Specific Retail Outlet (Swatch Palette)
Purdy's Chocolates is a classic historical brand that dates back as early as 1907. Throughout the decades the Purdy's logo has been adapted, but has still kept it classic decorative script that gives of a real sense of old fashioned handwriting, with the use of digital. This adds to the historical element, and makes it more appealing to a younger generation. The idea of old fashioned chocolates, with some made with their original recipes with the utmost care is appealing to anybody who loves chocolate. During the early 1990's Purdy's introduced the hazelnut hedgehog that was soon to become a huge hit in Vancouver. It also represented a symbol of good luck in Belgium.
Initial Observations
My first observation was the attempt to display their chocolates in the front windows with all the classic Christmas trimmings such as: fake Christmas trees, fairy lights (white), ribbon (red), metal boxes (silver), tinsel (red), glitter, yellow beige items (magnolia), gold wrapping paper, white italic scripts for card ad's (cut out) and snow flakes. What I found confusing was the use of a cheap treasure chest, was this to help entice the children... if so where's the Christmas pirate, better still a father Christmas dressed as one!? That could have been interesting and confusing for the customers. Upon entering the shop I saw its identity as a symbol of the English monarchy, especially once I saw the draped curtains in the store. This made me feel very uncomfortable about the shops decor, while trying to get to grips with what they are really trying to say /or be. There are modern fixtures and fittings that consist of cheap laminate flooring, purple shaped ads, purple doors, purple walls, purple curtains, cheap tables with surfaces covered in purple, clear plastic holders for candy (not purple)... need I go on.
The shops themselves have a very defined style that contains a lot of purple that becomes the identity of the space. The purple represents events, whether its for a birthday, wedding or Christmas etc... And with this comes the customers within an age range of 35 - 75. I would need to do more observing, and even interview several members of staff to clarify this. The brief spell I was there observing and taking notes of the space, with all but one of the customers were outside the age range of over 40. However this could have been coincidence. The use of the purple reflects a hierarchy amongst it competitors that airs a sophistication for the products they produce. Even though Purdy's has evolved as a brand the fact that they still use purple and have a long lasting reputation, also helps to embed the brand and create loyalty amongst some of its customers. Much like the royal family in England with some Canadian's accepting them for what they represent through history, some loving them, and some just thinking there a waste of time.
I feel the Purdy's brand and shop interiors need to be re-designed, but still use the classic purple in moderation and scripts without the drop shadows and strokes. They just need to not be so reliant on the purple as a selling point, why not start to introduce a black very subtlely to help balance and enhance that psychological feeling of sophistication and imagination. The better use of white would also help to replicate the illusion of space. Display the chocolates in a way that lets the packaging and design breath, rather than trying to clutter the shop with any old crap. Get rid of the drapes and keep the walls and doors white. The space could then become more of an exhibition space where people could focus on the quality of the product. Why not give some of them a very short blurb on the more historical chocolates displayed next to the product. Would an image of the founder 'Richard Carmon Purdy’, with a short blurb about him that could help to educate and gather interest, to a broader clientele. Again all these ideas I have are interesting, but would have to be done well with reactions and feedback from the current loyal customer base. I did ask my wife and several older family members about how they see Purdy's and its identity. The response was that they shouldn't change, as it is a historical product of Vancouver, Canada. Could this be the West Coast Canadians holding onto their precious heritage?
What I have produced
I struggled with an idea initially for my colour swatch, and how I would design it. This was mainly due to the over powering use of purple. Initially I thought of all the tacky Christmas decorations filled with glitter, gold and candy... and of cause purple. I didn't take any pictures, so I only had my notes and a few thumb nail sketches to go on. I felt this benefited me more, with not being over loaded with digital photo's and just going on my own reflections, thoughts and gut feelings. My idea was to embed the swatches inside an ad-vent calendar (AC), not just because it’s nearing Christmas, but because, to me its what Purdy's represents, keeping it safe within the constraints of tradition. The AC also says packaging, and lots of it, keeping the outside of it a gloss white helps the textures and colours to stand out, and represents the interior of the mall. I decided to keep the plastic chocolate molds and place various relevant materials including chocolates and candy inside. The section of laminate flooring behind helps to ground the swatches, and identify them with the colours, textures and environment of Purdy's. The materials and colours I have used are all relevant and include: an ad-vent calendar, card, glitter (red + blue + silver + gold), spray paint (gloss), chocolates (brown), candy (orange), material (purple), paint swatches (purple), candy wrappers (red), drawing pins (silver + metal). I could have used more, e.g., part of a Christmas tree etc. But I feel I have sold the retail outlet effectively enough, with the whole thing becoming a piece of funny shaped obscure packaging that tries to live its past, and lacks an evolving idea and identity in this ever changing society.
