)

Figure 36: The Shelf Module (Source: Rotex, Accessed May 14, 2020. https://www.rotex-kunststoffe.ch/de/referenzen/spritzguss/9/freitag-regalsystem)

Figure 37: Close-Up Information on the Boxes (Source: Rotex, Accessed May 14, 2020. https://www.rotex-kunststoffe.ch/de/referenzen/spritzguss/9/freitag-regalsystem)

3.2.2. MYKITA Store Berlin and Barcelona

3.2.2.1 The Brand - MYKITA

MYKITA is a German eyewear manufacturer that was founded in Berlin in 2003 by Moritz Krueger (MYKITA, The Story 2020). From the beginning the brand engaged in an integrated system, including in-house production and design ( MYKITA, The Story 2020). This also spawned something essential to the brand’s identity, “the combination of specialised craftsmanship and adapted new technologies” (MYKITA, The Story 2020). MYKITA engages in a “clear design language” based on “an honest and uncompromising approach to materials and construction” (MYKITA, The Design 2020). The brand’s designs aim to value “material integrity” and “[emphasize] the most appealing properties of the materials [they] work with” (MYKITA, The Design 2020). This approach led to one of the brand’s most distinctive design features, an “openly displayed spiral hinge” (Fig. 38) (MYKITA, The Design 2020). A version of the hinge was already part of their first collection “NO1” (Fig. 39), that is made from stainless steel sheets and bent into the three-dimensional frame (Fig. 40), similar to origami structures. The “NO1” frames forgo without welding and screws (Fig. 39), like the other MYKITA frames, simplifying the frames look and production. The hinge’s iconic mechanical solution became what the brand is well-known for and an essential element of their frame designs. Patented by MYKITA, the hinge shows an important belief of the brand: “technical [solutions] must also be aesthetic.” (MYKITA, The design 2020). Furthermore the brand does not engage in traditional luxury characteristics, like prominently displayed logos and rather focuses on construction details and a strong CMF6 approach (MYKITA, The Design 2020). The quality of the glasses' pure looks also comes across in the brands ongoing campaign history with photographer Mark Borthwick. The campaign’s photographs consist of natural portrait shots, without make-up and artificial light, giving a pure impression of people and glasses (Fig. 41).

6 Design field that focuses on colour, material and finish

Besides its modern and delicate aesthetic the brand also continuously evolves its technical side for example with the introduction of their laser-sintered “MYLON” series. In addition to that the brand entertains diverse collaborations with fashion designers and other brands, like Bernhard Willhelm and Leica (MYKITA, Collections 2020).

Figure 38: Close-Up Hinge Detail (Source: T oru Oshima, Silver Magazine, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://silver-mag.jp/en/fashion/life-with-good-design-brand/)

Figure 39: Frame from the first MYKITA collection (Source: MYKITA, Accessed May 15, 2020. https://mykita.com/de/brillen/no1/adebar/bluegrey-clear-1507450)

Figure 40: Laser-cutted metal sheet, several bending steps of the frame and Moritz Krueger (Source: Silver Magazine, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://silver-mag.jp/en/fashion/life-with-good-design-brand/3/)

Figure 41: Visual of the Brands 2018 Campaign and Lookbook (Source: Mark Borthwick, MYKITA, 2018, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://mykita.com/de#layer:/de/lookbook-2018)

3.2.2.2 The Store

Today MYKITA has fourteen stores in ten countries all over the world (MYKITA, Shops 2020). Its first flagship store opened 2007 in Berlin (Fig. 42)(Vielhauer 2008). Like the frame designs and the manufacturing, the store design is also developed by the inhouse-team (Harrison 2020), extending the brand’s integrated approach. The store has a clean rectangular shape, with grey concrete flooring and high white walls and ceiling. The ceiling has a rough texture and features exposed white-painted fixtures, as well as also white spot-lights in a railing (Fig. 42). The main focus of the store lies on the wall-mounted product display. It is made from connected perforated metal profiles that are painted in a glossy white (Fig. 43).

White L-shaped bent metal elements are hooked into the wall profiles and provide display space for the glasses (Fig. 43). The system is based on industrial heavy-duty shelving systems (MYKITA, Shop Concept 2020). The L-shaped metal elements give the glasses a clear backdrop and highlight them additionally through an integrated cold backlight (Fig. 43). The backlight puts an focus on the display even from the outside through the large shop windows at the entrance (Fig. 44). The wall display completely covers two walls of the space, shaping a large radius in the room's corner (Fig. 42). This emphasizes and visually detaches the structure from the space, giving it an extraordinary look and just like the glasses design making use of the special material properties. The wall display also references the glasses as a three dimensionally shaped structure from thin sheet metal. Additional furnishing is made up of aluminium-coloured decommissioned flight attendant trolleys, which serves as storage (Fig. 42) (MYKITA, Shop Concept 2020). The trolleys top, as well as the cash counter are made from white painted timber planks (Fig. 45). The homogeneous white colouring integrates them smoothly in the interior, yet giving them a natural and refined look through the subtle wood texture.The space has a cool monochrome look through the cool lighting and purely white, grey and metallic shades, which makes the glasses really stand out through colour and contrast, as well as giving the store a modern and futuristic atmosphere. The interior concept is based on the “composition of different room elements and contrasting materials”, as well as “ready-made objects removed from their original context, combined with purpose-designed furniture and a stage-like lighting concept.” (MYKITA, Shop Concept 2020). The brand also describes their stores as an “art installation with a bold and minimal construction” (MYKITA, Shop Concept 2020). Besides the in all stores recurring elements, like the wall display and flight trolleys, the brand always aims to “[retain] the original character of the locations.” (MYKITA, Shop Concept 2020). This becomes evident when comparing the Berlin store with other MYKITA locations like the Barcelona store, which opened in 2019. The Barcelona store features the same wall display, flight trolleys, grey concrete flooring, white painted walls and lighting like the other store, but leaving the buildings characteristic volta catalana7 ceiling exposed (Fig. 46). Embracing this architectural feature, the typical MYKITA interior elements are adapting to it, like the flight trolleys with yellow finish and a natural coloured wooden counter and surfaces (Fig. 46). Recurring elements are an important factor for the brands design, not only in retail design, but also in the design language of their glasses frames, Krueger even compares this approach to the Bauhaus: “I think, MYKITA’s philosophy focusing on creating a consistent retail environment is similar to the one of Bauhaus. We are always inspired by the pure and clean characteristic as well as the attitude of Bauhaus.” (Satoru 2020).

7 Traditional tile vault in Catalonia

Figure 42: MYKITA’s First Flagship Store in Berlin (Source: MYKITA, Accessed May 15, 2020. https://mykita.com/de/shops/berlin-mitte)

Figure 43: Detail Wall Display (Source: MYKITA, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://mykita.com/en/journal#layer:/en/journal/how-to-pick-the-perfect-pair)

Figure 44: The Shop Front from the Outside (Source: MYKITA, Accessed May 15, 2020. https://mykita.com/de/shops/berlin-mitte)

Figure 45: Close-Up Cash Counter Material (Source: MYKITA, Accessed May 15, 2020. https://mykita.com/de/shops/berlin-mitte)

Figure 46: The MYKITA Store Barcelona (Source: MYKITA, Accessed May 15, 2020. https://mykita.com/en/shops/barcelona)

3.2.3 Aesop Stores London, Geneva and Brussels

3.2.3.1 The Brand - Aesop

Aesop is an Australian premium cosmetic brand, which was founded in 1987 and has stores all over the world today (Aesop, Our Story 2020). It is their self proclaimed goal to create high-quality products with “meticulous attention to detail, and with efficacy, and sensory pleasure in mind.”(Aesop, Our Story 2020). The brand values their independent product research and development, as well as their thorough selection of ingredients and suppliers (Aesop, A Meticulous Passion 2020). They describe their process of product development as “marrying contemporary technology with long-established scientific practices.” (Aesop, A Meticulous Passion 2020). Besides Aesop’s focus on delivering highest-quality products, another core value is genuineness, in terms of delivering honest products. This becomes especially evident through one of the quotes on their websites stating “The merit of originality is not novelty; it is sincerity.” by Thomas Carlyle (Aesop, A Meticulous Passion 2020). Besides the cosmetics themselves, design is an important part of Aesop’s brand identity, in packaging as well as retail design and “every aspect of Aesop’s workings” (Aesop, A Respectful Response to Function and Setting 2020). They describe their design approach as intelligent and sustainable. Aesop’s products are mainly being sold in brown glass bottles with simple black and white print labels, or in uni-coloured metal cream tubes (Figure 47). The packaging gives their products a classic, retro pharmacy like look. It is of special importance in this case, as the packaging determines the visual presence of the cosmetics, that can usually not be presented without it, as they can not contain themselves due to their liquid properties. Therefore the packaging design also plays an important role for the retail design.

In addition to the design, the brand also takes great pride in the customer service at their stores (Aesop, A Meticulous Passion 2020). Their “gracious, well-informed and worldly” (Aesop, Our story 2020) staff washes every customer's hands and looks after their every need.

Figure 47: Aesop’s Typical Packaging (Source: Aesop, Accessed May 17, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/au/c/kits-travel/)

3.2.3.2 The Stores

When it comes to retail design, the brand operates respectfully in regard to existing environments and architecture: “It is our intention to weave ourselves into the fabric of place and add something of merit rather than impose a discordant presence, and our consistent practice to use a locally relevant design vocabulary.” (Aesop, A Respectful Response to Function and Setting 2020). “Using locally relevant design vocabulary” is what causes every Aesop store to look different from each other. The idea emerged from their very first store, a distinctive space that was a former ramp of an underground carpark, which opened in Melbourne in 2003 (Aesop, Our story 2020). The variety of their stores is enhanced by changing collaborations with different designers and architects (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 344). Collaborations with “famous designers, all of whom are labels in their own right” also adds value and can increase sales by itself (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 289). Because of the diversity and local relevance of Aesop’s stores it makes more sense to look at a selection of them, rather than just a single one.

