Which is more important: interior design, marketing design or fashion design? But, what kind of design am I referring to: marketing design, interior design or even fashion design? I thought back to when I opened my camera store in 2008. But, my new store was all about customer experience, and I now can see clearly that a large part of that experience was centered around design. Interior design Most of the camera stores that had existed to that point were small, town center or strip mall stores, that looked much like hardware stores, except replace the screwdrivers and screws with cameras and film. So, was our rebranding and redesign of our logo the major factor in our success? It confirmed that its success was in large part due to a redesigned brand that portrayed it as the thought leading company they had become.” Fashion design My new camera store staff also got a fashion upgrade. I started wearing designer sports jackets, fitted shirts, pocket squares and dress shoes, and that style became a large part of my personal brand, which was the most powerful advertising force we had. So, was our new fashion style and statement the major factor in our success? So, is it time for an interior redesign, rebranding, and a fashion upgrade for you, your staff and your business?
Which is more important: interior design, marketing design or fashion design?
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Intuitive, attractive and functional design is the most powerful way for a business to stand out against the competition, grow and build customer satisfaction. But, what kind of design am I referring to: marketing design, interior design or even fashion design? The answer is that all three kinds of design are vitally important to the success of a business.
I am not a designer by trade or education, but I have started to notice and feel the effects of design everywhere. Recently, I took a short vacation to Miami Beach and had the opportunity to stay at two different hotels: The Setai Miami Beach and the W South Beach. They are both upscale hotels, with very attractive designs and motifs, but with completely different design concepts. The W is about sharp edges, bright colors, white on most surfaces and boom-boom music playing around the grounds.
The Setai uses muted tones and colors, soft edges, many quiet areas and relaxing music:
At The Setai, the experience on the beach was relaxing and I was able to stay that way all day. When I was lying on the beach at the W, after a few hours, I started to feel visually tried and just a little tense. The Setai has beige beach umbrellas and the W has magenta and white ones. It occurred to me that the harsher colors of the W’s umbrellas were wearing me out and detracting from the experience. I just couldn’t keep looking at them even with sunglasses on.
If the color of beach umbrellas could affect my experience that much, then surely other aspects of design were even maybe more important. I thought back to when I opened my camera store in 2008. At that time, digital photography and Internet selling (think Amazon) had virtually wiped out all the camera stores in existence. Over a fifteen-year period, the number of camera stores decreased from more than 10,000 to a few hundred, and there were very few that were still profitable. People, even those close to me, thought I was crazy for opening a brand new 5,000-square-foot retail camera superstore. But, my new store was all about customer experience, and I now can see clearly that a large part of that experience was centered around design. Within five years of our opening, we become one of the largest single locations camera stores in the country. I would call that a design and branding success.
Interior design
Most of the camera stores that had existed to that point were small, town center or strip mall stores, that looked much like hardware stores, except replace the screwdrivers and screws with cameras and film. My store had 30-foot high ceilings, bright lighting and products displayed like jewelry. So, was the build and redesign of the interior of the store the major factor in our success?
I asked Maria…
COMMENTS