The Dexterity Depot

Display/Fixtures/Merchandising Designs

2009-11-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

My concept is based on "Nodes" so I wanted to reflect this in my design of fixtures, displays and merchandising. The design is based on the repetitive design of circles placed on top of each other to create elements that create lighting, highlight items to sell and shelving to hold items for sale.

Trouble Envisioning....

2009-11-06T08:36:00.001-08:00

Express yourself....

2009-10-28T10:24:00.001-07:00

In my hatchery investigation so far I have done research on elements that inspire me. This has developed a design concept that involves ideas. From this I thought of an idea in a visual sense. This then led me to the light bulb. But after speaking with Suzanne, I found that I needed to expand on this idea a little more. So I did more thinking about developing this concept and came up with the concept of idea nodes. The definition of a node is a connecting point at which several lines come together, or in botany terms, the small swelling that is the part of a plant stem from which one or more leaves emerge. Since a hatchery has a somewhat of an organic feel to me, I could see how a node could be tied in with this concept. But not only does a hatchery have an organic feel to me, it also has a medicinal feel which I want to incorporate into my concept. I am trying to find a balance between these two ideas and that is where I am going in the next step of the design process.

Cracking Ideas...

2009-10-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Program Program Program!

2009-10-20T23:39:00.001-07:00

As we move into the initial stages of the Hatchery, we have started with some programing. We had four spaces to place on a bubble diagram, the collaboration room, the consultation room, exhibition space and the gallery store.

Inventory Investigation

2009-10-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Departments that could be included:

Art
Interior Architecture
English
Dance
Theatre

Items (per department) that could be sold in the gallery:
Art: sculpture, paintings, drawings, graphic media, photography
Interior Architecture: floor plans, window designs
English: poetry, narratives
Dance: video of performances, choreography
Theatre: video of performances, plays

Precedent Research 2

2009-10-13T12:33:00.001-07:00

Dish'n is a pottery studio located in Asheboro North Carolina. They provide classes that teach pottery making techniques, host parties, fundraise, and have a gallery to exhibit work. http://paintatdishn.com/Default.aspx

Da Poetry Lounge is located in Hollywood California and is an open forum for all audiences. Anyone is allowed to perform their artforms. http://www.dapoetrylounge.com/HomePage.html

Poesia is a restaurant, bar and poetry lounge. Located in San Francisco, it is a small restaurant that seats up to 40 people. http://www.poesiasf.com/home.htm

The View on Elm in downtown Greensboro. It serves as both an art gallery and a eye wear studio. They have varieties of eye wear and art from all over the world. http://www.theviewonelm.com/home.html

This is the Art Bar in New York City. It serves as a Bar or Lounge. Along with a cozy atmosphere for socializing which includes a working fireplace and couches, it also has gallery exhibits from local artists. http://www.merchantsny.com/art/art_home.php

Precedent Research 1

2009-10-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Art Shop is located in Greensboro North Carolina and is not only a gallery but a custom framing shop as well. The space is large enough to house paintings as well as sculpture. http://www.artshopnc.com/

Tate Street Coffee which is located on UNCG campus is a coffee house that is used for a variety of things. It is a meeting place for students, a place to display art, a coffee house and a place to hear some live music from time to time. http://www.tatestreetcoffee.com/Pics.html

This is the Collectors Cafe which is located in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. It serves as a coffee house, art gallery, bar and restaurant. This place is used for many different purposes and I feel they execute it well. There is enough space for dining or lounging while you have the freedom to move around the space and view the art. This is one of my favorite restaurants to go to when I visit Myrtle Beach, it has a great atmosphere and can be used for so many different things! http://www.collectorscafeandgallery.com/

Tranquilities is a space that was once a mechanic shop which was renovated into a very unique gift store. The interior is small but works for a gift shop of its size. http://www.tranquilitiesgifts.com/productcart/pc/showfeatured.asp

The Green Bean is a coffee house that is located on Elm Street in downtown Greensboro is a space that is very versatile. Not only do they use the space as a coffee house but it is also used as a live music venue. http://www.myspace.com/greensborobean

Medium Window Display!!!= AWESOMENESS!!

2009-09-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

We were in class the other day discussing designs for the window displays in the Salvation Army Select Store and I was doodling a few ideas in my sketchbook. So after we split into groups and had a discussion about which direction we were going to go for our "give" concept I brought up this idea! And I'm so glad that I did! It came out beautifully! I am very excited to present this design to the class tomorrow!!!

Display Ideas

2009-09-22T12:09:00.001-07:00

When doing my designs for the display I wanted to keep the element of found objects. We had the opportunity to view some of the ideas for the fixtures the other day and the idea of different kinds of drawers were used. I thought this was interesting so I wanted to keep my designs along those lines. The idea with the dresser came from Stoel talking about how a dresser without drawers. So keeping with the drawers idea I wanted to add a dresser without drawers with items coming out of it. Another is a hanging display which would act as a screen, individual pieces that hang to make a whole image. I wanted to ask people to write the word "SELECT" on white pieces of paper and make a collage out of them. Then possibly get the two classes that worked on the project to be the ones that write the "SELECT" on the red pieces of paper to make the shield. Finally the last idea came from Josie's design that used the books. I kept with the same idea of the drawers but added some books around them and hung some from the ceiling that had the red shield put inside of the pages.

