Urbane
FMPC 5006
Visual Merchandising
November 28th, 2014
Table of Contents
Location ……..3
Target Customer …….. 4
Strategy …….. 5
Brand Image and Atmospherics …….. 6
Store Name …….. 6
Exterior Design Elements …….. 7
Floorplan …….. 9
Store Interior …….. 9
Colours and Materials …….. 11
Fixtures …….. 11
Walls …….. 12
Lighting …….. 13
Signs …….. 13
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Background Information
Location

Liberty Village, Toronto, ON
o Location is optimal for our business, as it is establishing itself as a goto destination for gallery and upscale home décor shopping, while still
being a developing market (Brown, “Liberty Village”)
o Primarily a residential neighborhood, known for loft-style living
spaces
1.
2.
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Target Customer
 28-45
 University educated
 Higher income that allows for investments in home décor
 Has an interest in art, culture, and entertaining
 Believes their home is an extension and expression of their personality, and
deserves adequate investment and attention
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Strategy

Store will sell useable, collectable, and contemporary art and furniture

Modern, German, or Scandinavian aesthetic
o Small furniture items

Example designer: Heinz Julen
o Decorative sculptures

Vases, bowls, centerpieces

Example manufacturer: Toikka
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o Contemporary art in traditional mediums


Medium-to-high price point
Heinz Julen, Pirmin Stuhl
4.
Example artist: Douglas Coupland
Oiva Toikka, Willow Grouse
5.
Douglas Coupland, Tweed Raven
3.
Brand Image and Atmospherics

Store will be a destination retailer
o Dramatic Lighting
o Clean design, use of line to emphasize unique product offerings
o Understated and offbeat art and craftsmanship

Browsing is encouraged

Will establish itself as a curator of the ideals of modern, yet eclectic, living
o A status brand in itself
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
“I purchased this at Urbane…”
Store Name

“Urbane”

Definition:
“Having the polish and suavity regarded as characterist
ic of sophisticated social life in major cities”
(“Urbane”)
The Visual Plan
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Exterior Design Elements
 Entrance and windows
o Black acrylic gloss segment surrounding double glass door entrance,
separating floor to ceiling store windows on either side
 Acrylic chosen since it is durable (“Acrylic”)
o One window will feature a more art-oriented object, while the other
will showcase a furniture item
 Open-back design
 Exterior lighting
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o Windows will feature low light, only using spotlights to highlight
products in the windows
o Hidden track lighting will be used to reflect off of the steel beams
coated with rainbow metallic reflective spray
 Store sign
o Sign will stick horizontally off of the building, so it is visible when
walking down the sidewalk
o Will feature white letters in the DK Hofstad font on black gloss acrylic
 Easy to clean and will withstand elements
Inspiration: Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2015 runway show
6.
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Floorplan
Store Interior

Layout
o Soft Aisle layout for gallery-like atmosphere
o Store will be sectioned into six ‘presentation spaces’ by moveable
walls on roof-aligned tracks

To maximize ‘wow’ factor of goods through sectioning

Encourages relaxed, clutter-free browsing
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A view inside a presentation space
7., 8., 9., 10.
o Back corners will house ‘hidden’ rooms (low visibility doors) housing
an office and a washroom in the other

Loading dock/emergency exit is accessed through back walled
area
o Middle aisle will house a signature display section, followed by a
lounge with seating for comfort

Square footage
o Approx. 200 square feet

Focal areas
o The signature display section at the entrance on the store is the main
focal area, with the presentation spaces as secondary

Point of sale
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o To keep the sales floor simple and minimalistic, employees will have
hand-held check-out systems, with a few wireless print-out points
near the back walls of the store
o Cash free retailer, accepting Debit/Credit only

To make transactions simple due to expensive nature of most
goods
o Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database will be utilized
to continue to build relationships with customers

Universal Access
o Urbane has much space in aisles between product presentation areas,
therefore accessible for those with extra transport needs
Colours and Materials

Floor will be maple, in a “chocolate frost” colour (“Maple”)

Store walls are made of plaster, with a “cool-grey” colour

Back wall will be made of black leather

Ceiling is an open concept with visible piping

Hanging track-walled presentation spaces will be made of high gloss black
acrylic
Fixtures

Opening display will feature our signature feature, a hanging table from
Heinz Julen, will display table-mounted art pieces
o Particular table will not be for sale, though orders will be accepted
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Entrance signature table display
11., 12.,
13.

Moveable walls are custom fixtures

Custom light box fixtures will feature specific items in separate sections of
the store
Walls

Sliding wall dividers will be used to separate displays and define collection

Two adjacent walls in rear of store will feature a versatile wall standard
system for adaptable floating shelves

Walls enclosing office and washroom areas will feature wall-mounted art
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14.
Floating shelves with AVF products
Lighting

Accent track lighting
o 6-8 feet away from walls
o Criss-cross to avoid shadows

Task pot lighting throughout store, office, and bathroom

LED bulbs for full colour spectrum

“Hot spot” editorial lighting in the center of the store

Lights will provide a dramatic contrast to the darkened store
Signage

Logo
o Features DK Hofstad font
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
Store hours
o In white cling decal on right front door

Operational signs
o In clear acrylic holders
o Returns:

“Sale” sign
o Instead of explicitly saying “Sale”, we decided to go with the words
“Promotional Event” to match our upscale brand image
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
Also want to detract from fact that art pieces and collectables
never go on sale
o Promotional events would be in the form of an after-hours gettogether where customers could meet designers/artists and receive
‘exclusive offers’
o White wall decal leading up to event

Category label card
o Will feature not prices

Must ask employee if interested in purchase
o In clear acrylic holder, attached to wall if needed
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Works Cited
“Acrylic: Acrylic Sheets, Panels, Rod & Tube”. Dotmar, n.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2014.
Bell, Judy, and Kate Ternus. Silent Selling: Best Practices and Effective Strategies in
Visual Merchandising. 4th ed. New York: Fairchild, 2012. Print.
Brown, Alex. “How to Spend A Day In Liberty Village.” BlogTO. Fresh Daily, 11 Oct
2014. Web. 27 Nov 2014.
“Maple: Chocolate Frost”. Armstrong, AWI Licensing Company, n.d. Web. 27 Nov
2014.
“Urbane”. Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2014.
Images
1. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ottawabusgallery/6643897417/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Village
3. http://heinzjulen.com/shop/products.php?prodID=51&lang=en&filter=chair
s#
4. https://www.iittala.com/Series/Iittala/BirdsbyToikka/c/Birds%20by%20Toikka
5. http://coupland.com/portfolio/tweed-raven/
6. http://www.style.com/slideshows/slideshows/trends/fashion/2014/atmos
phere-spring-2015-paris/saint-laurent/slides/20
7. http://coupland.com/portfolio/
8. http://www.brueton.com/Products/75/VulcanTable
9. http://www.wayfair.com/Laura-Ashley-Home-Realistic-Grass-in-SquareTapered-Planter-VHA100569-LBA1297.html
10. http://bebob.eu/en/webshop/anders/coconut-chair-2/
11. http://www.droog.com/webshop/products/family-vase---black/
12. http://www.promostyl.com/blog/en/art-aquarium/
13. http://heinzjulen.com/shop/products.php?prodID=86&lang=en&filter=offic
e#
14. http://www.alexandravonfurstenberg.com/avf-acrylic-trays
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