When Vancouver’s SSDG Interiors Inc. set out to create Jump.ca’s newest retail space in Regina’s Cornwall Centre, the designers looked to how they could best represent the company’s out-of-the-box branding of wireless devices within the confines of a boxlike space. “This was a long narrow space, and we wanted to break that up and make it interesting,” says Beth Thompson, associate on the SSDG team. “Because it’s a company that’s so technology driven, it could have had a very ‘techie’ feel to it that would be very dark and intimidating.”
Looking to Jump’s own branding strategy to lighten that “techie” feel, the team at SSDG began by using a glossy white backdrop on the walls; a neutral, grey, easily washable concrete on the floor; and Jump’s own branded green in broad concentric circular graphics interspersed throughout. “Jump has a fresh and young brand, and the company itself is young,” explains Thompson. “Even the name ‘Jump’ is kind of fresh, so in creating the look of the store, we wanted to keep it quite welcoming and simple.”
To make the store inviting to even non-techie types, SSDG conceptualized the store’s most striking feature – the Discovery Wall. Set to wrap one whole side of the store, comprising 75 per cent of the wall space, it’s meant to both visually and physically draw customers in. Fabricated by Toronto’s Eventscape, the wall features 100 individually sized acrylic panels, dimensioned through 3-D modelling to create a continuous complex curve, with panel graphics that can be easily reimaged at any time to create a fresh new look, without the need for a complete remodel.
Within the store, technology-focused elements engage tech-savvy customers without alienating those who simply want a new phone – from the two Microsoft Surfaces, which directly interface with customer’s wireless devices, to the store’s touch screen monitors, which allow customers to seek out information and even make their own purchases. This level of technology complements the overall futuristic design without overwhelming it.
“I think if you create too many disparate elements, it breaks the space up, but one larger element makes it seem simpler and more open. Keeping the product the focus, and keeping everything at eye level, ensured that it wasn’t overwhelming to look at,” says Thompson. “You can make a much more powerful statement, if you look at the space as a whole, and look at it as a three-dimensional environment where you’re not afraid to create shape and form.” cI