contents 1. Project Brief 2. Brand Story 3. Kainaz Messman – Founder 4. Retail format 5. Logo 6. Brand Colours 7. Exterior 8. Entrance 9. Cone of Vision 10. Store Layout 11. Circulation 12. Lighting 13. Zoning 14. Store DÊcor 15. Fixtures 16. Exterior Signage 17. Interior Signage 18. Props 19. Service 20. Senses Involved 21. Interactivity 22. Design Solution 23. Event Calendar 2018-19 24. Main Event 25. Promotional Material
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project brief Choose a brand in a retail format of your choice. Visit any one store of the brand, and study its design. Analyse the store in terms of buyers’ experience and your own perspective as a designer. The analysis should cover all touch points in the store, including the exterior, the entrance, cone of vision, layout and circulation, zoning, dÊcor, fixtures, signage and graphics, props, service, senses involved, and interactivity. Finally, provide design solutions to improve the customers’ experience of the store.
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brand story Theobroma is a Parsi family owned and managed bakery, patisserie and chocolaterie in Mumbai, India. Store Location: Fort Address: Plot No. 47, Mehta Building, Nagindas Master Lane, Hutatma Chowk, Fort, Mumbai – 400001 Contact: 7045590018, 7045590017, 222615969 Timings: 9 am to 11 pm
They opened their doors in 2004 and have since established themselves as a leading food destination in a highly competitive environment. Theobroma has grown from its humble beginnings at the iconic Cusrow Baug at Colaba Causeway to a rapidly growing chain of patisseries. Their commitment to quality, innovative products, honest prices and personalised service has
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ensured a long list of loyal customers. Theobroma has successfully brought exclusive and indulgent cakes and desserts to the high street and within the reach of many. They often use the best available local produce over expensive imports. Offering innovative products and creative combinations, they have created and maintained an interest in their offerings. They have set a benchmark for delivering high quality food at affordable prices. Theobroma means ‘Food of the Gods’ in Greek. Theobroma is also the botanical name of the
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miss messman Kainaz Messman Harchandria, Founder and Production Head of Theobroma, was a little girl when she started helping her mother bake and cook. She grew up in a food centric, food obsessed family. At the age of 16, she went to France on a cultural youth exchange programme. Living in the South of France with a family that owned fruit orchards, vegetable gardens and vineyards, she learnt to respect ingredients, to cook with passion and to keep things simple. She learnt French and buried herself in the culinary books that she found. Upon her return she proceeded to study French Literature but she already knew she was going to become a chef. She secured admission at the Institute of
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Hotel Management (IHM) Mumbai, India’s leading hotel management institute. She then went on to the Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development (OCLD) Delhi where she simultaneously broadened her skills and found her specialization. She became a pastry chef at the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur and loved the beautiful hotel but still missed her small little French town and its quaint little patisseries. When she opened her own little pastry shop, she says she was unprepared for the growth that followed. She has since returned to France periodically, each time to learn a new product, soak in the atmosphere that she wanted to recreate back home,
retail format The store has an Assorted Service retail format. They offer a limited level of service to consumers, including: - product selection assistance - serving orders at the table - handling the point-of-purchase transaction.
x-height
ascender
logo
high contrast
calligraphic terminals and ligatures
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brand colours
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exterior
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Description
Buyer’s Experience
Designer’s Perspective
The exterior wall has a grey stony texture. One glass window gives passers by a view into the patisserie and has promotional text printed on it. There are planted pots near the main entrance.
In a fast, rain-ridden city like Mumbai, people long for a cozy, dry place to catch their breath. The large glass window offering a view of the warmly lit patisserie selling baked goods attracts buyers to this haven.
The colours and textures of the exterior clearly communicate the brand identity. The text on the windowpane gives a clear idea of what kind of products one can expect.
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entrance Description The storefront is curved outwards. There are two entrances – glass doors with polished wooden frames. Store is on the street corner, making one entrance visible on each side of the store.
Buyer’s Experience Passers-by become buyers as the cheerful Theobroma branding stands out in an otherwise drab market lane.
Designer’s Perspective The curved storefront adds to the soft, homely feel of the brand. Placement of the store on the street corner ensures clear visibility to people walking on either side.
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cone of vision
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Description
Buyer’s Experience
Designer’s Perspective
The board is placed too close to the entrance, slightly blocking the view of the rest of the store.
Near the payment counter. One can see a display of baked goods on both sides, and a blackboard hung up on the wall right across from the entrance.
