Still in the news

Today, the Commonwealth games 2010, comes an end and with it ends all the speculation and criticism that came our (India's) way over the CWG scandal. Lets just hope our dreamy logo (and the rest of the work we've done as well as the amazing effort by our promising young athletes) live on in our memories for a long time. Idiom is still in the news for the work we've done for the games. A few more clippings from a few newspapers are given below.

-Posted By Rahul

Theatre Alive!

In Bangalore, the name 'Ranga Shankara' is synonymous with theatre and the performing arts. The most affordable theatre space in India today, Ranga Shankara is dedicated to showcasing theatrical performances from India and abroad, to producing and commissioning new and innovative theatre forms and productions, and facilitating outreach programmes to build audiences for theatre and to impart theatre skills. So when they asked us to work on their 2010 theatre festival, we were really excited. The festival starts on the 22nd of October and ends on the 1st of November. This year, the theme is 'Folk and Classical Theatre' with the tag line 'Theatre alive!'. 

 

Arundhati Nag, renowned theatre personality and National award winner and also one of the people that heads Ranga Shankara, asked us to create something memorable and unforgettable for this year's theatre festival. So, under Sonia's guidance, and with help from the Ranga Shankara team, the team at Idiom created some unforgettable characters for each form of theatre that will be featured in this year's theatre festival. 

The Press conference announcing the Theatre festival was held on the 7th of October. Everyone loved our beloved characters. We were told that nearly every one wanted to take photographs with them. The following day, we brought the characters back home to Idiom, to shoot a few commercials and the masks had the same effect. Everyone in the office was busy taking photographs with these masks.

We kick off our events on the 12th of September and we're also planning to have a banner painting event in Cubbon park, Bangalore on the 16th. We're looking forward to this Theatre festival as this was one of the most fun projects that we have ever worked on. So, we hope to see you at Ranga Shankara between the 22nd and the 1st. Keep  watching this space for more on the Theatre festival and there will be an article soon on the different Characters that we have created. Lets all make a joint effort and help Ranga Shankara and Idiom bring Theatre Alive!


-Posted By Rahul

Idiom in the news

Ever since the Commonwealth games have started, Idiom has been in the news for the work that we've done for the games. Our team (in Delhi and in Bangalore) are still working for the Commonwealth Games 2010. The work we've done is extensive and great looking. You can view some of the articles below:

DELHI TIMES - 3rd OCT 2010

HINDUSTAN TIMES - 3rd OCT 2010

THE ECONOMIC TIMES - 3rd OCT 2010

THE ECONOMIC TIMES (HINDI) - 4th OCT 2010

We have added a few more images on Picasa, Flickr and Facebook. Please check the last post for links to these albums.

- Posted By Rahul

Commonwealth games - look and Design

As you all know, the agency responsible for the look and design for the Commonwealth games 2010 is Idiom. We have done extensive work for the games. It has been a great journey and we hope and pray for the games to be a grand success. You can check out some of the work we've done below: (please follow the links)

1. Images of the work we've done

• Picasa Web Albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/theidiominformer
• Flickr:  www.flickr.com/photos/idiomdesign  

    2. Slide share (presentations that take you through the journey that we've been through for the CWG

• http://slidesha.re/cKoSwU
• http://slidesha.re/cIbfcL 

    3. You can also follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Design_Idiom
    
    4. Fan us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Idiom-Design-and-Consulting/117724221617870?v=app_2373072738#!/pages/Idiom-Design-and-Consulting/117724221617870?v=wall

 Designing the look for the Commonwealth games was quite a rush and we hope we can do something like this again, in the near future.



-Posted by Rahul


 

Design Education in China

On Sunday I was with a young man all of 25 who was a sales manager at this fixture factory that Suresh from our office had ordered shop fittings from. Curious about his background I asked him what he did in college. Two years of Industrial Design he said.

So I asked him why he was not practicing industrial design. Not the best career option he said. "Sales have more possibility." So why not an MBA?"  “Oh too tough to get in, ID easier."

