Plastic Design (Daab)
Bar Design (Daab)
Offices (Braun)
Transmaterial (Blaine Brownell)
Young Graphic Designers (Daab)
Tribes Scribes (Alessandro Manfredini)
Google was used for the "faces of gaming", advertisements, merchandise, and typical stores.
I used a bit of a different format than suggested by the hand-out. Instead of studying 6 retail stores, 6 places (or things) that portray something about my design have been chosen instead. I find this appropriate since there is a high probability that my specific type of store does not exist. The store type closest to mine is one that sells video games but I've found through my perusing the internet and books that those places lack the design influence that I am looking for. We'll start with a diagram...
The 5 areas scheduled for group metamorphosis: bar, video game store, library, office system, and movie theater. I listed types of services, areas, and items in each category that I felt would apply to my particular project. A preliminary list of similar items was made for the new store and then cross breeding with the other lists to see where there were similarities....
Before I go on...with the shell volume available for design (26' wide x 42' deep x 30' tall), the chance for multiple levels within is a major possibility. For now there are three major areas: admin/service, consumer/gaming, and display/circulation. The admin/service refers to any area that the employees operate from (cash rap for example), consumer/gaming includes any area where people actively play games or watch movies, and display/circulation would be pathways and entrances (horizontal and vertical) that connect the the above mentioned areas. On to the results of the cross breeding....
[Service] - bar - game store - library
cash rap
food/beverage
tech support
merchandise
Wifi
[Entertainment] - office systems - game terminals - bar seating areas
Game Terminal Classifications: Console, PC, Video
Terminal Types: Group, Personal*private and public for both*
Accommodation Types: Lounge seating, Bar seating, Normal table height
Atmosphere/Experience[bar - video games - movies]
[Circulation] - library - game store - movie theater
entrances - store front display
merchandise display - strategically scattered throughout
horizontal - delineation through floor/ceiling changes (material, light, texture, form)
vertical - stairs/elevators - same as above
[1][video game stores]
These are examples of video game stores (except for the library). There has not been much in advancement in the way games are displayed since they started to hit shelves 2 decades ago. There has actually been a slight movement towards offering games online in a way similar to netflix offers movies instead of normally renting or buying at game store. I personally prefer to go to a store to look around. I think it comes from this nostalgic feeling of when I was in 5th grade and I bought Super Mario Brothers 3 ($55 at the time, crazy I know) for the regular Nintendo. I still get the same excitement and happiness when I walk into a store ready to buy something I've been anticipating after doing research (then it was nintendo power magazines, now its the internet). I usually spend 30mins to an hour in the store browsing depending on if my girlfriend is with me or not. She can't stand the stores and I can understand why. They are cramped and packed with as much merchandise possible. The only comfortable looking place is behind the cashrap but you can't go back there (employees only!). I honestly don't like being in any sort of crowded place (unless its public transportation) because people tend to not be concerned with others around them and this is especially true in game stores around the holidays. The parents are just as insane as the little kids.
[2][game terminals]
The "gaming terminal/station" has been a staple in the video game store since consoles got on the market. It has always been a way for people to test out new games or new consoles before actually shelling out cash you saved up mowing lawns all summer. Right now the focal point of the total design is based on the types of gaming/video terminals and the interaction between them and the customer. I strongly believe these varying experiences and how they are developed to meet different needs will simultaneously help to develop the rest of the store around them. There are eight(8) possible scenarios so far:
Public: group [console, computer], single [console, computer] These would be in open areas much like internet cafes. In addition to the terminals the store would also offer wifi for those who choose to bring their laptops or other portable devices with wireless internet capability (charge a fee to connect to play games with users within the store). That type of user doesn't necessarily fall into either public or private because they can go anywhere.
Private: group [console, computer], single [console, computer] Private terminals would be any enclosed or encapsulated environment providing gaming services. These would be reserved and/or rented out much like the public stations.
[3][seating accommodation]
The seating accommodations are heavily influenced by the types of gaming terminals and the proposed atmosphere of an area. Again, it all goes back to the gaming terminal scenarios and what each one has to offer. I see the 1st and 2nd images with the "myvue" and wireless users in both public and private situations. The 3rd and 4th images make me think of types of clusters of gaming stations, sitting at bar height or normal table top height. There is also the possibility proposed by the 5th image with the use of office systems furniture (some computer gamers at home already use similar systems).
[4][Lighting]
Clubs and bars have also been a source of inspiration for lighting scenarios. Floor, wall, and ceiling fixtures will help to delineate the different areas [service][entertainment][circulation] as well as the terminal scenarios. I forsee the lighting atmosphere changing with separate day (merchandise driven) and night situations (bar/club night life).
[5] [Form]
The "pixel" keeps popping up in my head[The information stored for a single grid point in the image, a complete image is a rectangular array of pixels]. With the recent formation of a starter concept[refractive geometries in metastasis], I think pixel starts to fit even more into the conceptual realm of my store in that it provides fruitfull information about possible forms. I took color theory a few semesters ago and one of the projects was a "pixel" project. Pixel is loosely defined outside of the digital world. It doesn't have to be a square and in this case the watercolor painting we were doing at the time could have multiple types of "pixels." I intend to use the "pixel" to define diffent areas talked about previously through repetition, varying scales, volumes, and types.
[6][Texture]
Something definitely missing from video game store experiences is the tactile one. I don't forsee every surface having an actual physical texture but rather most appearing as if they do either through lighting, form, or finish.
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