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What is a Destination Design? What is a Retail destination? The Apple dictionary defines a definition as follows:
destination |ˌdestəˈnā sh ən|
noun
the place to which someone or something is going or being sent : a popular destination for golfers.
adjective
being a place that people will make a special trip to visit : a destination restaurant.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin destinatio(n-), from destinare ‘make firm, establish.’ The original sense was [the action of intending someone or something for a particular purpose,] later [being destined for a particular place,] hence (from the early 19th cent.) the place itself.
Obvious. But when a retail architect is designing in the context of created places, what makes a great retail destination, and what makes people want to go there, stay there and be there?
1. People
People want to got to a retail destination because other people, many other people, go there. People want to be there, like to be there. The primary reason people go to successful retail destinations is because other people go there – because crowds of people go there. People go to watch people, be with people, meet people.
People are the single most important form of entertainment. The best movie watched in an empty theater falls flat. An exceptional meal in an empty restaurant is not enjoyed but endured. A crowded theme park frustrates, but an empty park is no fun at all. An empty resort is spooky and odd, and an empty urban town center is frightening and perhaps dangerous. One traveling to a resort seeking serenity will likely do so only if others have previously done so and vouched for the quality of the experience.
2. Choices
People go to a retail destination because they have chosen to do so. This is at the essence of the definition of destination design. They could easily choose to go elsewhere. Whether traveling on foot, by car or by plane, they have embarked on a trip with the express purpose of ending up in a specific destination. Once they have decided to make a trip, they have choices – they could just as easily walk, drive or fly to any number of other destinations. It it therefore imperative that a retail destination provide potential guests with reasons for it to be their choice. A retail architect must create a place with wide appeal, unique experiences, and perceived value or cache.
3. A Place People Want to Be
People choose to travel to a destination because they want to be there. Great retail destinations have a magical quality. While one considers pragmatic concerns, such as travel time, cost, parking and ease of use, when selecting a destination it is the magic of a place that attracts the masses. The most successful destinations often are often very difficult to use, in part because they are so successful. Venice, Italy, is horribly crowded, difficult to access and very expensive; yet magical and one of the earth’s most visited destinations. Venice has magic – an attraction difficult to define, yet remarkable to experience.
When pragmatic issues are equal, and often when they are not, people will decide to go where they most want to be.
4. Entertainment
Because people desire to be in a place resplendent with magical quality, entertainment is a common thread in most great destinations. Whether the destination is an active participant in the entertainment, such as a theme park with its shows and rides, a cultural center with movies, plays or a concerts, or a passive participant, such as a retail center with fabulous architecture, people watching, shopping and dining, the entertainment provides an element of escape. A successful retail architect knows escape from the cares and concerns of everyday life creates magic.
Retail Architect | Retail design studio expert at master planning retail, mixed-use and town center destinations that delight, places people love.
Embedded media is a highly effective tool concept design tool to enliven and enrich a place. It adds layered variety and richness, and celebrates the difference between day and night. There are tools are available to embed media. The video below illustrates an installation coded in openframeworks by Zachary Lieberman, Joel Gethin Lewis and Damian Stewart, with music by Daito Manabe, support from Taeji Sawai and Kyoko Koyama. Multivision installed the LED system – over 40,000 lights covering 5,100 meters. Ars electronica futurelab was involved with building and testing the system. Click here for more information about the system – this is one of the best we have seen:
lights on from zach lieberman on Vimeo.