Aesop London, Duke of York Square Aesop’s largest store in Great Britain with 108sqm opened in 2018 and was designed by Norwegian architecture office Snøhetta, which has already designed several other Aesop locations (Himelfarb 2018). The store is located in a distinctive corner building, with two almost completely glazed shop window walls (Fig. 48), dissolving the boundaries of interior and exterior (Taxonomy of Design, Duke of York Square 2020) . The floor is made from concrete with “fine steel lines [...][ mirroring] the arches and [subdividing] the surface into smaller components, marrying utilitarian metal and rough cement.” (Fig. 49) (Aesop, Duke of York Square 2020). The walls have a rough earthy texture that has a gradient from rose coloured at the bottom to a darker brownish red at the top (Fig. 49). The wall render is made from natural clay sourced in England itself (Himelfarb 2018), showing the brand’s appreciation for local specialties. Furthermore it refers to “the masonry prevalent in this part of the city” (Aesop,

Duke of York Square 2020). The architectural highlight of the store is a column in the store's center, “anchoring twelve silhouette-like arches that curve up and across to the store’s perimeter, to dramatic effect.” in the same materiality (Aesop, Duke of York Square 2020). The arches form ”zones of intimacy” at the round 4.2 m diameter sized demonstration sink, which embraces the column in its middle (Fig. 49)(Taxonomy of Design, Duke of York Square 2020). Also, they create a “sacral” atmosphere, reminiscent of gothic cathedrals and monasteries in England (Schoof 2018). The arches also have integrated lighting that additionally puts a focus on the sink underneath them through bathing it in a warm light (Fig. 49). The emphasis of the column through sink and arches shows again Aesop’s thoughtful way of dealing with existing context. Furthermore, the demonstration sink is an important part of Aesop’s experiential store conception, which reflects in its extraordinary look and additional lighting. The top of the sink is made from stainless steel and features a water basin, enclosing the separate sinks with filigrane faucets and reflecting its surrounding (Fig. 49). The bottom edge of the sink is shaped in a smooth curve and made from a natural-looking stone-like glass fibre material (Fig. 49) (Taxonomy of design, Duke of York Square, 2020). It is carried by several slim set back stainless steel tube legs, which’s subtle appearance in combination with the smooth bottom curve make the sink almost seem to float (Fig. 49). In contrast to the flamboyant centerpiece stands the wall mounted product display (Fig. 51). The products are displayed on thin minimalist L-shaped metal profiles, that have a natural metal colored, but glossy finish (Fig. 51). The display profiles are pushed into the background and let the products have priority. In addition to that the glossy metal elements create a special material contrast with the rough and natural wall finish (Fig. 51). The counter follows the display’s minimalistic design language, being bent from glossy sheet metal and mirroring the arches shape in its profile, with a small recess at the bottom, making it look a bit lighter (Fig. 50).

Figure 48: Aesop Store London, Duke of York Square (Source: Paola Pansini, Detail, 2018, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.detail.de/artikel/kapitelsaal-in-rose-aesop-store-von-snoehetta-in-london-31313/)

Figure 49: The Column with Arches and Sink in the Stores Center (Source: Paola Pansini, Detail, 2018, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.detail.de/artikel/kapitelsaal-in-rose-aesop-store-von-snoehetta-in-london-31313/)

Figure 50: Side View Counter (Source: Paola Pansini, Detail, 2018, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.detail.de/artikel/kapitelsaal-in-rose-aesop-store-von-snoehetta-in-london-31313/)

Figure 51: Wall Display from the Side (Source: Aesop, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/de/de/r/aesop-duke-of-york-square/)

Aesop Geneva Aesop Geneva was created by Rodney Eggleston of Melbourne architecture office “March Studios” in 2012 (Aesop, Geneva 2020). The most prominent design characteristic is the distinct use of copper for the demonstration sink, the counter, lighting elements and other details (Fig. 52). As usual embedding local stories in their store design, copper was selected to represent Geneva's “historic finance sector” and “the vital role that the metal has played as a form of currency throughout the ages; its importance to Geneva’s great wealth” (Aesop, Geneva 2020).

The prominent copper sink runs along one of the long side walls of the store and connects rectangular with the counter, “the form folding back on itself, with sleek lines recalling the aerodynamic profile of the famed Citroën CX.” ( Fig. 52 and 53) (Taxonomy of Design, Geneva 2020). On the wall over the sink is a copper ledge that contains several “Ordinary garden taps [bringing] the dazzling object back down to earth” with golden finish (Fig. 52 and 54) (Taxonomy of Design, Geneva 2020). Above the ledge are two boards attached to the wall as product display (Fig. 53 and 54). The boards are made from warmly coloured timber and have a shade matching the colour and texture of the walls and ceiling, which have a rough warm brown that resembles the copper’s color (Fig. 53). The ceiling connects to the walls with a large radius, which together with their identical materiality, dissolves their boundaries, creating one homogeneous space (Fig. 52 and 54). The ceiling also contains adjustable, flush spotlights (Fig. 52), which’s light is reflected by the copper’s “soft lustre”, the sink’s and counter’s “facets illuminating the room with redirected light-beams” (Taxonomy of Design, Geneva 2020). In addition to that a slim copper focus light is suspended over the whole length of the sink, emphasizing it like in the London store (Fig 54).

In the wall behind the counter, three rows of 66 copper tubes in total are inserted into the wall, creating storage for cream tubes (Fig. 53). The sink’s opposite wall is covered in a large shelving unit, creating most of the store's product display (Fig. 55). The shelving system is made from cork (Taxonomy of Design, Geneva 2020) and also matches the colour and finish of walls and ceiling (Fig 55). It consists of several horizontal display boards and recessed vertikal boards at its back (Fig 55). The store's floor is covered in Sisal, which adds a new set of colour and texture to the store, but also harmoniously corresponds with the other materials (Fig. 52). Additional accents are created with furnishing such as an Alfredo Häberli sofa in tan leather and a vintage Louis Kalff lamp (Fig. 54) (Taxonomy of Design, Geneva 2020). Aesop describes the store as an “exploration of lauded Swiss qualities: technological precision, highest-quality manufacturing and discreet luxury.”, as well as “an ultramodern and ultra-luxe interior experience that shares the uncompromising spirit of delicate meticulous craftsmanship that has informed the local identity.” (Taxonomy of Design, Geneva 2020). The store is supposed to evoke the idea of “a decadent living room of maybe a central European or Middle Eastern undercover agent with an apartment in Geneva.” (Fairs 2012). This shows again the brand’s value of local influences and history, but also the detailed ideas and imaginative story-telling behind their store concepts.

Figure 52: Aesop Geneva (Source: Aesop, Accessed May 18, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/de/en/r/aesop-geneva)

Figure 53: Copper Counter (Source: Taxonomy of Design (Aesop), Accessed July 8, 2020. http://taxonomyofdesign.com/#!/store?store=30§ion=store)

Figure 54: Store Interior Opposite View (Source: Taxonomy of Design (Aesop), Accessed July 8, 2020. http://taxonomyofdesign.com/#!/store?store=30§ion=store)

Figure 55: Product Display Shelving (Source: Aesop, Accessed May 18, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/de/en/r/aesop-geneva)

Aesop Brussels The Aesop store in Brussels was designed by the architect Bernard Dubois, who is originally from Brussels himself (Messina 2018). As much as Aesop’s Geneva store was dominated by copper, even more is the Brussels store dominated by bricks. Already visible from the outside, is the store interior completely cladded with slim yellow bricks (Fig. 56). The bricks connect to traditional Belgian brickworks from the 1930s and 1960s and as the architect states: “most Belgians have a really familiar feeling with this yellow brick [...]Wherever they see it it makes them feel at home because it reminds them of childhood holidays on the rainy North Sea. But these bricks can be very beautiful and no one has used them for the last 30 years." (Winston 2019). Dubois is not just bringing the bricks back to contemporary Belgian architecture, but also gives it a new twist, by bringing it inside “It's a whole game of using very familiar architecture, but using this the other way around to make an interior out of something that would usually be on the exterior” (Winston 2019). Furthermore Dubois altered their appearance, by arranging them vertically as opposed to the traditional horizontal alignment (Fig. 57). This also allows for smooth radial curves at the sink (Fig. 58), counter and wall edges (Fig. 59). Counter and sink are monolithically shaped straight from the ground and also completely covered in yellow bricks. With its brick focus, Aesop again proves its strength for sensitive material choices and local connections. The bricks are assembled with eye for detail, through cement-less joints giving them a polyglott touch by referencing East Asian construction techniques (Messina 2018) (Fig. 60). Furnishing like display shelves and the sink are made from brushed aluminum, creating a delicate material combination with the bricks (Fig. 60). The brushed aluminum is, like the bricks themselves, a reference to Belgian holiday homes of the 1960s and in particular to the holiday home’s fittings (Winston 2019). That is what the glossy finish of the cream-colored ceiling also relates to (Fig. 59), as it mimics the glossy paint often used in those holiday home’s bathrooms (Winston 2019). As in the other stores, the product display has a very modest and minimalistic design. On the sink’s opposite wall aluminium sheets with rounded corners are embedded in the bricks joints, connecting it to the bricks grid and generating a clear layout for the product presentation (Fig. 57). The Products on the shelves are additionally structured by arranged excess bricks (Fig 57). On the other walls, for

example over the sink and the counter, recessed product display is integrated and completely covered in brushed aluminium (Fig. 58 and 59). This aligns the products flush with the wall surface and gives them a clear backdrop. The shop is lighted with warm focus lights that are integrated in the ceiling in groups of three spotlights per recess and highlight areas like sink, counter and display (Fig. 59). The flooring is also made from yellow bricks, but in contrast to the walls it is arranged in a herringbone pattern, “[creating] a parquet effect on the floor” (Winston 2019) (Fig. 59).

Figure 56: Aesop Brussels Store Exterior View (Source: Dezeen, 2019, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/05/bernard-dubois-aesop-brussels-interiors/)

Figure 57: Wall Display (Source: Dezeen, 2019, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/05/bernard-dubois-aesop-brussels-interiors/)

Figure 58: Demonstration Sink (Source: Dezeen, 2019, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/05/bernard-dubois-aesop-brussels-interiors/)

Figure 59: Counter (Source: Dezeen, 2019, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/05/bernard-dubois-aesop-brussels-interiors/)

Figure 60: Detail Cement-Less Brick Joints and Brushed Aluminium (Source: Dezeen, 2019, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/05/bernard-dubois-aesop-brussels-interiors/)

Similarities What the stores have in common, besides their local themes and regard of existing features, is a sense of “understatement and the search for innovative surprises” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 344). Usually they feature authentic materials, a neat product presentation, as well as good lighting, acoustics and air quality (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 344). The store designs are usually calm and clear, with a harmonic set of colours and materials, that match the products image and packaging (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015,344). A retail design, which is in line with the products and their packaging is important, because the products are what connects all the different spaces and binds them together as a recognizable key design feature (Klanten, Ehmann and Borges 2013,58). Typical materials are paper, cardboard, warm woods, copper, solid wood blocks, tiles and concrete (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 344). Another key role plays the use of running water, which is there for functional reasons to test the cosmetics (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 344) at the demonstration sinks, but also became an iconic feature of the stores. As Aesop takes pride in the genuinity and authenticity of their products, this is also reflected in the store design: “Our aesthetic sense recognises

authenticity by scarcity or, preferably, the uniqueness of a certain product.” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 42). This applies to Aesop, as they present “scarcity” in their store design and especially their product display and show “uniqueness” in the diversity of their stores. The exceptional and outstanding focus on the design of retail spaces is explained by the founder’s belief that “there’s a direct correlation between interesting, captivating store spaces and customer traffic within a store.” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015,344).

