Wednesday 29 January 2014

Importance of interior design for a retail store

A good retail design is not by chance.  It requires research, understanding, experience and constant evaluation.  An appropriate design attracts to the mind and the heart and it increases customers preferences.  We believe interior design of a retail store is the creation of visual signals that convey what a brand stands for and distinguishes it in people's memory.
The interior design of retail store creates the constraints of overall design often the spaces already exists and have had many prior uses.  It is at this stage logistics must be determined, structural features like columns, stairways, ceiling heights, windows and emergency exists all must be fractured into the final interior design.  In retail all the available space must be utilised and have a purpose.
The floor plan creates the circulation which is very important in in store design because it ensures that the consumer moves through the store from front to back guiding them to important displays and in the end to the cashier.  

6 basic retail design insight:

i) Straight Plan - This plan devise transitional areas from one part of the store to the other by using walls to display  merchandise.  It also leads the consumer to the back of the store.  This design can be used for a variety of stores ranging from Pharmacies to Apparels.  
ii) Pathway Plan -  This is most suitable for large stores that are single level.  In this plan, there is a path that is unobstructed by shop fixtures.  This smoothly guides  the consumer through to the back of the store.  This is well suited for Apparel department stores, as the clothes will be accessible.
iii) Diagonal Plan -  Diagonal Plan utilises perimeter design which cause angular traffic flow.  The cashier is in a central location and easily accessible.  This plan is most suited for self service retail store.  
In interior design of a store once the overall structure and circulation of space has been determined, the atmosphere and thematics of the space must be created through lighting, sound, material and visual branding.  These interior design elements have the greatest  impact on the consumer and thus the level of productivity that could be achieved.

Visit ignite design for more information on retail design services.