Often, budget is the biggest “fun killer” in a design project. This is exactly why we encourage you, as a business owner, to work closely with your designer and to be open about your budget from the start. The job of a design professional is to help you meet your budget and still get a beautiful building or interior.
Let’s use a few examples to understand the importance of following through with the designs provided by your design professional. Here is one that shows how a simple design project was only partially implemented by the client and what it could have looked like.
Existing building and our original design proposal (day view)
Our client needed some fresh design ideas to improve the look of this old building that served as a mattress store. The main goal was to attract more clients from a nearest freeway and to add some branding elements to the store. We wanted to design something that would stand out, be different and that will show the product’s quality from the very first glance.
We proposed to apply one-way vision graphics on the facade of the store. The subject of the images was carefully selected to show kids jumping on clouds, which playfully represented the softness of the beds. Also, the image background was chosen to complement the blue logo of the company. We also suggested an acrylic border around the edges of the windows to add additional ambiance lighting at night.
However, this is what the client decided to add to his store windows. The changes made the building look much better than before, and the new images lightened up the overall look of the building. However, the selected images did not suggest the same “dreamy” feeling that the designer intended, and they could not be seen easily from a distance.
Our original design proposal (night view) and finished facade changes
By contrast, here is an example in which our clients decided to trust their design professional and worked with us to bring to life our design proposal. Layered textures and a clever display area that beautifully integrates the existing windows turn a nondescript interior into a high-end cannabis dispensary. The elegant yet dramatic finishes, the generous lighting and the mirrored ceiling tiles that give more height and depth to the space are all meant to change customers’ perception of the product and its benefits.
Cannabis dispensary before
Cannabis dispensary after
In another example, we proposed changing the entire layout of a gelateria, in order to make the space look more inviting. We transformed a narrow and unwelcoming room into a cheerful interior by using pastel colors that evoke those of appetizing gelato desserts, by bathing it in light, and by introducing details that make the interior interesting. A wallpaper with the store’s logo, a neon sign that invite selfie-lovers to snap some pictures, and two large mirrors on opposite walls make this little shop look happy, playful and larger.
By learning about the owner’s passion for traditional gelato and about her Brazilian and Italian culture, we came up with a design proposal that honored them both, while our client trusted us and allowed us to implement it.
Gelateria interior before
Gelateria interior after
If you are thinking to open a new business or are in the process of rebranding and remodeling your existing business, contact us to get a free consultation from Mindful Design Consulting. Click HERE to price your project design.
Also, take a look at the “Branding By Interior” e-book, the only book written on this subject at this time. It brings insight into how you can turn your business into a market-dominating competitor by using human cognitive responses.