3.2.4 Camper Stores NewYork City Lab, Milan and NewYork City

3.2.4.1 The Brand - Camper

Camper was founded in 1975 on the Spanish island of Mallorca (Camper 2020, History). The brand describes itself as a “contemporary footwear brand” and “a family business with a rich shoemaking heritage that we use to create unique designs” (Camper 2020, History). The brand's purpose was to react to the desire for a “new and fresh style of footwear” with their strength being their diversity and contrast (Camper 2020, History, Company Origins). The design and development of the 500 models, the brand launches each season, still happens on Mallorca in close collaboration between the creative team and artisans (Camper 2020, History, Company Origins). Today the brand has worldwide over 400 stores (Camper 2020, History, Company Origins). Their product assortment combines the reinvention of established Camper models with completely new and fresh ones (Camper 2020, Camper History, The Shoes). The brand describes their shoes as “casual”, “relaxed, yet refined” and “between the realms of sneakers and dress shoes” (Camper 2020, Camper History, The Shoes). According to their website, Camper strives to create “ inventive footwear concepts that [blurs] the boundaries between sporty and smart” (Camper 2020, Camper History, The Shoes). Camper’s very first shoe model “Camaléon” embraces the brand’s mediterranean roots with its simple and ingenious character (Fig. 61) (Camper 2020, Camper History, The Shoes), which was “inspired by rustic shoes worn over a century ago by local farmers” (Camper 2020, Camper History, The Shoes). Another renowned Camper model, launched in 1995, is “Pelotas” (Fig. 62), which is iconic for the brand and features 87 balls under its sole, serving as cushioning and generating recognition value (Camper 2020, Camper History, The Shoes). Yet another memorable product idea was the “Twin” series (Fig. 63). Launched in 1988, the series questions the preconditioned notion that a pair of shoes has to be identical by selling a pair of shoes with each a different design (Camper 2020, Camper History, The Shoes).

Figure 61: The first camper model “Camaléon” from 1975 (Source: Camper, Accessed June 16, 2020.https://www.camper.com/de_DE/content/history/shoes)

Figure 62 and 63: “Pelota” from 1995 and “TWIN” model from 1994 (Source: Camper, Accessed June 16, 2020.https://www.camper.com/de_DE/content/history/shoes)

Another trademark for the brand is its focus on communication and a holistic design. Camper’s “name, logo, stores and advertising” represent its brand identity and “creative journey” (Camper 2020, Camper History, Communication). Therefore the brand continuously creates outstanding campaigns and stores. The brand believes “that each store should have its own personality that infuses [their] core brand identity with new perspectives” and strives for a “lively and engaging” shopping experience (Camper 2020, Camper History, Stores). Like Aesop, Camper collaborates with famous designers and architects for their store designs, who create “memorable retail experiences” and “inventive approaches to retail design” (Camper 2020, Camper History, Stores). These collaborations do not only involve the retail design, but also the shoes themselves, which are repeatedly designed as special collections by famous designers, like Christian Zuzunaga and Hella Jongerius. This enables Camper’s location in the “new luxury segment”, where middle-class customers willingly accept higher prices for certain goods, that show “higher levels of quality, taste and aspiration (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 46). “Innovation, a commitment to quality, consistent brand experience and credible brand ambassadors as the success factors in the new luxury segment. All four elements are evident at [...] the Spanish shoe manufacturer Camper, which has used proprietary, premium, innovative store design to drive up its price point in recent years without sacrificing revenues.” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 47). This strategy is also described as “Trading up”, meaning “adding value to a brand without changing product performance, with the goal of charging higher prices.” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 262). “Camper [...] came from the lower to medium price segment and steadily moved upward, chiefly using commendably designed stores by Martí Guixé and Oki Sato that enhanced the brand value in the shoes’ product environment.” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 262).

3.2.4.2 The Stores

Just like with Aesop the diversity of Camper’s stores requires to look at several stores, rather than just a single one.

CamperLab NewYork City The brand’s newest retail concept is “CamperLab”. The “CamperLab” stores display extraordinary styles, which are exclusively available in those stores and at certain retail partners (Camper 2020, Camper History, Stores). This is a good example for the in chapter 2.1 mentioned, for flagship stores typical, display of exclusivity in assortment and environment. In addition to the special product range the “CamperLab” stores also have an exclusive appearance. This shows through the purposeful use of visual dearth in large spaces to enhance the notion of scarcity and uniqueness, which was also mentioned in chapter 2.1 as a main strategy for exclusiveness and flagship stores by Teufel and Zimmermann.

In these special stores, even the camper logo is reduced in color and detail, only showing the outer shape of the logo in monochrome depiction (Fig. 64 and 65). The same applies to the store front, which is as reduced as possible, coloured in a matt black, without any decoration, additional colours, structures, or add-ons, beside the outline of the camper logo, shaped through a white neon tube (Figure 64). This is in a high contrast to usual, visually loud, attention-grabbing store fronts. Black is a colour that we as customers have learned to connote with luxury, quality and exclusivity, be it from jewellery boxes, the American Express Black Card, a black limousine, a smoking, or the label of an exquisite box of pralines or liquor- black is a colour that marks premium goods.

Figure 64: CamperLab NewYork City Exterior View (Source: Camper, Accessed June 17, 2020.https://www.camper.com/de_DE/content/camperlab/stores)

Figure 65: CamperLab NewYork City Interior View (Source: Camper, Accessed June 17, 2020.https://www.camper.com/de_DE/content/camperlab/stores)

The interior of the store is also kept minimalistic. The walls and the suspended ceiling are white, besides the back wall which is black, combined with large square-shaped grey tiles as flooring (Fig. 65). The lighting is integrated in the ceiling, in the form of three slim room-length flush joint lighting stripes, bringing a white glow to the space (Fig 65). The furnishing of the space is also very modest. The main feature is the grey plinths, arrayed along the left wall of the room, serving as displays for the shoes (Fig 65). The plinths are rectangular on top and slightly tapered to the bottom with large also tapered chamfers on the front edges.The second row of shoes is raised by another rectangular plinth stacked on the lower one (Fig. 65). The only features on the opposite side of the room are two white rectangular monolithic benches with grey leather cushioning on top, as well as a white minimalistic sideboard mounted to the wall between them. The walls are empty besides the outer shape of the Camper logo in a white smooth material, mounted above the plinths and a large square shaped screen in the middle of the black wall (Fig. 65). The hues of the different grey elements, like flooring, plinths and the leather on the benches, are geared to each other, which gives the room a very clean and calm atmosphere, together with its white and black surfaces. In this setting the shoes, especially the coloured ones, really stand out. The colours of the shoe selection are well-matched too, only featuring white, black and neon yellow (Fig. 65). The CamperLab stores are outstanding, not only because they look very different from the brands usual stores, but also because they look alike. The normal Camper stores are iconic for their different concepts, feelings and looks.

Camper Milan One example for this is the Camper store in Milan by Kengo Kuma and Associates from 2014 (ArchDaily 2015). The main feature of the store is a “simple, unadorned plywood grid based on 32-centimetre units” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 307). The plywood structure is already visible from the outside, since it doubles as a window display (Fig. 66). On the inside the plywood structure covers all the walls and parts of the ceiling. The grid size of 32-centimetres is adjusted to the space a pair of shoes needs for display (Archdaily 2015). The structure creates a special effect on the space, through the alteration of covered and empty surfaces, which “changes the perception of the space and the products on display” when looked at from different angles (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 307).

The plywood structure serves as a decorative element, but it also includes important functions, like product display, lighting and seating. The lighting is integrated in the form of LED strips that run along the front edge on the bottom side of some parts of the plywood grid (Fig. 67). The light system is barely visible on eye height, thus creating a special atmosphere through the invisibility of numerous light sources from different directions. It was designed in collaboration with Mario Nanni (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 307). The walls behind the grid are also completely covered in plywood, therefore becoming a visual unit with the grit (Fig. 68). The white ceiling features some additional focus lights and the flooring is made from large square-shaped stone tiles in a warm dark brown (Fig. 67). This creates a harmonic and simple frame for the wall grid as the interior highlight. The only additional furnishing are two organically shaped seats covered in a natural seeming brownish hemp fabric in the middle of the space (ArchDaily 2015). The combination of the brown stone tiles, with the hemp fabric and the plywood, gives the space a natural calm and balanced atmosphere. This small selection of interior materials also highlights the “variety of the Camper collection” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 307).

Figure 66: Storefront Camper Milan (Source: Zeno Zotti, Archdaily, Accessed June 18, 2020.https://www.archdaily.com/590943/camper-store-milano-kengo-kuma)

Figure 67: Store Interior (Source: Zeno Zotti, Archdaily, Accessed June 18, 2020.https://www.archdaily.com/590943/camper-store-milano-kengo-kuma)

Figure 68: Store Inside Opposite View (Source: Zeno Zotti, Archdaily, Accessed June 18, 2020.https://www.archdaily.com/590943/camper-store-milano-kengo-kuma)

Figure 69: Milan Store Plan (Source: Archdaily, Accessed June 18, 2020.https://www.archdaily.com/590943/camper-store-milano-kengo-kuma)

Camper NewYork City Another famous Camper store was created by Oki Sato, also known under his studio name Nendo, in NewYork City’s 5th Avenue in 2013 (ArchDaily 2013).

The most outstanding feature in this store is the wall decoration. The remarkably high white-painted walls are covered in over a thousand identical, completely white Camper shoe replicas from resin (Fig. 70)(ArchDaily 2013). With his approach Oki Sato wanted to display the shoes like in an art installation, while creating the atmosphere of an “orderly stockroom” (ArchDaily 2013). He was inspired by the challenging task of how to use the upper half of the walls in such a high retail space, so he decided to create replicas of Camper’s iconic Pelotas shoe to fill the space (ArchDaily 2013).

