May 14th, 2012 Written by:rosshaxton
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!
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April 26th, 2012 Written by:richardtucker
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.
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April 19th, 2012 Written by:rosshaxton
On a recent trip to the north of England, my train journey departed from the recently re-opened London’s King’s Cross Station restoration development, designed by John McAslan. The original station opened in 1852 and was built as the hub of the Great Northern Railway. With various changes of ownership and a notable one-storey extension built in 1972 by British Rail, the station has become a well known landmark with Grade-1 listed architectural status.
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March 16th, 2012 Written by:richardtucker
The other day, I rested a couple of crisp packets on a bush while I tied my shoelace. Completely at random, they happened to cast a shadow that looked exactly like birds nesting. It reminded me of some work I had seen a few years ago by an artist called kumi yamashita who experimented using unassuming items cleverly arranged to cast recognizable shadows. A quick Google reveals there are other excellent examples, such as work by Shigeo Fukuda, and also the more typographic style by Fred Eerdekens which is very iconic. It seems like a clever and eye-catching way of making a statement, so I’m wondering if we will be able to consider something like this in future environmental projects. Preferably made out of something more solid than crisp packets!
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March 12th, 2012 Written by:janinemcauley
This week, I had a most enjoyable evening attending a talk by Jason Bruges. He creates interactive spaces and surfaces that sit between the worlds of architecture, interaction design and site-specific installation art. His projects range from large-scale building facades and public art to interactive interior environments and products.
Jason is a pioneer of the in-between space which mixes architecture and interactivity and has subsequently paved the way for a new genre of design studios, artists, designer makers who occupy the hybrid architecture, art and design space. Recently, he has been recognized as one of ten world changing designers and is famous for using technologies and materials in a highly innovative way to explore the communication with the environment and people.
I particulary like the playfulness of his work and the passion and enthusiasm of Jason himself is quite invigorating! Here are a few of my favourites:
Mimosa. Milan 2010
http://www.jasonbruges.com/projects/international-projects/mimosa
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February 10th, 2012 Written by:johnmellor
Whilst it was -20deg. outside one night this week in Moscow we asked for all the new lighting effects to be turned on inside our new Kaleidoscope Shopping Centre project to warm things up. The development for the AND Corporation, which is due to launch in June, definitely looked impressive and we will now be helping develop the controls and design settings to manage the effects and keep the energy consumption optimal which even in profligate Moscow is an important issue! The soffits and edges of the mall diffuse light that will create mood and ambient effect while the ceilings, walls, columns, lifts and stairs have all been fitted with feature lighting that will together provide a rich and colourful environment for those long Russian winter shopping trips. We will be setting things up over the next couple of months to be a bit more subtle and create an enticing retail environment…still, we now know it looks pretty good full on; if only for a short time!
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February 2nd, 2012 Written by:simoncohen
I’m constantly impressed and occasionally amazed by the spectacular optical illusions and visual theatrics of the trend over the past couple of years for projection mapping onto buildings – the much-hyped Ralph Lauren “4D advert” in Bond Street just over a year ago, for being a prime case in point. But I have to say that this cathedral of light at this years’ Ghent Light Festival demonstrates that, in the right hands, the good old LED still has the ability to delight, enthrall and overwhelm the senses as much as any of the light show spectaculars I’ve seen in the past few months. Read more…
