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Break out area at Warwick Student Union, designed by Retail Experience Design

Community

Good design has the power to breathe new life into shared spaces and bring people together in different ways.

Shop and seating area at the Herbert Art Gallery, designed by Retail Experience Design

With imagination and insight into how people interact, we’ve helped create places to encourage inclusiveness, enable collaboration and cultivate community.

Our work ranges from university student spaces to museum and art galleries. Whether you’re planning a whole new area or want to make better use of a small, unloved space, we’ll always look at things from the users’ perspective to make sure that the navigation, graphics layout and materials combine to create a welcoming, inspiring space.

How we can help you:

Creating a visually exciting space, somewhere that engages people and inspires them to spend time there.

Translating your existing brand into the physical environment – use your space to tell your story and connect with your audience.

Reimagining and repurposing wasted spaces – for example, turning a work or storage area into somewhere that supports social interaction.

The mixed use socialising space at Warwick University Students' Union, designed by Retail Experience Design

How graphics can shape a strong visual narrative

In community spaces, using graphics intelligently can be hugely powerful. Imagery, typography, colour, symbols and signage can all be used to capture your brand, evoke emotions and tell stories. Warwick Student’s Union asked us to transform their Atrium building (often mistaken for an office foyer) from a tired, unused space to a place that would encourage students to come together to work and relax. 

Part of the design included applying vibrant large-format graphics in a style reflecting the university’s brand. This helped us to create a space with a cohesive visual narrative – one that was both engaging and easy to navigate.

Inclusivity – designing for different visitors  

For us, inclusivity isn’t a fad or design buzzword. We firmly believe that successfully designing a community or hybrid space hinges on understanding the principle of inclusivity. To be truly inclusive, a  space needs to encourage a diverse range of people to use it – unlike, say, a fashion store, which has a tightly defined customer profile.

Herbert Art Gallery asked us to create an inclusive welcome area and retail space that would be engaging for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. We used warm materials and tailored sensory elements (like lighting and soundproofing) to create a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. We also introduced a variety of seating options to cater to different preferences.

Shop display and retail area at the Herbert Art Gallery
Shop and seating area at the Herbert Art Gallery, designed by Retail Experience Design

Why Wayfinding means more than just signage

As interior designers, we look closely at the environment and the people who will be using it to understand how they will interact with and navigate around your space. Then we apply our knowledge of wayfinding, signage, lighting, colour and texture to create distinct zones and pathways.

Improved wayfinding was central to our design for Warwick Student’s Union – helping students to easily navigate the space: to understand what the space is for, how they can use it and where they they can go. It might sound simple but if it’s not right, shared spaces can feel chaotic and disconnected.

Wayfinding
Sign at Warwick Students' Unionshowing the importance of wayfinding in interior design

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Need some inspiration? Take a look at some of our work.

There are no boundaries to what good design can achieve for your space and your business. Take a look at some of our work.

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Design for every space. Our experience is as broad as it is deep.