The store has an L-shaped layout, with smooth homogeneous grey flooring, white walls and a white ceiling (Fig. 70). There are only three freestanding elements in the room, a large rectangular wihte box-shaped plinth next to the entrance, a smaller white square-shaped plinth further in the store’s back and a red box-shaped counter in between (Fig. 71). All three elements have a minimalist design, with monocoloured smooth surfaces and no decorations besides the white camper logo on the counter (Fig. 71). The white plinths have knee height and present the camper collection mixed with more white replicas (Fig. 71). This puts a strong focus on the shoes that are actually for sale, as they stand clearly out from the replicas in colour and texture, as opposed to having the shoes from the collection side by side, stealing each other's show. This way the center displays also connect closer to the wall concept. The wall display also combines replicas with the actual collection (Fig. 71). The shoes on the wall and plinths follow the same strict grid and so do the flush spotlights in the ceiling (Fig. 70 and 72). The only other design features in the store are recessed benches and accessory displays in the wall (Fig. 70 and 71). All of them are coloured in the same grey as the floor and have integrated lighting under the recesses top side. Furthermore have the benches a leather cushioning on top, which also has the same grey colour as recess and floor (Fig. 71). The store has a minimalistic and clear layout, yet a playful atmosphere, but always clearly focusing on the shoes.

Figure 70: Camper Store 5th Avenue (Source: Archello, Accessed May 19, 2020. https://archello.com/de/project/5th-avenue-camper-store)

Figure 71: View on Counter with Close-Up Plinth and Wall (Source: Archello, Accessed May 19, 2020. https://archello.com/de/project/5th-avenue-camper-store)

Figure 72: Plan (Source: Archdaily, Accessed May 19, 2020. https://www.archdaily.com/377753/5th-avenue-camper-store-nendo)

3.2.5 Valentino Store Rome

3.2.5.1 The Brand - Valentino

Valentino was founded in 1960 together by Valentino Garavani, who is also the brand’s namesake and Giancarlo Giammetti (Valentino, Maison 2020). According to the brand’s website, the brand plays “a major role in the luxury division through tradition and innovation, a necessary combination for a creative industry that generates the sense of beauty.” (Valentino, Maison 2020). Valentino initially became famous through red evening dresses (Fig. 73), which’s colour is also known as “Valentino red” and which were worn by prestigious women like Jacky Kennedy and “virtually every wealthy and stylish woman across the globe” (McDowell, 2012).

Fig 73: Valentino Garavani with models wearing his “Valentino red” dresses (Source: The Telegraph, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/rome/articles/Rome-by-Valentino/)

The brand’s fashion is characterized by “classic patterns and shapes with an exuberant wealth and variety of materials and colours” (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). Today the brand’s product portfolio still includes Haute Couture (Fig. 74),but also prêt-à-porter lines (Fig. 75) for men and women, as well as an accessory line (Valentino, Maison 2020). The ladder was introduced under the Name “Valentino Garavani” and is of growing importance, as it is also part of what Teufel and Zimmermann describe as “New Luxury” (Teufel and Zimmermann 2015, 46), which was already described in chapter 3.8.1. Valentino’s accessory line enables “aspirational customers” to obtain an affordable piece of their adored brand, driving up sales and therefore making up for half of Valentino’s revenue growth in 2014 (Milligan 2015). The best example for the line's success is their “Rockstud shoe” (Fig. 76), which has continuously been sold out for years and which’s launch in 2010 intersects with a doubling in the

company’s revenues (Milligan 2015). Their products are being sold in 175 Valentino boutiques all over the world and additionally through 1,500 retailers (Valentino, Maison 2020).

Important factors for Valentino’s success are “An aesthetic, contemporary vision and the excellence in the execution” in both, ”the industrial process and [...] the artisanal and handmade workmanship” (Valentino, Maison 2020). Since 2016 Pierpaolo Piccioli is leading Valentino as sole Creative Director (Valentino, Maison 2020). Picciolis design approach aligns with the brand’s values: appreciation of Italian craftsmanship and experiential new design ideas (Valentino, Creative Direction 2020). Piccioli himself states that “Working closely with the artisans and with the Italian expertise has been fundamental. It has allowed me to understand and perceive the rules in order to break them and rewrite them.” (Valentino, Creative Direction 2020). His concept to do the brand justice by “[accomplishing] the perception, the idea and the essence of the Maison rather than reproposing pieces of its archive” soon spread, leading to a holistic brand design “In other words, the human excellence portrayed in every single detail. From the fashion shows, to the collaborations, to the stores.” (Valentino, Creative Direction 2020).

Left, Figure 74: Look from Valentino's Spring/Summer Haute-Couture Collection 2020 (Source: Valentino, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.valentino.com/de-de/collections/women/haute-couture-spring-summer#&gid=1&pid=4) Right, Figure 75: Look from Valentino's Spring/Summer Prêt-à-Porter Collection 2020 (Source: Valentino, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.valentino.com/de-de/collections/women/spring-summer-2020#&gid=1&pid=1)

Figure 76: A Version Valentino’s Rockstud Shoes (Source: Valentino, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.valentino.com/de-de/pumps-hoher-absatz_cod5016545970106939.html)

3.2.5.2 The Store

Since 2012 the Valentino stores have been designed in collaboration with David Chipperfield and are “fully coherent with Valentino worldwide image” (Valentino, The Stores 2020). The brand’s store concepts “[combine] old and new in order to generate a kind of Palazzo atmosphere, steering away from a pure showroom and promoting a new retail architectural format in place of a more traditional retail boutique structure” (Valentino, The Stores 2020). This aligns with Valentino’s value of Italian tradition and high-end lifestyle. Their retail design is based on different rooms, which each highlight another collection and its special aspects (Valentino, The Stores 2020). The rooms have “different architectural characteristics offering distinct atmospheres generated by a custom palette of colors, textures, and lights” (Valentino, The Stores 2020). The architecture aims to focus on the products and complement them, while evoking “a sense of intimacy” (Valentino, The Stores 2020). In his designs David Chipperfield has successfully translated the essence of the Valentino brand into a retail architecture (Valentino, The Stores 2020).

The Rome flagship store opening in 2015 was the fourth Valentino store to open designed by David Chipperfield (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). The space has 1470 sqm and was the brand’s largest flagship store at the time (World Architects 2015). Valentino’s store concept, to recreate the feeling of an Italian palazzo worked especially well in this case, as the location actually is a former palazzo (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). The entry hall features a 6-m high ceiling, creating a “theatrical” atmosphere, “reminiscent of an antique stage with its staggered depth and voluminous marble columns” (Fig. 77 and 78) (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). As valuable and high-quality as Valentino’s clothes are, as high-end is the material choice in the store. The entrance hall’s floor and walls are completely floor-to-ceiling cladded in grey terrazzo with marble admixture, combined with generous use of white marble for the steps, plinths, pillars and back side walls (Fig. 77 and 78). The materials are of course manufactured in Italy and especially the walls feature outstandingly large panels (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). The space is dominated by geometric basic shapes, linear lines, and large surfaces and volumes, giving it a monumental yet calm feeling. Light pours in from large windows at the front side by the entrance (Fig. 78), complemented by a rectangular grid of white-glowing light bulbs on white cables and sockets, being suspended from the ceiling (Fig. 77). The space creates a visual monochrome unit with the only things standing out in colour, size and texture being the products on the plinths and elegantly arranged mannequins (Fig. 77 and 78). Valentino’s mannequins are designed and arranged with such eye for detail, that they seem to walk around the store, spreading a graceful spirit, in some arrangements even looking like a frozen life catwalk (Fig. 79).

Figure 77: The entry Hall (Source: David Chipperfield Architects, Accessed July 10, 2020. https://davidchipperfield.com/project/valentino_rome_flagship_store)

Figure 78: The Entry Hall (Source: David Chipperfield Architects, Accessed July 10, 2020. https://davidchipperfield.com/project/valentino_rome_flagship_store)

Figure 79: Arrangement of Valentino Mannequins (Source: World Architects, Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/works/valentino-rome-flagship-store)

Next to the entrance hall is part of the women’s department (Fig. 80). In addition to the terrazzo from the entry hall, which continues there on the floor, around the shop window arches and door passages, the walls are cladded in wave-shaped plaster wall elements (Fig. 80) (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). The wall elements give the room an animated backdrop, resembling a curtain (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). The curvy structure is being emphasized through indirect lighting from an invisible lightsource, hidden in a ceiling recess (Fig. 80). In front of the walls are several product displays, which are mounted to the floor and ceiling by black poles, between which filigrane carbon-fibre reinforced plastic boards carry the products (Fig. 80) (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). On the boards bottom side are discrete lighting stripes mounted, illuminating the products underneath (Fig. 80). Additional lighting is coming from spotlights at the suspended white ceiling and from “opulent brass and crystal chandeliers” (Fig. 80) (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). Following Valentino’s pride in Italian craftsmanship, the whole light system is manufactured in Italy (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). Finally the ensemble is complemented by a white marble plinth, carrying accessory products, like in the entry hall and an oak display cabinet (Schoof in Hofmeister 2019, 52). Another part of the women’s department on the ground floor features “a series of rooms enclosed by thick exposed brick walls connected together by archways reminiscent of the historically enduring shopping arcade typology” (Fig. 81) (David Chipperfield Architects, 2020). This gives the store local context and connects it to Italian and especially Rome’s architectural tradition, as it also “draws on emblematic features of Roman vernacular architecture. The construction of the arches follows the ancient Roman tradition of double layers of long, thin brick, combining both a load-bearing and a reinforcing arch.” (David Chipperfield Architects, 2020). The bricks and joints are completely whitewashed, giving it a homogeneous and modest look, focussing on its texture (David Chipperfield Architects, 2020). This is combined with a lighter shade of the terrazzo, which has already been seen

in the other part of the women’s department and the entry hall. In this space the products are being presented on cylindrical dark marble plinths, that are cut in a way that beautifully displays the stones natural grain (Fig. 81).

Figure 80: Women’s Department Groundfloor (Source: World Architects, Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/works/valentino-rome-flagship-store)

Figure 81: First Floor, White Masonry (Source: David Chipperfield Architects, Accessed July 10, 2020. https://davidchipperfield.com/project/valentino_rome_flagship_store)

On the first floor another part of the women’s collection is being displayed. This space is dominated by thick but light, non-structural arches from polished white plaster (Fig. 82) ( David Chipperfield Architects, 2020). This is again combined with the grey terrazzo flooring from the entry hall, which binds all the different spaces together. Here, the oak display cabinets from the ground floor are also used for product display, together with the black tube cloth racks from downstairs (Fig. 82).

Yet another area is the men’s department, which introduces a different coarser marble palladiana8 flooring (Fig. 83). It is combined with the same terrazzo already featured in all the other spaces, as wall cladding, covering roughly two thirds of the wall’s height (Fig. 83). Behind it another invisible light source is hidden, highlighting the claddings edge with an ethereal glow (Fig. 83). The product display is integrated as suspended brass and oak elements being suspended from the terrazzo wall cladding (Fig. 83). Like in the women’s department lighting is integrated in the display boards, illuminating the products underneath (Fig. 83). Additionally white adjustable spotlights are mounted on the white ceiling (Fig. 83).

