Retail design
Retail design is a creative and commercial discipline that combines several different areas of expertise together in the design and construction of retail space. Retail design is primarily a specialized practice of architecture and interior design, however it also incorporates elements of interior decoration, graphic design, ergonomics, and advertising.
Retail design is a very specialized discipline due to the heavy demands placed on retail space. Because the primary purpose of retail space is to stock and sell product to consumers, the spaces must be designed in a way that promotes an enjoyable and hassle-free shopping experience for the consumer. The space must be specially-tailored to the kind of product being sold in that space; for example, a bookstore requires many large shelving units to accommodate small products that can be arranged categorically while a clothing store requires more open space to fully display product.
Retail spaces, especially when they form part of a retail chain, must also be designed to draw people into the space to shop. The storefront must act as a billboard for the store, often employing large display windows that allow shoppers to see into the space and the product inside. In the case of a retail chain, the individual spaces must be unified in their design.
History
The history of this goes back to 1820 when the first retail outlet started in UK. One of the UK's oldest Retail design company is probably Kesslers International, founded by Bernhard Kessler in 1893 and currently based in east London (Kesslers International website). The company has now over 350 employees and is the only full service retail design company in London offering design, technical design, production and delivery all under one roof.
See also
- Architecture
- Brand
- Branded environments
- Brand implementation
- Customer engagement
- Display case
- Display window
- Ergonomics
- Interior design
- Marketing
- Merchandising
- Planogram
- Retail chain
- Retailing
- Visual merchandising