On a recent study trip to New York, I managed to spend some time researching some latest examples of retail trends. I’ve attached a small extract of some of the more colourful examples from the fashion stores I visited. It struck me that bold, primary colours were being used really effectively – even if it was to signal that the products on sale were white! From the punchy facades of American Apparel to the more restrained but equally impactful shopwindow displays of Diane von Furstenberg, store facades and interiors were vibrant and shouted to passers by. Enjoy the sunshine!

I discovered a Japanese artist last week called Yayoi Kusama. I have to admit that I had never heard of this artist and wasn’t sure what to expect. In the past I have walked around painted girders, unmade beds, piles of elephant dung and expensive cracks in the ground and have been singularly unimpressed by modern Art. I read about her life in a mental hospital, her red wig, her extensive use of phalluses and her obsession with dots and wasn’t really expecting to like it. Surprise, surprise, it was wonderful! The exhibition at the Tate Modern in London is a retrospective covering sixty years of her work ranging from early post war Japan to New York in the sixties. For the last 35 years she has been back in Japan and her latest work is still obsessive but remarkable with its almost aboriginal use of form and colour. I am inspired by this 82 year old who is, to say the least, an unusual character and one who reminds me that its always worth trying new things. I did, out of curiosity, pop into Hirst’s show downstairs, billed as Britain’s most famous living artist but it paled in comparison.  

Why is it that an artist of Kusama’s calibre is overshadowed by Hirst? The queue for Damien Hirst’s art was an hour long whereas we could enter into the imagination and dotty domain of Kusama’s vision of the world without a wait. Well, at least the shared billing led to my visit and discovery. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16944302

Last week I returned from a trip to Moscow where I had been taking photographs of some recently-completed projects. The intention was to capture and catalogue everything we designed, from graphics and environmental treatments to lighting, fixtures, furniture, even staff uniforms (when they weren’t shying away from the camera!) There were several projects from the last year that I had to cover, all in very different sectors, including shopping malls, banks, fashion stores, cafes and a delicatessen. 

Being a graphic designer, I was obviously keen to see all the graphics elements we had designed…of course they all looked fantastic! However, seeing the projects first-hand made me really appreciate the work done by our interiors team. In the studio we always work together with sample boards to make sure the brand is coherent, but seeing the final lighting and finishes giving personality to a large retail space is impressive. Working across such a wide variety of sectors, materials ranged from fabrics to canvas, wood, glass, tiles, metals and colored acrylics which collectively brighten and reflect light to create energy and atmosphere within the space. 

However it wasn’t until later when I went through all the photographs that I noticed how much detail captured within these finishes we never actually see. A closer look reveals intricate patterns, textures and ever-changing reflections that all subtly bring the space to life. 

 And one more…

Traditionally, shop windows have been used to showcase products available to buy within the store. The Live Windows project rejects that premise and instead, treats the store windows as part of a continuing commitment to developing relationships with their customers though entertainment and interaction.

The Live Windows approach even rejects the idea of transparency, and instead turns the windows of Benetton flagship stores into high definition video walls, all tailored to the specific sizes of the individual flagstores around the world, including London, Moscow, Shanghai and New Delhi, Milan, Barcelona and Munich with Paris and New York to be added shortly. The interactive displays are networked globally in real time to create a genuinely international brand experience. 

The content displayed, developed through Fabrica’s collaboration with international schools of multimedia design, reflects not only product-based messaging, but also broader entertainment and social issues to highten awareness of the emotional brand values, and drive consumer engagement and dialogue with the brand.

There are a lot of ways to generate new ideas but not all are effective. I had the opportunity to participate in one of his workshops as well as work with Luki Huber, a product designer, who applies a technique called “Manual Thinking” which includes different exercises (Osborn checklist, brainwriting, six thinking hats,…) which he follows strictly to achieve effective results and he gets good ideas to develop. Here I leave you with a link to his blog www.manualthinking.com where he explains step-by-step and with examples, all you need to do to succeed with his method.