POP-UP & WINDOW DISPLAYS
_ Ghd
A premium maximalist creative direction
In collaboration with Ghd, D4R embarked on a creative journey to design a decadent and attention-grabbing pop-up space that would launch their revolutionary new styling innovation – the duet style.
_Concept Design
_3D Design
_Technical Design
_Project Management
_Client Service Support
_Prototyping
_Idea_
The product’s innovative multifunctionality of drying, straightening and styling required a launch rich in storytelling. The product launch deserved a space that would express the core concept of ‘multifaceted’ both in function, and in visual styling, which drove us toward a maximalist and premium creative direction.
Disrupt the environment, attract shoppers and pique curiosity
_Insight_
Drawing out the products details and features physically in the forms we conceptualised, we expressed its hexagonal forms architecturally, it’s connection with water viscerally, and it’s blow dry airflow directly. A maximalist aesthetic was crafted through amplifying textures of black and gold, synonymous with the brand, and by playing with elemental evocations of water and air in decadent materials such as water ripple metal sheets and lenticular prints that brought a sense of dynamic, shimmering movement.
We were challenged to create theatrical sensory elements by incorporating actual water and air into the concept, whilst also including aspects that nod to water in an artful way and remaining practical for the retail environment. We leveraged some of the key facets of maximalism through layering of translucent, refractive, and matte surfaces to deliver a decadent and deeply-textural aesthetic that reflects the iconic launch content. Maximalism was also expressed through the abundance of interactive and activating moments within the space, creating various zones to explore and immerse within. From self-directed testing moments, transparent cinema style screening of the launch content, hair stylist make-over moments and even content creation zones – the space felt dense with engagement opportunities to tempt customers.
Beyond the pop-up space we also designed showstopper window displays, from flagship department store executions, through to salon window take overs to seed the launch to passing shoppers. We resolved our concept work into a global guideline for the retail pop-up launch, which delivered the detailed specification and thinking around functionality of the space, bringing the vision to life as a suite of modular elements with scalability across different markets.
_Realisation_
This project is a great example of our end-to-end creative capabilities. We explored from scratch the look and feel of the physical concept, which came to life after focussed research that gave us in-depth knowledge of the marketplace and consumer expectation. We used our creative nous to craft a strategy for success and built a customer activity pathway that would drive affinity for the product. Creating a comprehensive design intent guideline once the design direction was approved, seeking to provide direction on how best to execute a tiered system of concept variants to fit different site sizes and tiers of investment both locally and globally. Our approach enabled local markets to execute the product launch easily whilst maintaining a consistent presentation across production partners, allowing the maximalism vision to flourish at any scale or location.
