halleluja! Deli Make Over Complete

Today I finished a long and torurous assignment for my Designing Experiences class at UCLA Extension. The assignment: choose a small retail store or kiosk and redesign it so that it is better.

And I pick a deli, that has delicious food, but severly lacks any design continuity or even visiable signage.

It's a twelve 11x17 panels plus model project, so here is the cliftnote version:

2 main problems: decor and process

BEFORE:

Original counter and exposed kitchen/bright walls

3D rendering of the original layout

**3D drawing done using SketchUp, a free program from google, check it out,

1. Decor: Cramped eating space (feels like you're eating in the aisle of a Vitamin store or in the beverage isle), no cohesive decor (random orange tiles on blue wall, black 50's retro diner stools, rainbow painted walls)
2. Process: menu is hard to find (among clutter, and it's only a folded piece of paper), confusing ordering protocol (order at counter, pay at front of store which you must walk through two rooms to get to, come back with receipt and pick up food), utensils and trash are hard to find

AFTER:

1. Decor: removed shelves in eating area, moved fridges to conseal kitchen, painted kitchen to seperate it from eating area, added reclaimed wood accents (wall behind bar, utensil holder, counter tops ect), bright recyclable plates add pizazz, matching white 60's furniture echoing to beginning of organic movement.
2. Process: Added signage in store and overhead menu, ordering directions displayed twice, added second register (optional), introduced recycling center complete with glass, plastic, trash and compost, utensil holder on counter.



My foamcore model (not my best work, I'll admitt) took forever! And interestingly, after I made it, I immediately wanted to change it all and go back to the drawing board. Things look so different when you see it all together.

Seating Area with reclaimed wood wall
(wall looks like below, as well as furniture)

Example of reclaimed wood wall and furniture

Customer's view

While as I type them, these seem like no brainers, it's amazing how many store, especially eateries, forget about making their store inviting and life easy for the customer. Granted this deli was an add on to the main supermarket (probably once a storage area), this doesn't mean they can get away with this!