Revisioning Retail Case Study One: material investigation

Francesca’s Collections: Eclectic Collections

This store is known for its eclectic collections. The materials used help brand the store, so that when you enter any Francesca’s collections you know the layout and feel at ease shopping. Materials used throughout this store to help branding would be the gold/amber color paint on the walls that helps the dark art, dark wood shelving cases, and other elements stand out. The material surfaces are smooth, with lighting directed to the merchandise in the cases and on walls. They carry the colors throughout to the materials on the walls and floor as well as to their shopping bags. The wooden cases used to display the merchandise, are a deep dark color that is almost black. The floors are black as well, blending into the background so that all the brightly colored merchandise stands out. There is also a pattern to the collection of materials that is for sale on the walls throughout the store. This pattern is usually a collage of pieces from crosses to picture frames, and they are placed on the wall spaces where the large wooden shelving cases are not covering the wall. Francescas

Swoozie’s: Color Speak Volumes

The signature colors speak volumes for this store. The bright orange and pink show the energy of the environment in this store. The materials of products are mostly bright colors, but the tables and shelving used to display the merchandise materials are black, white, or natural wood, smooth, and shiny. The floor is food, so that it gives a neutral backdrop, and the smooth shiny tables and shelves showcase all the brightly colored merchandise so that your eye is immediately drawn to the product. The lights are bright and there is some spotlighting on shelves of products, but the light is mostly bright throughout the store to help keep the energy up. The materials and signature colors are bright and energetic which reflects the feeling you get from all of the merchandise and materials throughout the store.  swoozies

Palm Avenue: Palm Tree’s Galore

Palm Avenue, the home of Lilly Pulitzer, has a definite consistency of materials, which help brand their stores. The black and white awning outside with the signature palm tree is only the start to consistent material choices. The walls inside are pink and green, which are the colors of the font on all the clothing labels, and just about everything has a palm tree on it. The floor is a polished white, which is shiny but because it is white you don’t get distracted from the products by it. All the racks and display tables are black and sometimes glass. The trim of the store is white and the doors to the dressing room are also white shutter doors, to give a beach and high-end boutique feel. The front doors are different as well, they are black on the outside and white on the inside but they are French doors with big metal handles. There are also carpets in two seating area’s which have a grey and white design on them which look expensive, like the clothes, but they do not standout because of the dull color. The clothes stand out mostly because of the bright colors and large amounts of pattern. palm avenue

DSW: You can never have too many shoes!

This store reminds me that simplicity can be a wonderful thing in design. The store is basically a warehouse with rows of shoes [who wouldn’t love this]. The flooring is carpet the racks or cases, which the shoes are on are a soft wood with a soft silver trim. The lighting is bright with huge overhead light fixtures. The shoes standout extremely well in the light, you can see every detail of every shoe in this bright light. The racks are black metal, and the wall displays are the soft wood background and glass shelving. The only bright colors in the store come from the shoes and bags. The signage and shopping bags are even in black and white. Simple materials are key to this retail store, but it works very well. The consistency of muted color in materials and no shiny materials helps the shoes stand out in a crowd. dsw

The Great Outdoor Provision Company: Did somebody say wood?

This outdoor equipment and apparel store has materials to mimic the environment in which you would use the merchandise. The flooring is a non-painted knotty hardwood, as well as the wall paneling. The doors are painted green on the inside and brown on the outside. There are wooden display units, which are not painted as well. There is a glass case at the cash register to display sharp objects or breakable objects. There are silver metal hooks on the walls to display hanging garments. The Lighting is not extremely bright as to keep a natural feel within the store. The outdoor colors and the dull materials are consistent throughout the store and as well as on the brown shopping bag. great outdoor