Architectural Space of the Mall (Swatch Palette)
Oakridge Mall is a terrifying experience, especially if you go in the evening when less people are around (some times), frantically searching to shop for some thing they don’t really need. After much walking around I finally found a secluded spot behind the escalators on the first floor. It was also home to some random advertising and there was an entrance on the far wall to the car park. This space interested me because of its dynamics in-terms of its architectural structure. And also by the fact that the security guard came up to me for the second time to ask what the hell was I doing. To which I responded by trying to explain the task in hand, to which he then decided to leave me alone. That scenario sold the space to me and I then started to observe and take notes and make small sketches. The identity of the space was very clinical and almost baron, except for the attempt to advertise products with bad lighting and cheap materials in the form of man made metals, vinyl, boxes lit with ad’s you could only glance at due to the strength of the lighting, that almost blinded you. I remember the walls as being a vibrant white (illusion of more space) with a ceiling made up of weird metal stripped panels, maybe used to help reflect the light, or just to give of a modernist feel. Based on my notes I mention creamy beige tiles on the walls and floor with a white grout. I don’t recall the tiles on the wall, but do remember being almost blinded by the Gap’s brightly lit ads. The charcoal and beige (green + yellow bits inside) floor tiles help to neutralise and earth the mass of white space around you, making it slightly less of an artificial environment. Now the charcoal tiles I liked, as they work well as a contrast to the white - whether they would work throughout the mall is another question, but in moderation… for sure. The random ads consisted of metal san’s serif type on the wall, with a purple serif brand identity that was lit from behind. To me this gives off a feeling of a cheap gallery that’s trying to hard because the work is so bad, but to a less observant sole, I am sure would be more effective. The tuna snacks ad in it luxurious metal/plastic box seemed lost with all its bright colours that consisted of red, gold, purple (dark + light), finished of with a heavy black frame. What was it doing there? I suppose having it near the exit could help to gain it some new custom… maybe.
In-terms of the palette being designed to affect and influence cultures, I feel that the mall generally gives of the affect that you are in a brightly lit large open space, and every body that enters should at least purchase a hamburger. A lot of cultures now are educated and established in the art of consumerism, and having all this FREE wasted space to move around in is a way of keeping the consumer there longer, getting lost, and wanting to explore the weird bad lighting, reflective objects (generally ads), and colours that sell the brand effectively. I felt the black and off white beige floor tiles played an interesting role, that helped you to realise that there may well be some natural material embedded in them. The red I noticed was an obvious choice for exit sign, as it stands out and gives importance to the word, and would help to direct people to the exit in an event of an evacuation. A pretty limited palette used for the space if you take away the advertising, but effective for a mall and every thing that comes and goes in it!
What I have produced
This colour palette evolved into a modernist piece of art that starts to become an abstracted piece of architecture with all its subtle and extreme colour changes, made up of horizontal and vertical lines, much like the work of ‘Mondrian’. I had an idea of what materials I wanted to use, and finding them wasn’t too much of a problem. Based on my notes and sketches and personal reflections I tried to match the colours and materials as best I could. I sourced a variety of ceramic tiles that included the charcoal black, the off white with colour changes in it, the beige and the green that where also subtly embedded inside the main floor tile. I layered them on top of white card that varied in tone, which created more depth and contrast. I then added the subtle textures and extreme changes in colour by using coloured matt and coated card, and red plastic to replicate the exit sign. The last thing I did was to add a foil tape to represent the cheap reflective ceiling. Over all I am happy with what I produced, and working without photographs was a refreshing experience that I will practice again.
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