//DAY 07//BRANDING & MATERIALITY

For a shop its brand is its identity, a set of aesthetic qualities that when done successfully can achieve a variety of goals. Firstly, it can link all the products or facilities that fall under the same company/organisation. This creates familiarity and consistency making it easier for a customer to know who they are buying their products or services from and aware of where to return if they enjoy the experience. Combined with this the brand can highlight an ideal demographic through colours and font styles. More bright colours with bolder fonts will often appeal to a younger audience and pastel colours with simple fonts will present a more sophisticate persona and attract an older clientele.

The Pop-Up shop will work as an extension of the special collections and therefore must work alongside the museums’ visual palette. Through their research the students found that there was no defined branding for both the special collections and the university. They collected together all the fonts and colours that have been used on documentation/websites for both and created profiles detailing them. It was agreed that golden yellow was frequently used and complemented the deep blue more commonly associated with the university.

We encouraged the students to consider a typical client that they want to visit the shop. Commonly know as a pen profile, it would combine characteristics into one ‘Person’ and not an average overall client which can make a design feel vague. At the first meeting with Janneke she described the type of person who would buy the most from a museum shop. This was a middle-aged/older woman with grandkids and would buy cards for future occasions, a gift for the grand kids and a memento for herself. With this as a base we wanted the students to consider this but also think of a ‘future’ client and who they want to attract and buy more from the Pop-Up shop. Collectively we agreed that students would want to be our new pen profile as they will be using the facilities, have the most access to the shop and perhaps buys the least from similar shops. We therefore encouraged the students to design a brand trying to appeal to both audiences but create somewhere they themselves would want to buy from.

Following this they focused on the signage looking at how different size shops promote their brand. They came across various methods of displaying the company name and ways they are affixed to the outside of the shop. Using this information, they created a board on which they could add letters to so that sign could be changed depending on location or stock. To Accompanying this, they decided that a logo was a key component for an organisations’ branding. So, they started to draft a logo that could be used by special collections and would bring the whole brand together.

//DAY 04//DESIGN PROGRESS//GROUP C
With a base model for a transportable unit, the students began to look at a way to make their design more engaging. They looked at how the storage elements could be expandable increasing the overall area for displaying the sale items.
Their design features a strong sense of front through the form and it was suggested that they try to explore are more radial approach so that it could function both up against a wall but also more centrally within a space. By looking at a shop that is approachable from all sides it creates a potential for more display area and would make the design more integrated within its’ environment. This is an important factor to consider as they end product doesn’t want to be limited to the one location.

//DAY 04//DESIGN PROGRESS//GROUP B
The modular group delved deeper into creating a system of different sized elements which could be brought together to create the final shop.
They sketched out a grid proposal of the design, looking at how the boxes could fit within one and other for storage then separated out. A key aspect of their design was how it would sit within the space and the potential for creating a number of display stacks.
Once they agreed upon the number and size of the boxes then explored the possible composition the shop could be assembled into. This is a key advantage of the modular system of design. A key component to consider they need to explore is the longevity of the design and ease of assembly. The shop needs to be quick and easy to put together without the need for instructions or tools.

//DAY 04//DESIGN PROGRESS//GROUP A
Moving forward from their initial design concepts centred around a foldable programme Group A looked more closely at collapsible frames and the mechanisms involved. They concluded after numerous iterations that this system was limiting. This was due to the frames constricting the form as it depended upon the shelving as the main bracing structure to inform the design.
Taking this onboard we suggested that they look at pop up cards for inspiration. Using this they could explore more dynamic shapes in order to create an original design. We set them the task of using single sheets of cards to form storage and areas for display.
Their final iteration presents this in an elegant 3-dimensional way with the shop reaching out into space. It invites the public to engage and walk around the space investigating all items on sale. For development, it is important to consider the stability of the individual elements and the amount of storage and display per shop area.

//DAY 01//EXISTING SITE
Following the briefing, the group met in the design room to discuss the notes they had from the presentation and what information they would need moving forward to start designing. With this in mind, the group visited the Special Collections to get a feel for the primary location the shop will be placed.
At the site, the team was divided into three subgroups in order to quickly gather all the necessary measurements from which they could draw up a site model. This will enable the groups to create designs sensitive to the space something that is vital when beginning the design process. Once the existing space is established the design groups can decide how the shop will inhabit the space and ways in which it can promote the special collections. This is of great importance for the progression of the shop as currently when visitors exit the elevator on the third floor they are met with vacant transitional space with limited recognition for the current exhibitions.
Looking at the space the groups were able to establish the limitations that would affect the form of the shop and how it can be transported. This included the low ceiling height of 2300mm and access to other floors through two narrow lifts. The strategy of a modular shop was agreed has great potential moving forward.

//SKILLS
Presentation is a vital skill to have working in an architectural or design field.
As part of a group we will be proposing three schemes for the Special Collections' team with a great potential with one of them being built in the future.
As part of this programme we will have two presentations to Ganneke and Special Collections' team. One as an interim review, where we will have an opportunity to present our initial ideas at the end of the first week and have an informal discussion with some feedback for the following week.
At the end of the events programme we will prepare and present three presentations and three schemes in order for the Special Collections' team to choose a potential winner for the Pop-up shop design.

//SKILLS
Various software can be used in architecture in order to make presentations, drawings and digital models.
Those tools often can save time and improve precision while working on an architectural project.
During the events we will be using various software such as InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and SkethUp in order to portray our ideas and proposals for the Pop-up shop for the Special Collections.
We will be using Adobe package in order to create illustrations and the final IKEA-like booklet to demonstarte the construction sequence of our proposals.
We will also be using SketchUp as a 3D modeling software in order to test and digitally build our potential design in order to help us create the IKEA-booklet.
This gives us, as a team, an opportunity to learn and/or improve skills in various software programmes that can be then used in our future architectural careers.

//SKILLS
Drawing is one of the most fundamental and essential way to represent an architectural idea.
During the two weeks of events as a group we will be sketching the ideas for a pop-up shop on paper and computer, brainstorming and exchanging initial ideas.
We will have an amazing opportunity to transfer the initial sketches into more precise architectural drawings such as plans, sections and elevations by using either hand-drawing skills or AutoCAD.
This brings us a chance to improve our drawing skills and/or learn new ways of representing design through software.

//SKILLS
The important part of this design project within the group is collaboration. During the events we as a team will learn and improve our skills at working together as a one in a large group, joining people from different years with various skills and knowledge. This design project will teach us how to communicate clearly within a group as a whole and with a collaborator in order to design to our best ability and meet the requirements of the Special Collections' brief. It is an excellent opportunity to exchange skills and knowledge with each other while creating a design for a pop-up store.