Buyers are drawn straight to the displays, and spend some time there observing the various goods on offer, trying to make buying decisions.
Placement of display in front of the entrance encourages purchases. However, since payment counter is right next to it, customers entering through this entrance would tend to order take away food rather than take a seat at a table. When people sit and eat, there’s a chance they’ll order
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Entrance 2
Most buyers don’t pause to read what’s written on the blackboard. The first instinct is to walk into the store and find a place to sit. Its placement benefits only the loyal customers who regularly come looking for the day’s speciality.
Entrance 1
Double-doored. The first view on entering is of a blackboard announcing the day’s speciality. Beyond that, the balcony or mezzanine floor catches attention.
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store layout
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View of the store layout from the staircase leading to the mezzanine floor. 20
store layout Description
Buyer’s Experience
Designer’s Perspective
The tables are arranged along the curved outer wall of the store. There is a counter running along the opposite wall where stools are placed. The mezzanine floor covers the area above the display shelves, serving counters, and the kitchen (hidden from the customers’ view).
Solitary customers tend to occupy the stools, couples and small groups take the tables on the ground floor, while larger groups prefer to sit up-stairs.
The layout of the store is a free form boutique layout. It focusses more on aesthetic value than on exposing maximum number of shoppers to maximum amount of merchandise in minimum amount of time.
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circulation
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circulation Description There is one main passage for circulation that separates a line of tables from the inner curved wall with stools. This passage ends at the food display area.
Buyers’ Experience Customers find this convenient as they can move between their table and the food counter without disturbing other customers.
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Designer’s Perspective There is enough circulation space. However, a more efficient use of space and time would be to have a loop layout so traffic can flow in a single direction from entrance to display to seating area.
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lighting
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lighting
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Designer’s Perspective
Display shelves have task lighting. Entire café has white LED lights in the false-ceiling. Decorative pendant lights hang low over the tables on the ground level. One grand chandelier provides accent lighting over the staircase.
The task lights makes the products look warmer than they are, hence more inviting to the buyers. Most customers appreciates the use of the intricate chandelier.
Ambient lighting is pleasantly bright, making the store look spacious. Task lights run across the display, the light source hidden. These are warmcoloured lights, increasing depth and pushing the merchandise forward.
Signage – overhead lights to light up the brand signage at night. Entrance – ceiling lights below the signage façade to light up doors and window.
Buyers don’t register the use of lighting, but it helps them see the branding after dark.
Downwards spot lights are used over the exterior signage. Since the light is not evenly distributed, the signage is not clearly readable at night. A backlight would be more effective.
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Exterior
Buyer’s Experience
Interior
Description
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zoning Description All the food items are displayed in one corner of the store. They are displayed on separate shelves, divided according to categories: brownies, pastries, cupcakes, full cakes, cookies, dry cakes, salads, soups and
Buyer’s Experience Customers usually have a desired category of food in mind when they walk in. So, they can conveniently move to the display of that category and make their purchase decision.
Designer’s Perspective The adjacencies in zoning are not logical. The display starts with brownies, followed by a section for cupcakes and pastries, then full cakes. Opposite to these are cookies and dry cakes. At the far end we have soups and salads facing the sandwich display. This is logical in terms of categorization, but not according to end use. It will not help in enhancing sales.
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Graphics
Theme
Description
The brand colour scheme is used in everything inside the store. The theme is that of a cheerful, homey bakery.
Inner curved wall has stripes in the brand colours and decals with colourful illustrations of tables, chairs, chandeliers, and a bird cage.
Buyers’ Experience
Designer’s Perspective
The colours are used everywhere, but they are not overpowering the buying experience. They have a soothing effect on the buyers.
Ambient lighting is pleasantly bright, making the store look spacious. Task lights run across the display, the light source hidden. These are warmcoloured lights, increasing depth and pushing the merchandise forward.
The graphics enhance the ambience of a candy house for the buyers, but some may find it a bit overdone.
The colour scheme suits the theme. The pastels are soothing to the eyes and the brown highlights suggest food, especially chocolate. However, two hues of cooler pastels are being used – blue and green. This can be confusing; the brand should stick with a single cool pastel.
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store decor
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fixtures
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Description
Buyer’s Experience
Designer’s Perspective
Display cabinets and shelves are placed next to each other in two rows, one running along a wall and one in front of the servers’ station. The shelves are painted in the brand colours.
Fixtures look similar, might confuse buyers. Use of brand colour in shelves increases the brand recall value.