The Valentino store stands out through its consistent yet varying interior and its strong focus on simple shapes, elevated through supreme material choices giving the changing collections a timeless backdrop, as David Chipperfield put it “ The new format is designed to complement the retail on display, pure forms in a palette of grey Venetian terrazzo with Carrara chippings, timber and marble allow the visitor to focus on the collections in an unobtrusive architectural environment.” (David Chipperfield Architects, 2020).

Figure 82: First Floor, Polishes Gypsum Arches (Source: World Architects, Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/works/valentino-rome-flagship-store)

8 Mosaic technique famous in the 16th century in Italy, using irregularly shaped and randomly sized stone slabs; named after the architect Andrea Palladio

Figure 83: Men’s Department (Source: World Architects, Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/works/valentino-rome-flagship-store)

4 Conclusions

To compare the case studies with each other and gather conclusions and insights a comparative table was created (Fig. 84). Even though the selected retail designs are all quite different, they still have common traits between them. All concepts play to some degree with the interplay of coherence and variety. So are the MYKITA stores all more or less the same, with their flight trolleys and wall displays, but they still differ in colour combinations and their reaction to the existing building. The interaction with locations is something that the Aesop stores also engage in. But unlike MYKITA, Aesop stronger engages with the environment, local tradition and identity and not only to its existing building. Another difference between Aesop and MYKITA is that Aesop has no recurring features such as furnishing. Aesop’s common store features are more abstract, as every store is absolutely unique and only resembles the other stores in atmosphere and feeling. Camper on the other hand, seems to follow a similar concept, as each store looks different, but as opposed to Aesop, the Camper stores usually do not engage with their local environment as a design feature and not even the stores' atmospheres are alike. Their only link is that they are all so different and salient. While Camper usually engages in very flamboyant retail concepts, brands like Apple and Valentino rather invest in a subtle and pleasing retail design, with an outstanding eye for detail, premium materials and high-end furnishing. Their focus lies more on a

curated experience with a discrete and tasteful background created through sophisticated material choices and an elaborate understanding of the customer and their shopping experience. Therefore it is important to know your customer, as Freitag for example engages in a completely different kind of materials and furnishings, but it matches their customer base. Also, Freitag is quite obviously translating its product’s concept into its store design in every scale, from the whole building, to the furnishings and even the colours. Apple, Aesop and Valentino are doing the same thing, but on a more subtle undertone. There are different ways to implement this, as you can convey your product’s feel or values through the store design, like Apple or Aesop, or you can abstract visible product traits onto your store design, like Freitag’s truck tarpaulin benches, or Apple’s Bezier-curve stair steps. Of course it also makes a difference if you are using a new building, an existing building or your own custom-built structure like Freitag, because it generates a different degree of impact you can possibly generate. Looking at the case studies in their entirety, it is fascinating that the designs look so different, while they are all very similar at their core. All stores consist of a product display wall-mounted or freestanding, usually some seating for customers, a counter, basic ceiling lighting and mostly additional focus light on the products. Surprisingly the most unique thing in this regard is the implementation of sinks in the Aesop stores. Acknowledging how diverse the different brands’ products, identities, store locations and sizes are, it is astonishing that their basic content and functions are so similar. Nonetheless the stores’ appearances and atmospheres vary considerably. This seems to confirm the basic idea of a two layered design that incorporates functional aspects and aesthetic aspects. Of course the functions also have an impact on the branding and brand experience, like the Aesop sinks that make the products directly experienceable for the customer, create a touchpoint for customer and employee, as well as adding to the overall atmosphere. Nonetheless, following the observation that all stores share the common basic components, it seems that precise and detailed choices of materials, colours, shapes and their combination are distinctly important to create unique and brand specific interiors.

All in all it is important to closely look at the brand to be represented through the retail design and decide according to their brand identity, what degree of coherence, diversity, local influences and reflection of the product is appropriate and effective.

Figure 84: Case Study Table

5 Practice - Design Project

5.1 The Brand - YOU MAWO

YOU MAWO, which is short for “Your Magic World”, is a German eyewear manufacturing company that was founded in 2016 (YOU MAWO, Our Story 2020). The brand aims to create eyewear that reflects on the uniqueness and individuality of their customers, as opposed to generic mass products (YOU MAWO, Our Story 2020). The brand believes that eyewear is especially important in this context, as it “[merges] with our face and character” (YOU MAWO, Our Story 2020). Therefore, a large variety of products on the market is not enough, there should be a special frame for each individual (YOU MAWO, Our Story 2020). To make their vision possible, the brand developed a process, in which the customers face is being 3D-scanned (Fig. 85), afterwards the CAD-file of the glasses’ frame is being adapted according to the face-scan’s data, before finally the frame is being manufactured through sls laser-sintering (Fig. 86) (YOU MAWO, How It Works 2020). According to the brand “The final product is a unique symbioses between human, science, craftsmanship and technology” (YOU MAWO, How It Works 2020). Currently the brand’s glasses are being exclusively sold via six hundred opticians in twenty countries (Harbusch 2020), that manage customer consultations, the face-scan and eventually send the customers data and their order to YOU MAWO (YOU MAWO, How It Works 2020). Besides their customized frames, the brand also sells their basic models, which already have an extraordinary good fit themselves, since they are based on the analysis of hundreds of faces (YOU MAWO, How It Works 2020). While the customized frames are what the brand is most-known for, make for a good story and are certainly their unique selling point, they make up for only ten percent of the brand’s sales (Gründer Daily 2019). At the moment YOU MAWO’s product range contains approximately eighty different frames in around thirteen colours, including special glasses like sunglasses and a flamboyant “design lab” collection (YOU MAWO, Collection 2020). The design of the normal collections is rather simple and pleasing, but also not special or exciting (Fig. 87), which means the reason to buy really is their good fit and the story behind it. Most of the brand’s models are made from polyamide, which enables not only the sintering process, but is also thirty percent lighter than usual eyewear frame materials (Gründer Daily 2019). The glasses price range is about 380 euros for the basic frames and about 490 euros for the customized frames, putting the glasses in a higher price range, but still not being overly expensive for customized glasses (Gründer Daily 2019). All in all the essence of YOU MAWO’s brand identity is the combination of modern technology, a precise design and an individual perfect fit.

Figure 85: Face Scan with an Ipad (Source: YOU MAWO, Exler Augenoptik, Accessed August 24, 2020. https://www.exler-optik.de/you-mawo-brillen/index.html)

Figure 86: Raw Frame After the Laser-Sintering (Source: YOU MAWO, Handelsblatt, Accessed May 11, 2020. https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/mittelstand/familienunternehmer/youmawo-gruender-die-nerds-der-brillenbranche-w ollen-die-welt-erobern/24194072.html?ticket=ST-2277688-N0moi4a4mcLAG1WQmVUd-ap5)

Figure 87: Frame from YOU MAWO’s “Classic” Collection (Source: YOU MAWO, Accessed July 11, 2020. https://www.youmawo.com/en/collection-en/)

5.2 The Design

5.2.1 The Task

Furthermore the design should give the customer a tangible touchpoint with the brand, presenting a narrative to the brands background and inner workings. Since the brands USP9 is their individual perfect fit and their remarkable manufacturing process, that are both not visible for the customer, the design should find a way to communicate those characteristics. In addition to that the design should also function as a springboard for a future flagship store. Based on the B2B design elements a prospective store design will be generated, showing a more extensive approach to a spatial presence for the brand. The site for the prospective flagship store is a 130sqm ground floor space in central Berlin, close to the Savignyplatz. The space has three connected large main areas (Fig. 88), several large shop windows to the street (Fig. 89), a back space and basement. The design will be adapted to the site, but should also be feasible in different locations, in order to enable the brand to create a holistic experience throughout multiple future stores.

Figure 88: Plan of the Existing Space Without Basement

9 Short for unique selling point, advantage differentiating product from other products

Figure 89: Existing Interior with Shop Windows

5.2.2 The Concept

Figure 90: Main Topic Fields

After establishing this, the main functions for the spatial presence, which should work for the B2B field, but also the flagship store, have to be determined. This includes of course the product display for the brand’s eyewear frames. The display should be able to host everything from a very small number of frames, up to the full product range of 85 frames in 13 colors. Also included as a function should be the face-scan, possibly with a screen on which the customer could follow the process. Another important, yet abstract function is the brand narrative, which should show the brand’s and product’s process and background. As the product range, especially regarding the color assortment, is quite large the functions also have to include storage for further frames. To adapt the concept to different spaces with different capacities the design should be modular and scalable.

With the functions being clarified it is time to look at the options for the concept’s aesthetic and atmosphere referring to the brand identity. Three options for visual themes are “The Iris” (Fig. 91), “Tech Lab” (Fig. 92) and “Polygone” (Fig. 93). “The Iris” refers to the uniqueness of the customized YOU MAWO frames, as each person’s iris is unique just like the eyewear frames. “Tech Lab” refers to the modernity and avant-garde spirit of the brand’s production process including the face-scan and laser sintering. “Polygon” also refers to the modern technologies used by YOU MAWO but represents it in a more abstract and subtle way, by referencing the polygons from CAD-model polygon meshes, like used for the face-scan data and frame’s CAD-files. The last approach is especially reasonable, as the brand already uses a similar style approach for their logo (Fig.94), visual communication on their website and other graphics (Fig. 95).

Figure 91: “Iris” Theme

Figure 92: “Tech Lab” Theme

Figure 93: “Polygon” Theme

Figure 94: YOU MAWO Logo (Source: YOU MAWO)

Figure 95: Graphic Style Used by YOU MAWO (Source: YOU MAWO)

After some brief experiments of implementing the themes into the set functions the Polygon approach seemed the most viable. Connecting the requirement of modularity and the polygon theme, a wall module as one centerpiece of the B2B and B2C concept emerged (Fig.96 and 97). The modules are made from bent 5mm aluminium sheets with matt finish, that provide a valuable and modern atmosphere. They provide a flat surface on which the glasses can be placed and a hollow tetrahedron which contains a focus light for the frame underneath. Since the frame is placed in an approximately 45° angle to the wall the module and frame appear differently as the viewer moves

around it, giving everything a dynamic and fascinating appearance, while triggering customers to engage with it closer. Additionally single elements can be removed and replaced with mirrors, so that customers can see the frames in their face while trying them on. The mirrors outer shape derives from the modules corner points, so that the mirrors integrate in the modules overall pattern (Fig.96).

Figure 96: Modular Wall Modules With Mirror

Figure 97: Drawing Wall Module

In the B2B application the modules are mounted on wall boards that the modules can be hooked into (Fig. 98 and 99).The electric outlets are drawn through the board’s slits and hidden at the boards backside. In the flagship store application the boards are seamlessly integrated into the wall, for a cleaner appearance.

