A new department store receives a period-influenced identity from Brogen Averill. From ProDesign 105 with additional images.
The Department Store — exterior signage.
Auckland’s latest destination shopping experience harks back to the golden age of shopping, when things were a bit more sophisticated than a trip down to the mall. Straightforwardly named, The Department Store is positioned at the higher end of the market, and its collective merchants purvey their goods within the confines of their Takapuna base. It’s a quite a base, too. The interior, designed by Katie Lockhart, is refined industrial, and includes a magnificent spiralling staircase and some other interesting features, including a free-standing green wall.
Portable lightbox signage.
Considering the number of vested interests and established brands under one roof, you might think instilling a sense of cohesion would have been a struggle. The opposite was true, says Brogen Averill, from design agency Thing (and also more recently creative director at Insight Creative) who was responsible for the identity work. Egos were set aside and good design sense prevailed.
Averill says when he came on board the name was already decided. “The idea of the space was derived from an old-fashioned 1930s department store ethic – a place for beautiful fashion and accessories in a modern-day context. The identity therefore had to convey a certain sophistication.”
Lightbox display.
Typography is the strongest identity element — the “The Department Store” text is centre-aligned and surrounded with a black frame. The typeface is Gotham, which was originally commissioned by GQ magazine and designed by American type designers Tobias Frere-Jones and Jesse Ragan in 2000. Gotham, says its designers, represents an “American vernacular”, and was based on the lettering and signage of the American urban landscape. It is restrained and understated, and not too dissimilar from the Chanel word mark (typeface: Avant Garde Gothic Demi), which Averill also cites as a touchstone in terms of aesthetic: “simple, pure”.
The Department Store — logo.
“I wanted to design something using typography that seemed to come from the period but was more modern and relevant to the idea of the environment.”
The identity had to work on a number of levels, from raised external signage affixed to the building’s metal screening, through to the sub-branding of the various stores and spaces within. Originally the exterior signage was raised so it would sit above a green creeper that was planned to cover the building’s face, although that is yet to take place. Inside, way-finding devices include custom-built, double-sided light boxes, also designed by Averill. They are portable, furniture-like, and able to be arranged to best suit changing displays. A movable light box at the entrance, with the same industrial aesthetic, can be swiveled to indicate whether the store is open or closed.
Other graphic design elements rolled out include paraphernalia such as bags of natural-coloured recycled brown Kraft card; a screen-printed invite; a blogsite; and a quarterly journal in a newspaper style that relates back to the period style yet modern inclination of the original identity.
- Michael Barrett
Portable lightbox signage.
Lightbox signage unit.
Newspaper cover.
Newspaper – contents.
Newspaper – Simon James Design.
Newspaper — the gallery.
The Department Store — bag design.
Talking Shop
A new department store receives a period-influenced identity from Brogen Averill. From ProDesign 105 with additional images.
The Department Store — exterior signage.
Auckland’s latest destination shopping experience harks back to the golden age of shopping, when things were a bit more sophisticated than a trip down to the mall. Straightforwardly named, The Department Store is positioned at the higher end of the market, and its collective merchants purvey their goods within the confines of their Takapuna base. It’s a quite a base, too. The interior, designed by Katie Lockhart, is refined industrial, and includes a magnificent spiralling staircase and some other interesting features, including a free-standing green wall.
Portable lightbox signage.
Considering the number of vested interests and established brands under one roof, you might think instilling a sense of cohesion would have been a struggle. The opposite was true, says Brogen Averill, from design agency Thing (and also more recently creative director at Insight Creative) who was responsible for the identity work. Egos were set aside and good design sense prevailed.
Averill says when he came on board the name was already decided. “The idea of the space was derived from an old-fashioned 1930s department store ethic – a place for beautiful fashion and accessories in a modern-day context. The identity therefore had to convey a certain sophistication.”
Lightbox display.
Typography is the strongest identity element — the “The Department Store” text is centre-aligned and surrounded with a black frame. The typeface is Gotham, which was originally commissioned by GQ magazine and designed by American type designers Tobias Frere-Jones and Jesse Ragan in 2000. Gotham, says its designers, represents an “American vernacular”, and was based on the lettering and signage of the American urban landscape. It is restrained and understated, and not too dissimilar from the Chanel word mark (typeface: Avant Garde Gothic Demi), which Averill also cites as a touchstone in terms of aesthetic: “simple, pure”.
The Department Store — logo.
“I wanted to design something using typography that seemed to come from the period but was more modern and relevant to the idea of the environment.”
The identity had to work on a number of levels, from raised external signage affixed to the building’s metal screening, through to the sub-branding of the various stores and spaces within. Originally the exterior signage was raised so it would sit above a green creeper that was planned to cover the building’s face, although that is yet to take place. Inside, way-finding devices include custom-built, double-sided light boxes, also designed by Averill. They are portable, furniture-like, and able to be arranged to best suit changing displays. A movable light box at the entrance, with the same industrial aesthetic, can be swiveled to indicate whether the store is open or closed.
Other graphic design elements rolled out include paraphernalia such as bags of natural-coloured recycled brown Kraft card; a screen-printed invite; a blogsite; and a quarterly journal in a newspaper style that relates back to the period style yet modern inclination of the original identity.
- Michael Barrett
Portable lightbox signage.
Lightbox signage unit.
Newspaper cover.
Newspaper – contents.
Newspaper – Simon James Design.
Newspaper — the gallery.
The Department Store — bag design.