"I love designing but with my qualifications I can work in the engineering department where I will be far down the pecking order …. No fun"

China has more than 200 universities and colleges that offer courses in Industrial design alone that produce about 30,000 graduates of varying skill levels through 2, 3 and 4 year programmes. Many of them teach drawing and sketching, CAD, ADOBE- Photoshop and AI with a bit of engineering and MT and very little of design research leave alone Design Intelligence.

This is what I find out on Monday from Sheng Wang at VIM DESIGN, a product design office run by him. He is an industrial designer educated in China running a 25 person studio in Shanghai in Building 800 that’s occupied largely by galleries; the contemporary art museum and a number of design and allied firms even those dealing with consulting on intellectual property.

Not surprisingly or should I say surprisingly Sheng does not speak English at all.....
It is a young office with 5 interns just about 19 years old, 2 engineers in MT which I reckon is material technology and the 15 odd designers working there would not be older than 22 years old on average.

The problem Sheng tells me is that there is no quality in the 190 or so colleges that churn out designers. The other issue is that among the students themselves there is not enough general awareness about design hence the students who stumble into design….. Well….. Stumble into design.

Out of the 200 colleges and universities I ask how many deliver quality education, Sheng and his young designers start counting literally on their fingers and come up with ten, which produce at best 1000 graduates a year. The design schools at Beijing and Shanghai are considered the best. The schools however teach more the skills and less of the thinking.

There was a great deal of curiosity about our methodology and design research. They were surprised to hear that we don’t actually go about interviewing customers but rather rely on observation.

They would love to do research for their projects but have not done so, so far as their clients have not offered to pay for it. When they design products for western markets they depend on information gathered by their clients for consumer insights.

Business design drew a complete blank; packaging is also not done at the studio although that is something that they would like to do in the future.

The model making they enjoy is Fabulous !!
I saw a range of CP fittings being developed for an MNC that were absolutely gorgeous.

Multi national companies like Whirlpool, Ariston, A.O. Smith, Samsung etc that operate in the Chinese market have been good pay masters though they have to deal with middle managers and not the very top managers.

There are also a few Chinese companies that are employers of designers like TCL, Haier, Lenovo etc.
They look to hiring VIM Design because of the broader perspective they bring in although all of them do have in-house design studios.
The largest design offices in the country that employ upward of 100 designers are almost entirely in the public sector or have some kind of government stake in them.

Idiom and VIM Design can look at collaborating on product design projects especially those that need manufacturing and production support in China and this is something we would be looking at in the future.



Posted by Jacob

What is Design Thinking?

What is Design Thinking?

Wikipedia defines it as "a process for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues that looks for an improved future result. It is the essential ability to combine empathy, creativity and rationality to meet user needs and drive business success. Unlike analytical thinking, design thinking is a creative process based around the "building up" of ideas.

As with design, there’s probably no one definition of design thinking everyone will agree on. The word design can refer to nouns such as designers, physical products, and style. The word can be a verb, as in process, create, and make. For example, Charles Burnette in his IDeSiGN curriculum calls it, “…a process of creative and critical thinking that allows information and ideas to be organized, decisions to be made, situations to be improved, and knowledge to be gained.”

Lately many more people are talking and writing about the application of design thinking to intangible problems, design not only as a verb but as a way of — as Herbert Simon wrote — improving situations. I felt a need to review what has been said and define the term for myself before I could put it into use. Ways of thinking are always difficult to define, but I’m reminded of how Lao Tzu said “The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao” yet he still managed to write a book about it.

I have synthesized for myself what I understand design thinking to be…

• Collaborative, especially with others having different and complimentary experience, to generate better work and form agreement
• Abductive, inventing new options to find new and better solutions to new problems
• Experimental, building prototypes and posing hypotheses, testing them, and iterating this activity to find what works and what doesn’t work to manage risk
• Personal, considering the unique context of each problem and the people involved
• Integrative, perceiving an entire system and its linkages
• Interpretive, devising how to frame the problem and judge the possible solutions

I’m sure one could play with the language and categorization to find more or less characteristics, but I’m happy with just those six.

