here's a look at something you haven't seen much of on my design blog: the design concepts i create for NON-retail spaces.
i've shared a few trade show booth shots before, including the display setups i've created for wholesale gift shows in the USA. i've also shared the redesign i undertook with my daughter in her 'Heeling Sole' barefoot massage studio in Texas several years ago. (i'll link all of those posts at the end of this one)
when you combine those two things, you see Deb designing a trade show booth concept for her daughter to set up at the national convention of her industry...
i'd like to share the project with you with the goal of helping you prepare for any trade show, convention, even pop-up space that your business might have as you promote what you do.
continue reading for my narrative and Jeni's input on our process and how those goals were met...
It was a fun (and exhausting!) whirlwind week of work,
where I was able to teach Sharyn some tricks of space design
and organizational concepts that really freed up her space and time in the long run.
we started by emptying her studio and leaving only furniture & fixtures...
we evaluated what worked, what didn't, and what was needed for her studio to express her brand image and work more efficiently for her. then we painted the walls new vibrant colors to warm up the space.
and then we went SHOPPING!
we hit the local thrift shops, a friend's house, a local salvage yard, and even found a pile of old drawers on the side of the road!
we went to a local vintage market and found the red paper rack, and found a galvanized metal cart at a local shop.
after some painting and cleaning, the new furniture went into the studio - along with some of the old furniture in new locations! - and we created 'zones' for the different activities that Sharyn undertakes in her studio. supplies were loaded into each zone - some stored in an old locker, some in the drawers we found, some in crates, and then there's that killer stack of suitcases hiding all kinds of creative goodies!
THEN the really fun part started: the decorating!
my goal for Sharyn was to get her art OUT of those flat files and onto the walls! she had years and years worth of beautiful work hidden away, so I pulled it out and put it all over the studio... from little vignettes on windowsills and shelves
to small wall collages above the flat files (featuring her art plus 3-D objects)
to the HUGE collage mural that I created near her beloved printing press:
the background is made up of huge posters of Sharyn's art, formerly used at gift & stationery trade shows. over that, I layered some original pieces from her files, along with cutouts and 3-D objects like tissue paper flowers, vintage millinery & jewelry.
it's a visual reference of all of the many styles that Sharyn loves and has brought to life over the many years of her professional career.
{ i did the large collage while she was in the house, and when she came back out, she literally gasped. i've never been so thrilled by a client's reaction! }
this 'phase one' of the project set into motion a creative flood of ideas
and Sharyn continued refining the space more and more after I left. she's happy with the changes and the way her creative space functions now,
and I'm thrilled that I was able to help her see the possibilities!
I'm getting a GREAT response to my new offering of 'Artful Makeover' services!
As I tell each of the clients that I work with:
You really
don’t have to spend money to create an efficient, inspiring
office or studio -
start with what you have!
When
designing an office space, think about the function needed for your
specific work processes.
Move around as if you were working, and
decide what storage & work surfaces are necessary - and where.
Remember that the ‘work triangle’ concept of kitchen design
applies to offices & studios, too!
* Starting
with the largest furnishings, assign each a place and use -
considering light sources, access, and traffic flow.
* 'Shop your
house' and garage for pieces that can be used in fresh new ways to
add style - think outside the box! * Get creative with the colors, furnishings and details you select to express YOUR style and brand with every choice.
You
can have an inspiring work space that works almost as hard as you
do ;)
_________________________________________ Want more Top Tips for your home office/studio space? FitSmallBusiness.comasked me to contribute to a new blog post about office setup, and it's FILLED with pro tips to consider when setting up your home office - great advicefrom small business ownersand design professionals!
Whether you work in a home office, art studio, craft room, or classroom, my new 'Artful Makeover' serviceswill help you to work happily, efficiently, and creatively.
May the New Year bring you sparkling new creative ideas and success!
Here's a quick bit of inspiration for a January-into-February display:
This wood china cabinet has been given a shot of color by using
one roll of pink and gold gift wrap
( available right now at Marshalls for $2.99! )
On one side of the case, the gift wrap was placed inside a large frame,
which was then placed behind the glass shelves.
A few books with pink covers are stacked up to use as risers
that perfectly display sparkling crystal glassware with gold rims and some pink depression glass.
On the other side, a long strip of the gift wrap was simply taped to the back,
and flows down onto the bottom shelf.
White china with gold trim is stacked on the shelves
with a gold-framed tiny mirror and magazine with a pink cover adding contrast.
Debby and I created this display at Laura's House Resale Store in San Juan Capistrano, CA
and it took us a grand total of half an hour -
which includes cleaning the newly-donated china and glassware! Creating a fresh look and a new display doesn't have to take a lot of prep...
just let your creative muse outta' the box, grab what's on hand, and see it in a new way. That helps your customers to do the same thing! ;)
__________________________________________________
Did you notice that things look a lil' different around here?! Click 'read more' on the left to continue...
I'm currently in San Antonio, Texas for both business and personal reasons...
and along with visiting with my eldest daughter, her husband, and my son & grandson,
I had the pleasure of working with my daughter Jeni on her business.
She asked me to take a look at the reception area/lobby of her massage & yoga studio,
with the idea of making it both look better and function more effectively. A Mom just can't say no to her kid when the kid gives her permission to basically
take over and do anything she wants with her biz, so......
Need me to help you find a solution to a challenge in your store, art studio, or show booth?
