Sauce

Many retail environments have failed to speak with consumer in a language they understand, that has any relevance to them or that manages to stay embedded in their minds for any more than a few minutes. There are a few examples out there, bathing Ape, Viktor and Rolf, Mandarina Duck that have really managed to express the brand through the retail channel as opposed to creating a white elephant something that does not continue the customer journey touch point continuum or add to the overall converstaion. It appears finally Uniqlo have also joined this prestige.They have for some time beien communicating in a unique voice that is distinctively theirs and does not default to the cheap and ubiquitous Top Shop style of language.

Curiosity has completed the design of the Uniqlo Megastore that has opened near Shinjuku station in Tokyo. The new design is strongly influenced by the Tokyo urban landscape and the large entrance, marked with three display towers, recreates a mini-Shinjuku city. As the lighting floor wraps the towers in a glow of light that illuminates the surrounding streets, the shop becomes an active element of the street: attractive, reliable, and secure.

Borderless Entrance: The layout and angulations of the towers inside blur the boundaries between the street and the retail space, creating a unique environment in a busy street of Shinjuku and capturing what is great about Uniqlo, that you can’t help looking.

Reflection of Reflection Entrance: The city seems to have become human scale as you move freely around the three towers. The vertical displays of the entrance are reflected on the mirrored wall creating an amazing gallery of displays, a maze of reflections of reflections, the tower seeming to be inserted within the interior of the shop.

Non Existance Interior: The challenge of the interior is for it not to ‘exist’. Only the clothes should be visible. Display furniture is not only reduced to the minimum but also ‘designed’ to be non-existent with materials selected for their immateriality. A lighting ceiling, displays and counters work together to remove the shadows creating an abstract retail environment where products and customers seem to float in a white glow.

All combine to create the energy and different style that exists within Uniqlo.

She was born in Sweden, worked in Brazil and is now settled in the Portland area. The prolific illustrator and mixed-media artist is a global citizen of the most interesting kind. Her own life in different locales gives her many sources of inspiration and most likely helps her flex her illustration muscle to meet the needs of a vast variety of clients.

Her work has appeared in Computer Arts  and Bon Magazine; she’s created T-shirt graphics for Levi’s, wall murals for a hotel in Los Angeles, CD covers for artists and illustrations for Oilily and La Perla. Nearly all of her work has a collage-like feel, with many layers, nuances and media. The somewhat surreal and psychedelic look of some of her pieces attests to her ability and willingness to trot not just the globe but regions beyond.

thecoolhunter.com

When Coke brought back its historic ‘Hutchinson’ bottle as part of a special holiday promotion, Turner Duckworth designed six-pack carriers to capture Coke’s bygone imagery with a contemporary look emphasizing the positive and authentic qualities that make Coke a great brand. Plus, they’re just a lot of fun. These vintage six-packs sold throughout North America during the 2007-2008 holiday season.

Source: notcot.org linking through to post on geekasaurus

Browsing through some favourite links I fell upon this one. Although not a great collector of vinyl, Blue Note Record covers have always been a draw for me in record shops. A mix of vibrant and muted much like the music itself, these covers can keep you occupied for hours.

www.pixagogo.com 

hijackyourlife is a website that is rich to the core. Full of illustration, typography, colour and shape inspiration. For those that may becoming restricted by lines or the restrictions of straight lines, take a look…

What people see. A collection of animals made up using tube lines, stations & junctions of the London Underground map.

infosthetics.com