-Posted by Rahul

India discovers a new TREASURE at Treasure Island

Two weeks after the pilot-launch (March 26, 2010), Treasure Showcase at Treasure Island mall, Indore was opened to the public on Sunday, April 11, 2010. The launch was a grand event.

Treasure Showcase is a new and unique concept in modern retail and introduces about 60 brands into mall retail across apparel, accessories, footwear, cosmetics and home, creating an inclusive modern retail environment and a platform for local/regional manufacturers to take their products, brands and ambitions national. Based on a unique partnership model and a NO RENT initiative, Treasure Showcase aims to create the next generation of brands for a whole new generation of consumers. Idiom had earlier conceptualized and designed the NO RENT initiative in July 2009 and a series of road show events that followed, to launch the idea of Treasure Showcase and invite prospective brand partners.

The prototype store was launched by Mrs. Malaika Arora Khan, the face and brand ambassador of Treasure Showcase in a grand premier launch called FIRST DAY FIRST SHOW. The launch included a high decibel media campaign in all mainline English and Hindi dailies of Indore and supported a very unique and innovative on-ground activation promotion where walk-ins are induced to not only shop then and there but schemes that promote repeat visits and repeat purchases were created. The grand bumper prize will see one lucky shopper walk away with home appliances worth 2 lakhs on June 30, 2010, while other lucky winners will receive gifts ranging from cash vouchers worth Rs. 50,000 to gift coupons and more.

Treasure Showcase Indore is the prototype for what creates ‘RETAILOCRACY’ - an inclusive modern retail environment and a level playing field between what is considered traditional retail and what is construed as modern retail. Expand the market for modern retail, by promoting consumption and innovating retail thus enabling emerging and aspiring manufacturers and brands to enter malls.

Indore will soon be followed by Nanded, Ujjain, Lucknow, Agra, Amaravati, Bangalore, Bareilly, Bhilai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Mohali, Pune, Raipur, Thiruvanathapuram, Udaipur and Vadodara in the months that follow to set up 20 Treasure Showcases by 2011, across the emerging towns and cities of India – the REAL INDIA.

The initial response to Treasure Showcase has been encouraging and positive. Change is here to stay. Indore can now look forward to a whole new shopping experience at Treasure Showcase and exciting promotions over the coming weeks.

Posted By Sumeet

Folding plug wins Design award

An innovative folding electric plug has beaten a final collection by late fashion guru Alexander McQueen to land a top design award

The folding plug is less than a centimetre thick when folded

McQueen, who committed suicide last month, had his latest spring/summer catwalk range placed on the shortlist for the title of Brit Insurance Design of the Year just days after his death.

It lost out to London student Min-Kyu Choi's reinterpretation of the plug, which folds flat for storage.

His design beat more than 90 international nominees who were shortlisted in seven categories.

The winners of the categories went forward to the final judging stage and Choi was presented with his title by judging panel chairman Antony Gormley at a gala dinner held at the Design Museum in London.

Panellists included designer Tom Dixon, editor of Wired magazine David Rowan and broadcaster Janet Street-Porter.

Gormley said: "Thought-through, responsive and modest, the folding plug shows how intelligent, elegant and inventive design can make a difference to everyone's life."

The winning design was inspired by having to carry around a hefty plug to power the world's thinnest laptop, a MacBook Air.

Choi drew praise when he showcased the plug at the Royal College of Art's graduate show in 2009.

Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum, said: "It's great to see such a practical but elegant demonstration of what design can do to make everyday life so much better. Min-Kyu Choi is a designer just setting out on his career and he clearly has a great future ahead of him."

Posted by Elizabeth

Frank Gehry - Trendsetter, Visionary, Innovator and Legendary Architect

Frank Gehry on the popular TV show, the Simpsons

Are we going out of a job?

