Jeff Kindleysides: 10 things I’ve learned about design
Jeff Kindleysides with David Checkland founded their retail design consultancy 35 years ago, working with major brands. He shares with us the top 10 lessons he’s learned about design along the way.
Words by Pamela Buxton
1 Retail is a very simple thing. But getting it right can be quite difficult. You're designing a well-balanced environment that is entirely right for the client and relevant to the consumer - there are so many things to consider in how you make the store easy to read, tell the right stories and create the right environment that is conducive to shopping. One of the key challenges is making the most of each location, creating a space that functionally and emotionally works for the brand. You can't afford to over-complicate the issues, indulge in things that aren't relevant or create something just for the sake of it.
2 2D and 3D aren't separate things. When I worked at Sears I learned how graphics and 3D environments and display and merchandising were all linked together as part of the communication of the brand. Levi's London flagship store on Regent's Street in 1994 was our big break and the first time we had the opportunity to show how we felt a retail brand could be a storyteller and bring together 3D, graphics and craft.
3 It's hard work. You're not only dealing with design and making a successful business, but also you're managing people and suppliers. It's never been easy - knowledge and expectations rise, the market, clients and consumers are always moving on, and you need to be one step ahead of that. But it's enjoyable. I'm surrounded with brilliant, talented people and exceptional graduates.
There's always something new to get involved in, new people to meet, and something more to prove in your own mind. My role at Checkland Kindleysides is to inspire and be part of making things happen. Of course there can be days when you don't enjoy it, but you always find yourself coming back for more.
4 It's not an occupation you can stand still in. Every single thing we do is different every day. There's always an element of something you haven't ever encountered before. If there wasn't, you wouldn't be successful.
5 I'm most interested in working with clients who are like-minded and willing to share their vision. It's about doing something that takes them somewhere and makes an impact that's lasting. Scale doesn't always come into it. Instead it's the ambition to make the best it can be within the confines of what we're working with that's appealing.
6 We've never seen ourselves as a regional agency. We have our main, 4.650 sq m premises in Leicestershire where we have our studio space plus a workshop and photographic studio. But we do have a London office too and so it's never been an issue. If anything, we're a global agency. A huge amount of our work is international, with current work in Australia, Middle East and California.
7 Retail design is really valued by clients when it works well, and British retail design is particularly valued. There's a sensibility about British design that is appreciated worldwide. However, as retail designers we all understand that our role is judged by the return clients get on their investment.
8 Designers need to understand how things work. You learn by doing things and that's why we've always had a workshop. We always manufacture our own prototypes and often we build full-scale mock-up stores in Leicestershire for clients, as well as regularly building actual stores as a benchmark for our clients to then go on and roll out.
9 Knowledge, service and interaction is what we crave the most from a store. The vital thing in retail is to be engaging, you have to be connected and relevant to the consumer. With so much information available online, the pressure in physical retail is to be not only knowledgeable in-store but have an environment that is agile and has a feeling of being current and fresh. With relevance in mind and looking ahead, the notion of brands having more stores but them being smaller and more local is a logical development.
10 Retail is logical, but the perception of value is alchemy. How does a consumer justify in their mind that they should buy a particular product from one place rather than a similar one from somewhere else? It isn't only decided on price. It's the added things that create intangible value such as service, ease of shopping, product knowledge, convenience, comfort, guidance, relationships and trust. These are the things that we as designers orchestrate to make our clients' stores work emotionally and physically. Every small increment collectively makes a huge difference.
