The Standard of Non-Standardized Retail Design.
Very few brands stand out as prime examples of what a full brand retail experience looks like. Aesop, is one of those brands. Founded in 1987 by Dennis Pahphitis in his Melbourne hair salon 'Emeis'. Aesop grew from a brand offering a mere 4 initial products into a global cosmetics powerhouse with almost a 100 products to name and collaborations with various internationally renowned architects, interior designers and artists.
Every aspect of the Aesop brand experience is a carefully considered orchestration of a mixture of standardized and non-standardized approaches when it comes to retail design. For a brand that achieved a revenue of $247 Million in 2021, without advertising, I think there's a lot we can learn from their approach.
Retail design - A unique retail 'experience'
With over 235 signature brand retail outlets in countries from Australia to Japan, Sweden to Brazil, no two stores are alike. The ingenuity of Aesop is in how they approach each location based on a single strong idea and sense of place, all while embracing local materials and artisans to bring the retail experience to life. Each retail location is designed from the ground up with the idea of becoming part of the neighbourhood. All while maintaining a consistent sense of authenticity, welcoming hospitality & key elements -such as the wash basin- to deliver an exceptional sensory experience that feels familiar but is different every single time.
At Aesop 1 Utama in Petaling Jaya Malaysia, Farm studio used corrugated roof sheets to pay homage to Selangor’s tin-mining history. In Sydney, March Studio designed a tensioned structure similar to the masts and ropes of yachts in the nearby harbour. In Sendai, Japan Torafu architects designed & created a minimal Timber panel system that wraps and forms the walls, manifesting a warm inviting atmosphere in true Japanese minimalist fashion.
Product design - Less is more.
Iconic and often imitated, Aesop's package design is a fine example of the beauty of simple, utilitarian design that communicates sophistication & clarity. The combined use of Helvetica and Optima typefaces in a very standard minimal layout on amber bottles, the packaging design itself has developed over the years a reputation as an arbiter of good taste. Not to mention, being way ahead of the industry curve when it came to embracing eco-centric design that is based on minimizing waste, by shunning outer cartons and cellophane wrapped boxes which used to be quite prevalent many years ago.
In a nutshell, the highest form of retail design is that which aims to offer a complete brand experience which addresses all of the senses. The more brands invest in themselves, embrace quality and consider every detail to be sacred and worthy of time, effort and craft, the more consumers will be willing to in-turn consider their purchases as investments themselves.