The wall modules are complemented by a free-standing center display (Fig. 99 and 100). Those displays are also made from bent aluminium sheets on the sides and have six drawers on their front side. The drawers contain space for the additional frames or their colour variations. For a cleaner modern appearance the drawers have a push to open function and no additional handles. The display's top is made from glass which’s edges are lit through a hidden LED stripe from the backside, giving it a mysterious yet high-tech look (Fig. 100 and 101). Optionally artefacts from the production, for example a half-sintered frame with polyamide dust (Fig. 86), can be displayed in the upper drawer and seen through the glass on top, to bring the customer closer to the brand’s background. This diorama like idea gets literally magnified in the flagship store.The store includes a workshop, where a laser sinters produces the raw frames, finished frames get assembled, or old frames get repaired. This process becomes tangible for the customer through a partly transparent glass wall, where store visitors can follow the process and experience what laser sintering actually is in real life (Fig. 102). Following the idea of the polygon as a guiding theme, the glass wall is sandblasted and engraved with a polygonal pattern that creates an interplay of transparent and semi transparent areas.

Figure 98: Drawing Wall Module Board

Figure 99: Mock-Up Scenario With Wall Modules in External Optician Stores

Figure 100: Flagship Store View From Entrance with Free Standing Displays

Figure 101: Material Board with Polygon Inspiration

Figure 102: Semi-Transparent Glass Wall to the Internal Workshop

Another integral part of the shopping experience in the eyewear field, is the consultation. Finding and buying the perfect glasses is much more difficult for the average consumer than for example buying clothes. Buying glasses requires much more eye for detail and experience, that the normal customer usually does not have. A thorough consultation and skilled personnel are therefore very important to prevent the customer from having to try on every single frame and being frustrating and confused in the process. The well-trained staff can unerringly choose a selection of frames that will suit the customers face and thereby improve the customer’s selection process and give advice throughout the whole process. To create an obvious touch point for customers and staff, the counter has an exposed position in the store and is instantly visible for arriving customers (Fig 103 and 105). To open up the counter’s position towards the room, it is placed in an angled position, which allows for direct eye contact between entering customers and the staff at the counter. The counters visual appearance also connects to the polygonal look. It’s front side is made from layered aluminium sheets, which are anodized in a darker and a lighter silver shade, as well as a light blue shade. The darker silver shade connects the counter to the wall display, while the blue refers to light blue as the only highlight colour used on the brand’s website and their visual communication (Fig. 106). The light blue is also used as a highlight color on the display wall between counter and workshop window, which instantly drags attention to it when customers enter the store (Fig. 100 and 102). The counter front does not only refer to the polygon theme, but it also references the shape of the brand’s logo, which is also displayed on the wall over the counter (Fig. 105). The logo is also made from aluminium sheet metal and has a subtle backlight that creates a soft slightly bluish glow on the wall, which resembles the glow from the glass edges on the center displays.

Figure 103: Plan

Figure104: Elevations AA’(Top), BB’(Middle) and CC’ (Bottom)

Figure 105: The Counter

Figure 106: Light Blue as the Highlight Color in YOU MAWO’s Visual Language (Source: YOU MAWO)

To create an additional space where the consultations can be taken for a calmer and more comfortable atmosphere a lounge like space adjoins to the main display and counter space (Fig. 107). To break with the mainly cool and clean atmosphere from the main display space and create a warmer and pleasing atmosphere, the lounge’s back wall is coloured in a light earthy colour and features some plants. The lounge provides a sofa and lounge chairs where customers can comfortably wait for an eye examination or have their consultation. Additionally the lounge features a larger version of the small center displays. The large display features a glass showcase on top, where production artefacts and information can be displayed. Like the small displays the glass sheet has lit edges, that show a fascinating glow. Beneath the showcase is storage for the color variations of the frames, which are displayed on the walls. Behind the large display next to the windows is space for the face-scan, which needs good natural lighting. On the wall behind it is a large screen where the customer can follow the face-scan in real time, or image videos and information can be shown when no face-scan is happening.

The lounge is followed by a straight corridor which leads to the eye examination room (Fig. 108). The walls have glass cladding which is engraved with the same polygonal pattern like on the workshop window. The pattern and glass edges have the same glow like the center displays, giving the customer an almost ethereal feeling and trigger their anticipation as they walk towards the ceiling high glass slide door with the same pattern at the end of the corridor.

Figure 107: View Towards The Lounge Space

Figure 108: Corridor to the Eye Examination Room

To connect not only the spaces on the inside with each other, but also the interior with the exterior, The store elements are arranged in a way that they are also visible from the outside (Fig. 109, 110 and 111). The window display features a plinth from bent aluminium sheets, similar to the center displays. It also has a glowing glass sheet on top. As opposed to the center displays the glasses are not placed on the glass, but levitate on a tetrahedron, also made from bent aluminium, over the glass (Fig. 112). The levitating effect is created through repelling magnets and a special set of sensors keeping them at a consistent distance. This not only makes pedestrians curious, but also reflects on YOU MAWO’s modern technology image. It shows that the brand makes new things like customized eyewear frames possible and can even make things levitate. It is also a hint to the frames material polyamide, which makes the frames 30 percent lighter than usual frames.

The overall concept of the store and its elements aim to make the brands background and the technologies it is using tangible for the customer, through its functions, like the integrated workshop, but also through its aesthetic in form of the polygon inspired aesthetic of patterns and wall modules. The store evokes a clean and modern atmosphere that corresponds with the brand’s use of modern technologies, but also has a warm and lively touch that underlines the brands aspirations as a design and lifestyle brand.

Figure 109: The Store’s Facade

Figure 110 (Left): Shop Entrance From the Outside Figure 111 (Right): Shop Window to the Lounge

Figure 112: Levitating Frame in the Window Display

Bibliography

Aesop. 2020. “Our Story.” Accessed May 17, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/de/en/r/about

Aesop. 2020. “A Meticulous Passion.” Accessed May 17, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/de/en/r/philosophy-to-products/

Aesop. 2020. “A Respectful Response to Function and Setting.” Accessed May 17, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/de/en/r/philosophy-to-design/

Aesop. 2020. “Duke of York Square.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/au/r/aesop-duke-of-york-square

Aesop 2020. “Geneva.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.aesop.com/au/r/aesop-geneva

Apple. 2019. “Apple Fifth Avenue: The cube is back.” Last modified September 19, 2019. https://www.apple.com/de/newsroom/2019/09/apple-fifth-avenue-the-cube-is-back/

Apple. 2010. ”Apple enthüllt iPad.” Last modified January 27, 2010. https://www.apple.com/de/newsroom/2010/01/27Apple-Launches-iPad/

Apple. 2014. “Apple stellt Apple Watch vor - das bisher persönlichste Produkt von Apple.” Last modified September 9, 2014. https://www.apple.com/de/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-Unveils-Apple-Watch-Apples-Most-Personal-D evice-Ever/

Apple. 2016. “Mit AirPods erfindet Apple den kabellosen kopfhörer neu.” Last modified September 7, 2016. https://www.apple.com/de/newsroom/2016/09/07Apple-Reinvents-the-Wireless-Headphone-with-AirPo ds/

ArchDaily. 2015. "Camper Store Milano / Kengo Kuma & Associates" Last modified January 26, 2015. Accessed 18 Jun 2020. https://www.archdaily.com/590943/camper-store-milano-kengo-kuma/

Archdaily. 2013. “5th Avenue Camper Store / Nendo” Last modified May 28, 2013. https://www.archdaily.com/377753/5th-avenue-camper-store-nendo/

Baldwin, Eric. Architizer. 2020. “The Immaculate Architectural Details of Apple Stores.” Accessed May 7, 2020. https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/apple-architecture/

Bastos, Wilson and Levy, Sidney J. 2012. “A history of the concept of branding: practice and theory”, Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, Vol. 4 Iss: 3: 347 - 368.

Bhasin, Kim. Business Insider. 2012. „BEZOS: Amazon Would Love To Have Physical Stores, But Only Under One Condition.“ Last modified November 27, 2012. https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-jeff-bezos-stores-2012-11?r=DE&IR=T

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. 2020. “Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, New York.” Accessed April 30, 2020. https://www.bcj.com/projects/apple-store-fifth-avenue-new-york

Bundesdenkmalamt. 2020. “Otto-Wagner-Grün.” Accessed July 7, 2020. https://bda.gv.at/de/forschung/otto-wagner-gruen/

Cairns, Graham. 2010. ...deciphering ADVERTISING, ART AND ARCHITECTURE : New Persuasion Techniques for Sophisticated Consumers, Oxfordshire: Libri Publishing.

Camper 2020. “History.” Accessed June 16, 2020. https://www.camper.com/en_GB/content/history

Camper 2020. “History, Company Origins.” Accessed June 16, 2020. https://www.camper.com/en_GB/content/history/origins

Camper 2020. “Camper History, The Shoes.” Accessed June 16, 2020. https://www.camper.com/en_GB/content/history/shoes

Camper 2020. “Camper History, Communication.” Accessed June 16, 2020. https://www.camper.com/en_GB/content/history/communication

Camper 2020. “Camper History, The Stores.” Accessed June 16, 2020. https://www.camper.com/en_GB/content/history/stores

Chung, Chihuahua Judy., Inaba, Jeffrey., Koolhaas, Rem., Leong, Sze Tsung. 2001. The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping, Köln: Taschen GmbH.

Cogley, Bridget. Dezeen. 2019. „Foster + Partners restores „iconic“ glass Apple Fifth Avenue.“ Last modified September 26, 2019. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/09/26/apple-fifith-avenue-foster-partners-new-york/

David Chipperfield Architects. 2020. “Valentino Flagship store, Piazza di Spagna, Rome.” Accessed July 10, 2020. https://davidchipperfield.com/project/valentino_rome_flagship_store

Fairs, Marcus. Dezeen. 2012. “‘I was horrified at the thought of a soulless chain’ - Aesop founder.” Last modified December 10, 2012. https://www.dezeen.com/2012/12/10/dennis-paphitis-aesop-interview/

Foster+Partners. 2020. „Apple Fifth Avenue.“ Accessed April 30, 2020. https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/apple-fifth-avenue/

Freitag Daniel. Freitag. 2012. “From Truck Till Bag.” Last modified August 27, 2012. https://www.freitag.ch/de/about/production

Freitag. 2015. “Distribution. Freitag Shelf System.” Last modified August 20, 2015. https://www.freitag.ch/de/wholesale

Freitag. 2014. “Freitag Bros.” Lastmodified September 4, 2014. https://www.freitag.ch/de/about/bros

Freitag 2020. “Die Freitag Story.” Accessed May 15, 2020. https://www.freitag.ch/de/about

Funk, David and Levis, Anne Marie. 2009. Conscious Branding, NewYork: Business Expert Press.