A feature fixture can be placed at a focal point to display cakes. Brownies, which are the key items, need a special display with extra lighting.
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ext. signage Description Storefront signage displaying brand name and tagline – one sign over each entrance. Four signs announcing specializations: Café, Patisserie, Bakery, and Chocolaterie. Cling signage on the glass window.
Buyers’ Experience Buyers instantly recognize the brand name. Four signs of specialization make sure buyers know what their options are - especially buyers who are indecisive by nature, and those visiting in groups.
Image: These glyphs are printed brown on clear cling film and applied on the windowpane.
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Designer’s Perspective The brand signage uses three different typefaces: a decorative typeface for the brand name, a sans-serif for the tagline, and a different sans-serif for declaring the specializations. It’s wiser to stick to two typefaces for cohesiveness. The tagline font size is disproportionately small for exterior display signage.
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int. signage Description
Buyers’ Experience
Designer’s Perspective
Large signs displaying brand name at the payment counter and along the inner curved wall. Two blackboards announcing special items of the day. Small signs for every product on display, informing the customer about product name, main ingredients, price, and vegetarian/ nonvegetarian.
Brand name displayed inside increases recall value, so customers will easily remember where they ate. Indicative product signage enable customers to make informed buying decisions.
The informative signage for product labels uses a colour scheme which is out of sync with the brand identity. Here, a third, serif font is used. Use of brand colours and typefaces will increase cohesiveness.
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props Description Large mirror placed on staircase wall with ornate white wooden frame. Four quotations displayed on the staircase wall in wooden frames.
Buyer’s Experience Most customers read the quotations while climbing up the staircase and look into the mirror while going downstairs.
Designer’s Perspective Minimal and ineffective use of props.
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service Description 10-12 staff members including kitchen staff, waiters, cashier, servers, and manager. All dressed in standard brand uniform.
Buyer’s Experience There are enough waiters to keep a full house entertained. The staff are all well dressed, soft-spoken and help the customers decide what they want to eat.
Designer’s Perspective The service is impeccable and adds value to the customers’ experience.
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senses involved Description Smell of chocolate. Cheerful visuals. Soft music playing the background, almost unnoticeable.
Buyer’s Experience The smell of chocolate makes the customers hungrier and gives them the desire to stay longer. The music provides a soft undertone to the chatter of customers in the store.
Designer’s Perspective Involving all of the customers’ senses in the store’s ambience enhances the shopping experience, making the customer feel more at home.
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interactivity Description Blackboard signs offer something new every day. Customers are encouraged to try out the day’s speciality free of cost.
Buyer’s Experience While most buyers recognize this as a marketing strategy, they willingly taste the speciality of the day as it is free of cost.
Designer’s Perspective Conveniently, the test area for speciality of the day is placed next to the payment counter so customers waiting in line to pay or trying to decide what to eat can sample new recipes and provide instant feedback.
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design solution 1 2
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Since the blackboard restricts the cone of vision from entrance 1, we propose that instead of placing it on the floor, it should be hung up on the railing of the staircase leading up to the first floor.
In the current layout, no merchandise display is visible in the cone of vision from entrance 1. To address this, we suggest a small change in the layout of the store. The wall-mounted counter and stool arrangement can be placed on the wall being used by the L-shaped wall fixture. Instead, on the curved wall, we can have a long running wall fixture at waist height to display dry desserts. This would also increase their storage capacity.
In order to add a focal element to the merchandise display, we propose that a circular closed pedestal be added as shown in the figure. This can be used for displaying a new speciality cake every day.
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The graphics on the curved wall are too congested and come off as somewhat of an eyesore. We suggest that the coloured stripes be restricted to just blue and white, and the circular floral graphics be removed. In the new elevation on the next page, you can see the counter and stools replaced by a wall fixture, as proposed by us.
Front elevation of existing inner curved wall. 46
design solution
Front elevation of proposed inner curved wall. 47
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The merchandise labels being used do not go with the brand’s colour scheme, and follow an outdated cluttered layout. We propose a change in the design of these labels.
Existing merchandise labels.
VEG NON-VEG
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design solution
NON-VEG
VEG
Proposed merchandise labels.
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design solution 6
There are no signs indicating the various categories of food on display. For example, brownies and pastries are placed in separate adjacent fixtures, but there is no use of signage to indicate this zoning. One can also easily mistake the salad counter for an ice cream fixture. We propose that danglers be hung from the ceiling at appropriate positions to indicate zones.
Proposed design of zone signage.
