DESIGN AND AESTHETICS

Lecture 8 – Promoting the company's visual identity through

design and aesthetics

Promoting the
8.1 Design and aesthetics of the commercial
company's environment
visual identity 8.2 Advertising graphic design and aesthetics
through design 8.3 The aesthetic design of modern packaging
and aesthetics

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 8.1 Design and aesthetics of the commercial
environment

Commercial By commercial environment we refer to a company’s retail spaces

environment (showrooms, shops of all sorts and sizes etc.)

We discuss both the exterior and the interior of these spaces.

The storefront
 is the facade of a store
Commercial  includes the windows & the entrance
environment –
the exterior (and how the goods (and all its inscriptions)
are arranged)

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 In designing the storefront the following elements are taken into
account:
location in the context of the street
street features
building architecture
Elements population structure
taken into modernization trends.
account – the
exterior Materials have a certain symbolism:
stone, marble, granite - a measure of stability and strength
steel - contemporary industrialization ...
wood - retro, traditional ...
glass - modern, open ...

e.g. HelpNet drugstore in Bucharest: the store front (in the center lower image) is correlated to
the interior space

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 The interior of commercial spaces

In designing commercial spaces the following are taken into

Elements account:

taken into customer flow;

physical positioning of products;
account – the
optical representation of products;
interior lighting fixtures and setup;
store security;
storage.

To achieve an adequate ambience for the merchandise

sold, the designer will consider details regarding:
 the floor
 the inner walls
Elements  the ceiling
taken into  light sources
account – the  lighting
interior  shop signaling:
 the store's name, brand, inscriptions
 graphic representations
 materials and items used for packaging, labels,
price tags
 diagrams are very useful, especially in large stores

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 The way merchandise in displayed in a store has a physical
and psychological impact on customers
(it directs the flow of customers and the way they interact with the
merchandise while influencing the opinions of customers)
Physical
Merchandise = how premises, equipment and additional spaces (booths, storage) are
assembled influence the comfort of both the consumer and the seller.
display
Psychological
Order / disorder
Conservatism / nonconformity
Cheap / expensive

 Information is received and responses given via a number

of input and output channels:
 visual channel
 auditory channel
Human  haptic channel
 movement
psychology
Vision
 is the primary source of information for the average person
 range of physical and perceptual limitations

Source: Alan Dix et al. 2004 - HCI

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Human
psychology
Vision
 our ability to read or distinguish falls off inversely as the distance from our point of focus increases ->
due to the fact that the cones are packed more densely towards the center of our visual field.
 You can see this in the following image. Fixate on the dot in the center. The letters on the left should all be
equally readable, those on the right all equally harder.

Source: Alan Dix et al. 2004 - HCI

Vision

Divide visual perception into two stages:

Human
psychology
(1) the physical reception of stimulus
(2) the processing and interpretation
of that stimulus

Source: Alan Dix et al. 2004 - HCI

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 The Eye – (1) physical reception

 mechanism for receiving light and transforming it

into electrical energy
 light reflects from objects
Human  images are focused upside-down on retina
psychology  retina contains rods for low light vision and cones
for colour vision
 ganglion cells (brain!) detect pattern and
movement

Source: Alan Dix et al. 2004 - HCI

(2) Interpreting the signal

Size and depth
 visual angle indicates how much of view
object occupies (relates to size and distance
from eye)
 visual acuity is ability to perceive detail
Human (limited)
psychology  familiar objects perceived as constant size
(in spite of changes in visual angle when far
away)
 cues like overlapping help perception of size
and depth

Source: Alan Dix et al. 2004 - HCI

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 (2) Interpreting the signal
Brightness
 subjective reaction to levels of light
 affected by luminance of object
 measured by just noticeable difference In dim lighting, the rods predominate vision.
 visual acuity increases with luminance Since there are fewer rods on the fovea,
Human objects in low lighting can be seen less easily
psychology
Colour
when fixated upon, and are more visible in
peripheral vision. In normal lighting, the
 made up of hue, intensity, saturation cones take over.
 cones sensitive to colour wavelengths
 blue acuity is lowest

Source: Alan Dix et al. 2004 - HCI

Vision
 the interpretative capabilities of visual processing allow images to be constructed from
incomplete information

Human
psychology

the Ponzo illusion the Muller Lyer illusion

 Context is used to resolve ambiguity
Source: Alan Dix et al. 2004 - HCI
 Optical illusions sometimes occur due to over compensation

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 The consumer's mood is influenced by the shop's
atmosphere

Shop involving the five senses :

atmosphere  sight,
 hearing,
 smell,
 touch,
 taste.

To this point we can study the six ways of attracting

customers:
a) visual attraction
b) attraction by sound
Atracting
c) attraction by smell
customers
d) attraction by touch
e) attraction of taste
f) attraction by theme

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 a) Visual attraction
 sight provides more information than any other sense =>
most important means of attracting customers.
Basic models of displaying merchandise:
 step display
Atracting  pedestals or other types of displays;
customers  different surfaces are positioned one above the other, producing
multiple effects, like rows of steps. The surfaces can be circular, oval
or square.

 fan display
 pyramid display
 zig-zag display

step
display

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step
display

pyramid
display

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 fan display
zig-zag display

Yankee Candle - Visual Merchandising 101 Displays

Video that sell
Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYZ7bJGrdFE

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 Colors
Visual Ideally, when displaying goods, the colors used in the
attraction store (for décor, as well as, furniture) have to showcase
the goods

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 b) Attraction by sound
- influences the ambiance/atmosphere of the commercial
venue
Atracting
customers  sound perception is influenced by: architectural design,
building materials, equipment and interior decors.
amplify / diminish sounds
positive / negative influence

c) attraction by smell
 avoid unpleasant odors
Atracting &
customers  dissemination of attractive odors

 e.g. think of groceries, pharmacies etc.

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 d) attraction by touch
- direct contact with the merchandise = feature of the
Atracting modern physical trade
customers
! some goods need protection - exposure methods and
special equipment

e) attraction of taste
Atracting
customers in the case of food - a necessary condition to sell.

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 e) attraction by theme
"shopping theme" e.g.
 holidays
 historical events
 current issues (energy, environment)
Atracting  special events (birthdays).
customers
 organized either throughout the entire store or just in a
specific department
 includes elements of the five aforementioned sensory
attractions

Flagship store

Usually considered to be either one or more of the following:

 a retailer's primary location,
 a store in a prominent location,
Atracting  a chain's largest store,
customers  the store that holds or sells the highest volume of merchandise,
 a retailer's most well-known location,
 a chain's first retail outlet,
 a store location with decor or merchandise mix that is distinctly
different from the rest of the chain,
 or the store location in a chain which carries the most high-priced
merchandise catering to the most upscale customers.

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e.g. the Apple Store on the Fifth Avenue in NY

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