Gemperle, Oliver. Freitag 2005. “Die Geburt von Freitag.” Last modified April 15, 2005. https://www.freitag.ch/de/about/history

Gründer Daily. 2019. “Millionenumsatz mit gedruckten Brillen.” Last modified November 8, 2019. https://www.fuer-gruender.de/blog/youmawo-3d-scanner-fuer-brillen/

Harbusch, Larina. KFW Stories. 2020. “The perfect fit.” Last modified February 12, 2020. https://www.kfw.de/stories/economy/start-ups/you-mawo/

Harrison, Alice. Ignant. 2020. “MYKITA Shop - Berlin, Germany.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.ignant.com/2018/02/27/mykita-shop-berlin-germany/

Himmelfarb, Ellen. Azure Magazine. 2018. “Snøhetta Uses Rosy Arches to Anchor a London Aesop Flagship.” Last modified June 6, 2018. https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/snohetta-london-aesop-flagship/

Hofmeister Dr., Sandra. 2019. David Chipperfield Architects, München: Detail

Isaacson, Walter. Smithsonian Magazine. 2012. “How Steve Jobs’ Love of Simplicity Fueled A Design Revolution.” Last modified September, 2012. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-steve-jobs-love-of-simplicity-fueled-a-design-revolut ion-23868877/

Kasperkevic, Jana. Inc. 2013. „Why Warby Parker Opened a Retail Store.“ Last modified May 21, 2013. https://www.inc.com/jana-kasperkevic/warby-parker-co-founder-why-we-opened-a-flagship-store.html? cid=search

Kälin, Adi. Neue Züricher Zeitung. 2019. “Der Freitag-Tower, ein Hochhaus im Taschenformat” Last modified November 8, 2019. https://www.nzz.ch/zuerich/freitag-tower-in-zuerich-hochhaus-im-taschenformat-ld.1520185

Klanten,Robert. Ehmann, Sven. Borges, Sofia. 2013. Brand Spaces: Branded Architecture and the Future of Retail Design, Berlin: Gestalten.

Klanten, Robert. Kouznetsova, Anja. 2018. Shoplifter! New Retail Architecture and Brand Spaces, Berlin: Gestalten.

Mafi, Nick. AD. 2019. „New York City’s Iconic Fifth Avenue Glass Apple Cube Reopens to the Public.“ Last modified September 18, 2019. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/new-york-city-iconic-fifth-avenue-glass-apple-cube-reopens- public

McDowell, Colin. The Sunday Times. 2012. “The king of Couture.” Last modified November 11, 2012. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-king-of-couture-2s9ldx2bpc2

Messina, Rab. Frame. 2018. “Brick by brick, Aesop has built its new store in Brussels.” Last modified December 20, 2018. https://www.frameweb.com/news/aesop-brussels-bernard-dubois

Milligan, Lauren. Vogue. 2015. “The Secret of Valentino’s Success Revealed.” Last modified May 29, 2015. https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/valentino-rockstud-shoes-sell-out-accessories-sales-up

MYKITA. 2020. “Collections.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://mykita.com/de/collections

MYKITA. 2020. “Shops.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://mykita.com/de/shops#

MYKITA. 2020. “Shop Concept.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://mykita.com/de/mykitahaus/shop-concept

MYKITA. 2020. “The Design.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://mykita.com/en/the-design

MYKITA. 2020. “The Story.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://mykita.com/en/the-story

Nguyen, Nicole. Buzzfeed. 2017. “Meet The Woman Who Wants To Change The Way You Buy Your iPhone.” Last modified October 25, 2017. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/meet-the-woman-who-wants-to-change-the-way-y ou-buy-your#.jyXWpx0Ok

Obermoser, Edina. Detail. 2019. “Tech-Wahrzeichen: Apple Store Fifth Avenue von Foster+Partners.” Last modified November 21, 2019. https://www.detail.de/artikel/tech-wahrzeichen-apple-store-fifth-avenue-von-foster-partners-34931/

Saffron, Inga. The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2010. „Old-school architect creates an iOpener.“ Last modified March 22, 2010. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/home/20100322_Old-school_architect_creates_an_iOpener.html

Satoru, Komura. Silver Magazine. 2020. “Life with Good Design, Brand Mykita.” Accessed July 8, 2020. https://silver-mag.jp/en/fashion/life-with-good-design-brand/3/

Schoof, Jakob. Detail. “Kapitelsaal in Rosé: Aesop Store von Snohetta in London.” last modified February 5, 2018. https://www.detail.de/artikel/kapitelsaal-in-rose-aesop-store-von-snoehetta-in-london-31313/

Simon, Axel. 2006. “Freitag Flagship Store.” Bauwelt 25:28-31.

Spillmann Echsle Architekten. 2020. “freitag flagship zürich.” Accessed July 7, 2020. http://www.spillmannechsle.ch/wp/index.php/nggallery/image/1_05_umbau-freitag-flagship?p=4975

Steeber, Michael. 9to5Mac. “Inside Apple Fifth Avenue: An all-new space with a familiar face.” Last modified September 19, 2019. https://9to5mac.com/2019/09/19/new-apple-store-fifth-avenue-photos/

Stephens, Doug. 2017. Reengineering Retail : The Future of Selling in a Post-Digital World, Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing.

Taxonomy of Design. 2020. “Duke of York Square.” Accessed July 8, 2020. http://taxonomyofdesign.com/#!/store?store=101§ion=store

Taxonomy of Design. 2020. “Geneva.” Accessed July 8, 2020. http://taxonomyofdesign.com/#!/store?store=30§ion=store

Teufel, Philipp and Zimmermann, Rainer. 2015. Holistic Retail Design: Reshaping Shopping for the Digital Era, Amsterdam: Frame Publishers.

Valentino. 2020. “Creative Direction.” Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.valentino.com/de-de/maison/creative-direction

Valentino. 2020. “Maison.” Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.valentino.com/de-de/maison/maison

Valentino. 2020. “The Stores.” Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.valentino.com/de-de/maison/the-stores

Vielhauer, Cordula. Baunetz Interior Design. 2008. “Alles Blech.” Last modified April 14, 2008. https://www.baunetz-id.de/projekte/alles-blech-10312719

Ward, Vicky. Intelligencer NY Mag. 2014. „The Untold Story of How the Apple Store Cube Landed in Midtown.“ Last modified September 28, 2014. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2014/09/story-behind-the-apple-store-cube.html

Weinberger, Matt. Hartmans, Avery. 2020. “Apple just celebrated its 44th birthday. Here's how it came to rule the world, from its early struggles to beat Microsoft to the launch of the iPhone.” Last modified April 6, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-apple-in-photos-2015-8?r=DE&IR=T#apple-had-two-massi vely-influential-product-releases-in-the-2000s-beginning-with-the-ipod-in-2001-it-blew-other-mp3-playe rs-out-of-the-water-and-radically-altered-the-way-we-listen-to-music-the-ipod-also-launched-apples-wh ite-earbuds-as-a-status-symbol-32

Winston, Anna. Dezeen. 2019. “Bernard Dubois channels childhood memories into Aesop interior in Brussels.” Last modified March 5, 2019. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/05/bernard-dubois-aesop-brussels-interiors/

World Architects. 2015. “Valentino Rome Flagship Store.” Last modified April 8, 2015. https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/works/valentino-rome-flagship-store

YOU MAWO. 2020. “Collection.” Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.youmawo.com/en/collection-en/

YOU MAWO. 2020. “How It Works.” Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.youmawo.com/en/how-it-works-en/

YOU MAWO. 2020. “Our Story.” Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.youmawo.com/en/our-story-en/

98 Strengthening a Young Company‘s Brand Identity Through Interior Design - A Modular System for the Eyewear Manufacturer YOU MAWO

Master Thesis Project Advisor: Prof. Yüksel Pögün-Zander, PhD Spring Semester 2020 Second Examiner: Prof. Javier Martin

Felicia Schneeweis Design Faculty: Prof. Dr. Carola Ebert & Dipl.-Des. Heike Brandt

THE BRAND

YOU MAWO, which is short for “Your Magic World”, is a German eyewear manufacturing company that was founded in 2016 (YOU MAWO, Our Story 2020). The brand aims to create eyewear that reflects on the uniqueness and individuality of their customers, as opposed to generic mass products (YOU MAWO, Our Story 2020). The brand believes that eyewear is especially important in this context, as it “[merges] with our face and character” (YOU MAWO, Our Story 2020). Therefore, a large variety of products on the market is not enough, there should be a special frame for each individual (YOU MAWO, Our Story 2020). To make their vision possible, the brand developed a process, in which the customers face is being 3D-scanned, afterwards the CAD-file of the glasses’ frame is being adapted according to the face-scan’s data, before finally the frame is being manufactured Face-Scan (Source: YOU MAWO) through sls laser-sintering (YOU MAWO, How It Works 2020). Accor- ding to the brand “The final product is a unique symbioses between human, science, craftsmanship and technology” (YOU MAWO, How It Works 2020). Currently the brand’s glasses are being exclusively sold via six hundred opticians in twenty countries (Harbusch 2020), that manage customer consultations, the face-scan and eventually send the customers data and their order to YOU MAWO (YOU MAWO, How It Works 2020). Besides their customized frames, the brand also sells their basic models, which already have an extraordinary good fit themselves, since they are based on the analysis of hundreds of faces (YOU MAWO, How It Works 2020). While the customized frames are what the brand is most-known for, make for a good story and are certainly their unique selling point, they make up for only ten percent of the brand’s sales (Gründer Daily 2019). At the moment YOU MAWO’s product range contains approximately eighty different frames in around thirteen colours, including Raw Laser-Sintered Frame in Polyamide Dust (Source: YOU MAWO) special glasses like sunglasses and a flamboyant “design lab” collection (YOU MAWO, Collection 2020). The design of the normal collections is rather simple and pleasing, but also not special or exciting, which means the reason to buy really is their good fit and the story behind it. Most of the brand’s models are made from polyamide, which enables not only the sintering process, but is also thirty percent lighter than usual eyewear frame materials (Gründer Daily 2019). The glasses price range is about 380 euros for the basic frames and about 490 euros for the customized frames, putting the glasses in a higher price range, but still not being overly expensive for customized glasses (Gründer Daily 2019). All in all the essence of YOU MAWO’s brand identity is the combination of modern technology, a precise design and an individual Frame from YOU MAWO‘s „Classic“ Collection (Source: YOU MAWO) perfect fit. THE TASK

Based on the previous insights, the design project aims to develop a spatial presence for the brand’s sales points. The B2B-system will be enhanced through spatial elements representing the brand at the optician stores, improving the sales process and customer experience on-site. As the opticians operate differently and every optician has a different set-up, the design should be modular and scalable. Furthermore the design should give the customer a tangible touchpoint with the brand, presenting a narrative to the brands background and inner workings. Since the brands USP is their individual perfect fit and their remarkable manufacturing process, that are both not visible for the customer, the design should find a way to communicate those characteristics. In addition to that the design should also function as a springboard for a future flagship store. Based on the B2B design elements a prospective store design will be generated, showing a more extensive approach to a spatial presence for the brand. The site for the prospective flagship store is a 130sqm ground floor space in central Berlin, close to the Savignyplatz. The space has Existing Interior with Large Window Front (Source: ImmoScout) three connected large main areas, several large shop windows to the street, a back space and basement. The design will be adapted to the site, but should also be feasible in different locations, in order to enable the brand to create a holistic experience throughout multiple future stores.