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The brand signage used on the exterior of the store is lit up by spotlights at night. The spotlights do not offer a clear visibility to the signage, and at times overpower the text. Instead, we propose that backlit signage be used for the exterior.
Existing exterior signage lighting.
Proposed exterior signage lighting.
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calendar
2018-19
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Tue Wed 04 11 18 25
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World Baking Day To celebrate World Baking Day (17th May), Theobroma will host a week-long Cupcake Icing Challenge. This will involve people icing plain cupcakes bought from Theobroma, and posting pictures of the same on Instagram. At the end of the week, winners will receive gifts and rewards. Promotions will begin 3 weeks in advance.
Eid-al-Fitr Theobroma will celebrate Eid-al-Fitr on 15th June with a specialized Ramadan menu for the day. This will include special shaped Ramadan cookies, Iftar Cake, Dates Macaron, Zrigua, Caramel Rice Milk, Mahalabia, Kunafa Mastic Macaron, Coffee Millefeuille, Pistachio & Raspberry Eclair, etc. Ingredients a week in advance.
Ganpati Like every year, Theobroma will celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi 2018 with a Ganpati-special menu that’ll be served throughout the period of 10 days, along with the usual menu. Galette de Ganpati, Chocolate Modak, Badam Halva Tart, and Gulkand Truffles - all eggless. Promotion will begin two weeks in advance.
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calendar
2018-19
October Mon 01 08 15 22 29
Tue Wed 02 09 16 23 30
03 10 17 24 31
November
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
04 11 18 25
05 12 19 26
06 13 20 27
07 14 21 28
Mon 05 12 19 26
Tue Wed 06 13 20 27
December Mon 03 10 17 24 31
Tue Wed 04 11 18 25
05 12 19 26
07 14 21 28
04 11 18 25
Tue Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
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07 14 21 28
01 08 15 22 29
02 09 16 23 30
07 14 21 28
05 12 19 26
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Thu 07 14 21 28
Fri
Sat
Sun
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Thu
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Sat
Sun
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Fri
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January Tue Wed 01 08 15 22 29
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Tue Wed 05 12 19 26
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Bhai Dooj On the day of Bhai Dooj, special offers such as Buy One Get One Free, and Free Cookies will be available for brother-sister pairs upon showing their identity proofs at the cash counter. Promotion for this offer will begin a week in advance.
Christmas On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Theobroma will be decorated in a Christmas theme. Plum cake will be avaialble for free tasting. All customers will receive complimentary cookies with their orders.
International Women’s Day To celebrate International Women’s Day, 15% of the sales over the entire weekend (8th - 10th March) will be donated to the Dream Girl Foundation for their project aimed at improving female hygiene and sanitation. Promotions will begin two weeks in advance.
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main event To mark the ocassion of World Baking Day 2018, Theobroma will organize an online contest called The Great Icing Challenge. Details of the contest are as follows:
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Pick up a plain cupcake from your nearest Theobroma branch. Share a picture of the cupcake iced by you on Instagram with #AceAtIcing from 13th May to 18th May. From 14th May to 19th May, images of six best entries (submitted the previous day) will be displayed at Theobroma, Fort, and shared by Theobroma’s official Instagram Visitors at the store will vote for their favourite icing styles. Although entries will be shared on social media, the poll will take place only in the store. One winner from each day will win a goodie bag and Theobroma vouchers. On 20th May, all six winning cupcake icing designs will be displayed on a special podium in the Fort branch. Winners will be requested to visit the store on this day to receive extra rewards.
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timeline Contestants begin sharing their entries on Instagram.
13th May, Sunday
First of six days on which best entries will be displayed on a special fixture in the Theobroma, Fort branch. Visitors begin voting for their favourites.
14th May, Monday
Continued inflow of online entries,display of best entries, and votes by visitors..
All six winning cupcake icing designs will be displayed on a special podium in the Fort branch. Winners visit store to receive rewards.
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20th May, Sunday
special fixture
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promotion 1 2 3 4
Event-based cover picture for Theobroma’s official Facebook page.
Regular Facebook and Instagram posts about the event starting three weeks in advance., to generate a buzz on social media around the hashtag #AceAtIcing.
Printed pamphleys handed out on 12th and 13th May near all Theobroma outlets in Mumbai.
Posters displayed near malls and schools - targetted at housewives three weeks in advance.
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promotional material
Facebook Cover 60
Instagram Post 61
Poster 62
Pamphlet 63
Store Case Study Kanika Kalra Pranav Mishal