A Study of How Branding Drives the Interior Design of Retail Stores

625 Words2 Pages

With quote on the importance of Interior Design within retail environments ever increasing, the question of what drives design in this instance is often the branding of individual stores. In order to confirm this hypothesis, I will conduct a literature review of recent collaborations within interior design and retail companies, before undertaking a critical case study of high end store Anthropologie, recording photos, observations, and customer and staff opinions to explore the effect of branding on the interior design of their stores. Finally a study of semiotics within retail environments will be particularly relevant to this topic as it investigates the use of visual communication in retail design. This should help inform my research as to why certain colours, signs, symbols, both visual and subconscious, have been used in branding to drive the interior design of these retail stores.
Literature Review
In exploring how branding affects store design, Eleanor Curtis (2006, p. 9) goes as far to say that “interior display became the critical factor that would encourage the sale of one particular brand over another” within Department Stores. I.e., strong, characteristic interior design which fully reflects a certain brand will make it distinctive among its imitators and competitors. Lynne Mesher (2010, p. 10) supports this idea, claiming that; “The brand is the starting point and the building or site often comes later.” This enforces just how crucial the idea of branding is to both the fashion and interior/architecture industry; highlighting that the concept of retail design centres on the notion of branding before all else. Pierre Martineau (1958, p. 47) further champions this idea; “Economic factors will always be important. But u...

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...Visualization Technology: The Potential Impact on Interior Design and its Consumers. International Journal of Consumer Studies , 33 (5), 611-617.
Martineau, P. (1958). The Personality of the Retail Store. Harvard Business Review , 36 (1), 47.
Mesher, L. (2010). Retail Design. London: AVA.
Miller, I. (2012). The future in technology and experiential interiors: an expert in retail environments examines emerging technologies that will have a direct impact on how we design spaces. Contract , 53 (9), 53.
Morgan, T. (2011). Visual merchandising: window and in-store displays for retail (2nd ed.). United Kingdom: Lawrence King.
Tilley, N., & Davies, J. (2004). Interior Design: Using the Management Services approach in Retail Premises. Management Services , 48 (7), 10-13.
Yudelson, J. (2010). Sustainable Retail Development: New Success Strategies. Netherlands: Springer Books.

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