Plan of Existing Space with Basement (Source: ImmoScout) THE CONCEPT elements/functions______aesthetic/vibe

The first step towards the design concept was the assessment of the two opposing main fields, that need to be connected in the design. Those are the two already mentioned layers, being functions and aesthetic, but also the connection between the B2B shop-in-shop solution and the B2C flagship store. B2B______B2C After establishing this, the main functions for the spatial presence, which should work for the B2B field, but also the flagship store, have to be determined. This includes of course the product display for the brand’s eyewear frames. The display should be able to host everything from a very small number of frames, up to the full product range of 85 frames in 13 colors. Also included as a function should be the face-scan, possibly with a screen on which the customer could follow the process. Another important, yet abstract function is the brand narrative, which should show the brand’s and product’s process and background. As the product range, especially regarding the color assortment, is quite large the functions also have to include storage for further frames. To adapt the concept to different spaces with different capacities the design should be modular and scalable. With the functions being clarified it is time to look at the options for the concept’s aesthetic and atmosphere referring to the brand identity. Three options for visual themes are “The Iris”, “Tech Lab” and “Polygone”. “The Iris” refers to the uniqueness of the customized YOU MAWO frames, as each person’s iris is unique just like the eyewear frames. “Tech Lab” refers to the modernity and avant-garde spirit of the brand’s production process including the face-scan and laser sintering. “Polygon” also refers to the modern technologies used by YOU MAWO but represents it in a more abstract and subtle way, by referencing the polygons from CAD-model polygon meshes, like used for the face-scan data and frame’s CAD-files. The last approach is especially reasonable, as the brand already uses a similar style approach for their logo, visual communication on their website and other graphics.

Polygone Inspired Graphics and Blue Highlights Used by YOU MAWO (Source: YOU MAWO) THEME 1 - IRIS

Moodboard and Design Experiments for the „Iris“ Theme THEME 2 - TECH LAB

Moodboard and Design Experiments for the „Tech Lab“ Theme THEME 3 - POLYGON

Moodboard and Design Experiments for the „Polygon“ Theme After some brief experiments of implementing the themes into the set functions the Polygon approach seemed the Sandblasted Glas Acryl/Glas Wall Modules most viable. Connecting the requirement of modularity Polygone Pattern LED-Lit Edges and the polygon theme, a wall module as one centerpiece of the B2B and B2C concept emerged. The modules are made from bent 5mm aluminium sheets with matt finish, that provide a valuable and modern atmosphere. They provide a flat surface on which the glasses can be placed and a hollow tetrahedron which contains a focus light for the frame underneath.

Since the frame is placed in an approximately 45° angle to the wall the module and frame appear differently as the viewer moves around it, giving everything a dynamic and fascinating appearance, while triggering customers to engage with it closer. Additionally single elements can be Coloured Concrete Matt Aluminium Shiny Light Blue Flooring Wall and Center Displays Main Display Wall removed and replaced with mirrors, so that customers can see the frames in their face while trying them on. The mirrors outer shape derives from the modules corner points, so that the mirrors integrate in the modules overall pattern. In the B2B application the modules are mounted on wall boards that the modules can be hooked into.The electric outlets are drawn through the board’s slits and hidden at the boards backside. In the flagship store application the boards are seamlessly integrated into the wall, for a cleaner appearance.

Material Board With Polygone Inspiration Cardboard Tests for the Wall Modules Wall Modules With Mirror Element Drawing Wall Modules1:5 0.5

46° 25

38 0 6 ° 0 °

4 9 0 ° °

4 90° 1 0.5

6 ° 9 2 0 13 °

4 °

15 15

15 7 1 2 0.5

6 1 ° 27

29°

15 3 100

83 1 56 30 0.5 7

3 23 100

83 1 56 30 0.5 8 24 7 23 24 8 24 120 24 120

Drawing Wall Modules With Board 1:10 Mock-Up Scenario of B2B Application The wall modules are complemented by a free-standing center display. Those displays are also made from bent aluminium sheets on the sides and have six drawers on their front side. The drawers contain space for the additional frames or their colour variations. For a cleaner modern appearance the drawers have a push to open function and no additional handles. The display's top is made from glass which’s edges are lit through a hidden LED stripe from the backside, giving it a mysterious yet high- tech look. Optionally artefacts from the production, for example a half-sintered frame with polyamide dust, can be displayed in the upper drawer and seen through the glass on top, to bring the customer closer to the brand’s background.

This diorama like idea gets literally magnified in the flagship store. The store includes a workshop, where a laser sinters produces the raw frames, finished frames get assembled, or old frames get repaired. This process becomes tangible for the customer through a partly transparent glass wall, where store visitors can follow the process and experience what laser sintering actually is in real life. Following the idea of the polygon as a guiding theme, the glass wall is sandblasted and engraved with a polygonal pattern that creates an interplay of transparent and semi Flagship Store View From Entrance With Free Standing Displays transparent areas.

Semi-Transparent Glass Wall to the Internal Workshop Another integral part of the shopping experience in the eyewear field, is the consultation. Finding and buying the perfect glasses is much more difficult for the average consumer than for example buying clothes. Buying glasses requires much more eye for detail and experience, that the normal customer usually does not have. A thorough consultation and skilled personnel are therefore very important to prevent the customer from having to try on every single frame and being frustrating and confused in the process. The well- trained staff can unerringly choose a selection of frames that will suit the customers face and thereby improve the customer’s selection process and give advice throughout the whole process. To create an obvious touch point for customers and staff, the counter has an exposed position in the store and is instantly visible for arriving customers. To open up the counter’s position towards the room, it is placed in an angled position, which allows for direct eye contact between entering customers and the staff at the counter. The counters visual appearance also connects to the polygonal look. It’s front side is made from layered aluminium sheets, which are anodized in a darker and a lighter silver shade, as well as a light blue shade. The darker silver shade connects the counter to the wall display, while the blue refers to light blue as the only highlight colour used on the The Counter brand’s website and their visual communication. The light blue is also used as a highlight color on the display wall between counter and workshop window, which instantly drags attention to it when customers enter the store. The counter front does not only refer to the polygon theme, but it also references the shape of the brand’s logo, which is also displayed on the wall over the counter. The logo is also made from aluminium sheet metal and has a subtle backlight that creates a soft slightly bluish glow on the wall, which resembles the glow from the glass edges on the center displays. STORAGE

STORAGE

Store Plan (Not in Scale, Plan 1:50 Attached in the Back) Elevations AA’(Top), BB’(Middle) and CC’ (Bottom) 1:50 View Towards Lounge Space To create an additional space where the consultations can be taken for a calmer and more comfortable atmosphere a lounge like space adjoins to the main display and counter space. To break with the mainly cool and clean atmosphere from the main display space and create a warmer and pleasing atmosphere, the lounge’s back wall is coloured in a light earthy colour and features some plants. The lounge provides a sofa and lounge chairs where customers can comfortably wait for an eye examination or have their consultation. Additionally the lounge features a larger version of the small center displays. The large display features a glass showcase on top, where production artefacts and information can be displayed. Like the small displays the glass sheet has lit edges, that show a fascinating glow. Beneath the showcase is storage for the color variations of the frames, which are displayed on the walls. Behind the large display next to the windows is space for the face-scan, which needs good natural lighting. On the wall behind it is a large screen where the customer can follow the face-scan in real time, or image videos and information can be shown when no face-scan is happening.

The lounge is followed by a straight corridor which leads to the eye examination room. The walls have glass cladding which is engraved with the same polygonal pattern like on the workshop window. The pattern and glass edges have the same glow like the center displays, giving the customer an almost ethereal feeling and trigger their anticipation as they walk towards the ceiling high glass slide door with the same pattern at the end of the corridor.

Corridor to the Eye Examination Room Outside Views of the Store To connect not only the spaces on the inside with each other, but also the interior with the exterior, The store elements are arranged in a way that they are also visible from the outside. The window display features a plinth from bent aluminium sheets, similar to the center displays. It also has a glowing glass sheet on top. As opposed to the center displays the glasses are not placed on the glass, but levitate on a tetrahedron, also made from bent aluminium, over the glass. The levitating effect is created through repelling magnets and a special set of sensors keeping them at a consistent distance. This not only makes pedestrians curious, but also reflects on YOU MAWO’s modern technology image. It shows that the brand makes new things like customized eyewear frames possible and can even make things levitate. It is also a hint to the frames material polyamide, which makes the frames 30 percent lighter than usual frames.

The overall concept of the store and its elements aim to make the brands background and the technologies it is using tangible for the customer, through its functions, like the inte- Levitating Frame in the Window Display grated workshop, but also through its aesthetic in form of the polygon inspired aesthetic of patterns and wall modules. The store evokes a clean and modern atmosphere that corresponds with the brand’s use of modern technologies, but also has a warm and lively touch that underlines the brands aspirations as a design and lifestyle brand. Sources:

Gründer Daily. 2019. “Millionenumsatz mit gedruckten Brillen.” Last modified November 8, 2019. https://www.fuer-gruender.de/blog/youmawo-3d-scanner-fuer-brillen/

YOU MAWO. 2020. “Collection.” Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.youmawo.com/en/collection-en/

YOU MAWO. 2020. “How It Works.” Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.youmawo.com/en/how-it-works-en/

YOU MAWO. 2020. “Our Story.” Accessed July 10, 2020. https://www.youmawo.com/en/our-story-en/ Plan 1:50

Master Thesis Project Spring Semester 2020

Felicia Schneeweis TOILETS

STORAGE

Plan Basement 1:50

Master Thesis Project Spring Semester 2020

Felicia Schneeweis