What Is Retail Design?

Learn about the design of commercial spaces, the role they play, and the current trends within this discipline

Every day, more consumers look for unique experiences at all stages of the purchasing process, and those truly begin when they approach a store. A well-designed commercial space, otherwise known as retail design, allows shoppers to enjoy the act of buying, so that they create positive and lasting associations with a brand.

Now Clap Studio (@clapstudio), an internationally recognized retail design studio, tells us exactly what this type of design consists of.

What is retail design?

The design of commercial spaces is a branch of interior design. That is to say, it consists of the design and-or transformation of interior spaces in which products or services are sold.

Think of those shops that you find at a mall, or those little spaces that offer takeaway food, or maybe a supermarket: all those spaces were designed.

What disciplines are involved in retail design?

This form of design involves various creative disciplines, working hand in hand:

- Architecture: the space sits inside an architectural space, so there’s always an element of architecture involved.

- Design: the majority of the time a designer creates special installations to exhibit products.

- Product design: in some cases, the products themselves become part of the design of the commercial space. The retail designer must have a forensic knowledge of the product that they will be selling, in order to exhibit it in the best way possible.

- Strategy: this is an important part of facilitating sales in an efficient way, optimizing spaces in doing so.

What is the role of retail design?

Although at first glance you may think that the primary objective of designing a commercial space is to sell, a vision like that propounded by Clap Studio is very different.

From their perspective, good design allows the consumer to connect and fall in love with the space and the shop, and therefore decide to buy there. We can call this vision a ‘concept store’; unlike conventional stores, a concept store offers unique and memorable experiences.

What exactly does a retail designer do?

Retail designers develop overarching concepts that are aligned with what the commercial space will offer. This concept is developed in the conceptualization of experiences in different aspects of the store, for example:

-Facade
-Display cases and shop windows
-Illumination
-Furnishings
-Musics
-Aromas around the shop

If you want to learn more about how to create special experiences for commercial spaces, join Clap Studio’s course, Introduction to Retail Design.

English version by @garethplatt49.

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