Just ask me!
Here's a 'crash course' on how to do that quickly and effectively...
Send me an email that looks a lot like this:
Hello, Debi,{greet me by name} I'm Shell, owner of The SeaShell Boutique in Alki- www. shesellsseashells. com. {tell me who you are} I found your blog through a search for retail designers.{tell me how you found me}
I need help with my retail store and am hoping you can assist me in finding solutions to a few problems. Specifically, I have floor plan 'issues':{state your case succinctly} Too many hidden spots, no clear direction of where to go, and a cashwrap that seems to be hard to find.{give me some details} I'd like to have you create a new floor plan that addresses those issues. {give me the final result you want from me}
So, I need to know if you are accepting new clients now, what your availability & fees are, if you can get this done in the time frame I have, and how the process works for you.{ask me what you want to know}
I have a limited budget for this (don't we all?!) which means I have just a few hundred bucks to spare - and I'd prefer not spending it all! My time frame for design & installation of the plan is two months, because I need to make changes before summer tourist season hits. {be open about your situation}
But really, I want to know from you how to best utilize your services. How much can I do to prepare so that your time is maximized for my benefit?{ask me SMART questions} Can you email me back this week (shellers@shesellsseashells .com) with the specifics of this?{give me your contact info and tell me what/when/how you want it} Feel free to visit our web site at www. shesellsseashells .com{include store contact info} and take a look at our slideshow - it shows the entire space. If there are other materials I can send you (photos, links, etc.) to help you review or prepare, please let me know.{send preliminary materials so I can see what I would be dealing with}
Thank you, Debi - I look forward to hearing back from you and hope to be able to start working with you very soon! Shell The SeaShell Boutique Alki, Washington
What you'll get back from me in response is a prompt reply with the answers to all of your questions,
along with information about how my design process unfolds on a project. I will attach a letter of intent to hire for you to sign, an invoice for a deposit on the work to be done, and a list of materials (like a sketch of Shell's store floorplan with measurements, etc.) and any questions I might have. When you sign and return that letter of intent, pay the deposit, and send me the materials I have asked for, I am off and running on your project.
Which means that within ONE day, if my schedule allows, you can have me working on your challenges and finding creative, efficient solutions for you!
There is no Shell who sells sea shells in a boutique on Alki Point, Washington - to my knowledge, anyway. She's a fictional perfect 'inquiry' - an example of how to get to the heart of a matter fast. If the emails, phone messages, and comments sent to me came in that form, I'd be off and running on your business challenges before I even got back to you! A very efficient way for me to work. Maybe it's just me.... but quick, efficient, and honest communication is GOLD to me. While I LOVE to talk, and can write an email that rivals 'War and Peace' in length, I don't enjoy endless communication. Especially when it comes to business. I need info! I need it now! Give it to me straight, honest, and open so I know what you want, and you'll get back from me a quick answer stating what I can do for you and where we go from there. If you can be conscientious enough to respond to ME in a prompt and timely manner, you'll have a designer on your team in a flash. Not to mention that the longer you wait to sign up, the more your chances increase that my availability might change as others engage me to work for them.
When it comes to taking on new clients and projects, I am open about my availability - I won't accept a new project if I can't fit it into my schedule on your time frame, or if I think I'm just not the right person for it. If your budget seems really low, I'll ask you what the most important issues are so we can focus on that and cut my time involvement to the minimum. But I'll still try to help. Because that's my goal: to HELP you. Let's work together!
I was contacted the other day by Dennis Eros, the promoter of the Sand Point Antique & Design Market here in Seattle. He asked me to redesign his existing blog. What he didn't know he was in for was a total redesign of his brand image! It just makes sense to tackle them together... since he didn't really have any identifying elements of the show brand, I developed them. Using some vintage clip art images and replicating the feeling of old-time ads with black, white, and charcoal tones and some interesting fonts, I was able to express the qualities of the show in a way that will appeal to a wide demographic. This is essential in businesses of this type - it's not just collectors of antiques that come to the show. It's decorators & designers, with their clients who have seen rooms in magazines and books that include antiques - and they want them. It's newlyweds and first-time homeowners, looking for affordable and interesting objects to decorate their rooms. It's Earth-conscious NorthWesterners, looking to recycle furniture and ideas. It's even dealers who sell antique & vintage goods, looking for a great find at a great price that they can pass on to their own customers. Reaching out to all of these people is important for the success of this show.
I created a custom blog background, banner, blog button, and then uploaded it all and added new functions to the blog. I also created an entire portfolio of marketing material, including fliers, postcards, business cards, sign graphics, and more, so that everything related to this show will be consistent and tell the brand story.
I worked on the graphics for four hours to complete them. Then it took me two hours to upload the new blog content, add a post, add sidebar content, create a slideshow and upload it, and create the blog button code. In six hours, Dennis got a whole new image for his business. Since I've already seen an influx of page hits on his stats, I'd say he's on his way to revitalizing this show that is so important here in Seattle.
And the funny part of the story, which I have to tell you, is that about halfway through the process of creating the graphics, I let out a laugh. I suddenly realized that the vintage hand graphics I had chosen were a pun: Sand POINT Market. Get it?! ugh..... it took me awhile!
Need help with your brand image? Let me point you in the right direction......
These BEFORE shots are of Columbia Winery over the past few years. Take a good look.... .... scroll down to see part of the process and the amazing AFTER photos....