Display Inspiration

2009-09-20T20:47:00.001-07:00

When taking some time out this weekend to think of ideas for displays I came across a few things that I found interesting. I wanted to keep in mind the idea of reusing items from the store, or possibly found objects. In some of the pictures above I found that there would be a great opportunity to use some of these ideas with the donations the Salvation Army receives. Items such as the flowers in the windows could be made from damaged t-shirts.

Renew: Renewing Old Items into Something NEW!

2009-09-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Raising awareness of the Salvation Army Select store was our first course of action. After determining which techniques we were going to try we separated into groups to tackle these different aspects of marketing. Our group had the task of turning trash into treasure. We found a few different things that we tried out in order to do this.

2009-09-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

This project involved alittle bleach and a recycled tee. Fun, easy, and green project!

Renew

2009-09-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Another technique that could be used it turning items that are donated to the store into custom items that can either be auctioned off or sold in the store as a promotional items. This book Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a Tee Shirt by Megan Nicolay and another, 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim, and Tie Your T-Shirt into Something Special by Faith Blakeney are good references to look at for ideas on ways we can implement this idea.

Fundraising with Harris Teeter

2009-09-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Contacting local businesses in the area could help raise not only awareness but funds for the new Salvation Army Select Store. I contacted the area Harris Teeter in North Elm Village Shopping Center to find out some information about if there was a possibility for passing out handouts or even setting up a booth area in front of the store. I was directed to the Harris Teeter website where I found fund raising opportunities. The proper forms are posted on the website, after given the proper information. I only found one problem with getting access to the forms, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A VIC CARD!

Contact Information:

Harris Teeter
North Elm Village
336-545-0236

Website address:
http://www.harristeeter.com/community/fundraising_events/fundraising_events.aspx

Time Pieces

2009-09-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

Moon Clock Numbers. Numbers start from (left to right) 1 to 12 AM(Full Moon) to 1 to 12 PM(New Moon or no moon)

Scene Change (Material Board)

2009-09-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

Scene Change(Idea Board)

2009-09-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Material Investigation Case Study #1

2009-08-31T08:19:00.000-07:00

When looking to retail environments to find a brand identity, many elements can be used to understand how the brand wants to convey its individuality to the public. Different materials, key elements, textures, lighting and consistency are used in order to define a stores identity. The different combinations of these elements create a feel in the environment which develops an identity to the store itself.

In the case of investigating stores within the area, I have found that brands use some of the same elements to convey their personal identity. But distinct differences in how these elements are combined are truly the nature in which a stores identity is formed. Brands such as Forever 21 and Victoria’s Secret use very similar materials in their stores, but they use different types of textures, lighting and consistency of elements to define their own identity. Were both have smooth, polished elements, such as the floors, tables and clothing racks, they define these elements to the store by combining different textures and colors. Victoria’s Secret mimics the high gloss style of the floors into the black glossy architectural elements and tables that are found throughout the store. Forever 21 on the other hand, keeps the glossy shimmer strictly to the floors and adds in different elements such as a transparent chandelier that reflects overhead lighting in the accessories room. Forever 21 also changes the appearance of its rooms based on the styles that are in the room, where Victoria’s Secret is consistent throughout with the exception of its “Pink” collection where the room looks as if it’s its own store.

Other stores such as American Eagle, GAP, and Abercrombie and Fitch have set themselves apart from the identity of a modern, trendy and sleek environment to a more clean, simple and rustic sense. American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch have incorporated key elements such as wood flooring, wood paneled walls, and leather furniture. But although they have some of these elements in common, the identity they are trying to define is different. Abercrombie has dimmed lighting, grey walls with white wood paneling accents, and dark stained wood floors which give it a lounge type of atmosphere. American Eagle has bright lighting, natural grained wood floors and white washed wood paneling on the walls. These elements, although same materials as Abercrombie, create more of a lodge feeling when defining American Eagle’s identity. GAP goes in another direction with some of these same elements. Some of GAP’s materials are the same when looking at the wood floors found in both Abercrombie and American Eagle. But that is where the similarity stops. GAP uses clean lines and basic colors to define its style. The simplicity of the atmosphere gives the store a warm and comfortable feeling.

In researching brand identity in retail environments one can determine that different types of elements are used in order to create an identity for a store. Although some of these elements are the same in some, the way the individual store uses these elements defines the look and feel of the space. The identity of the space itself is defined through its use of textures, lighting and materials to express the stores brand and without these essential elements a brand cannot be established.

Sculpture

2009-08-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Life Drawings/Studies

2009-08-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

Photography

2009-08-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Bio

2009-08-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

My name is Brooke Elliott and I am a graduate student at UNCG in the Interior Architecture Department with a concentration in Museum Studies. I am a local to North Carolina, I attended Guilford Middle and then Western Guilford High School for grade school. And later as an undergraduate student, I attended High Point University and studied Art, which is my first love, but I also obtained two minors in Interior Design and Art History. One of my strengths in my art background would be figure drawing, but I also am involved in other mediums such as sculpture, painting, and photography. I have found it hard to keep my focus on one particular area of art and design since I find myself having an interest in so many different areas, and also enjoying the practice of each. This is how I have found myself in the Graduate program at UNCG in Museum Studies. I feel being able to potentially be involved in the design process of exhibits, while having the ability to be around art everyday is one of the most rewarding experiences I could have being interested in so many different areas of art and design!

All that I desire to point out is the general principle that life imitates art far more than art imitates life. ~Oscar Wilde