> For the 'some' of us who get flustered with scheduling design, drawing specs, doling out rigid "dos & don't s" & hate it - this may sound temptingly sweet!

> And the 'others' of us who seek to eliminate chaos, standardize, specify & bring in that much-needed order - an antitheses on our very fiber! A death knell to us 'determinists'!

2002 - Case Western reserve University found themselves drawn to architect Frank Gehry's controversial but widely acclaimed style, hired him, approved his design and brought in a small army of contractors to build it. The contractors duly admired, in a shocked & fretful way, the model of the God-awfully complex structure they were about to undertake, and then asked for the blueprints, to which Gehry's team replied that there weren't any. The contractors thought the group was joking, but Gehry & his associates were serious. But constructing a building without blueprints, the stunned contractors might well have sputtered, would be like putting together a television set from scratch without a wiring diagram.

Gehry's vision was....

To capture the building's intended emotional content, everyone working on the building should keep creating throughout the construction process. Withholding blueprints is a way of making sure that happens. Foregoing a detailed plan is disruptive - it creates convolution, making a neat & well-defined process messy. Every time I've given my brief to the contractors, I've had to specify every little thing...miss the slightest & I've gotten an unholy mess on my hands, crippling delays, me calling the contractor a f**%#@  moron & him calling me some equivalent choice expression. The outcome hit me like a ton of bricks....

Not only was the finished building a stunning hit, completed on time & within budget,

My first impulse was - hah! Yeah well if your project has infinite funding and all the worlds time! But sorry, not for me... I've got deadlines, cost constraints...

Then I finished the sentence...

...but most of the contractors were so pleased with the invention into which they had pushed that they ended up changing the way they do business. 

....No way! Get outta here..... 

....but is that possible? (especially when you aren't Gehry)

Did Gehry succeed because he had brainy contractors? Please find me one... for sure, we are unanimous on this one. Worse, can I trust my contractor to innovate; find a solution so far from his way of working? The answer was right there on the same page...

Freed from the constraints of a blueprint's rigid specifications & standard operating procedures, the contractors & architects were able to collaboratively rethink the design & construction techniques in a way necessary to achieve the project's goals. That led to an eruption of innovation.

Somewhere between extremes of rigid spec docs + schedules of columns, footings, steel members, rebars, concrete mix, etc, etc .....and...... a squiggle & a sketch showing a germ of an idea where we have no clue  how to build it........lies a sweet-spot which is all-inclusive, very gratifying & "happy design". Or so I gather......

I don’t think I have found it as yet . When we are striving to achieve standardization & conformity in our work (please, I'm not a control freak), going by 'Gehry's vision' would mean we might as well mothball our drafters....scary!!

                                                               

  Some of Gehry's Work 

PS - Text in blue - "A Perfect Mess" - Eric Abrahamson & David H Freedman,

        Text in black - my take on things.

Posted by Kiran

Idiom-izing New York

Sonia, Girish and Jacob's visit to Parsons, the New School of Design

Notes from New york

10th March : Girish + Jacob + Sonia

Presented our perspective on India/emerging market and shared Idiom's work and successes with the students, in the School of Design Strategies [at Parsons, the New School of Design]. Followed by an interesting discussion with a group of students. Graduating students are worried about whether (E design thinking), this higher level play of design is a fad or is here to stay, whether sustainability again is just a fad. There was a palpable energy and excitement that the presentation and discussion managed to evoke the sheer speed and scale at which things are happening in India was one of the things that fascinated everyone. Carlos Teixeira [Director, Academic Affairs] our amazing host had quite a schedule planned for us.

11th March : Girish + Jacob + Sonia

Morning: Carlos and his co-faculty members (faculty members, the program director, and career service) presented to us, what they do in the program of Design and Management at Parsons. What is interesting about Parsons, The New School is that its really five schools spread across a few streets and blocks. There is the School of Design Strategies, The School of Fashion, The School of Art, Media and Technology, The School of Constructed Environments and ADHT (Art, Design, History and Technology). Interestingly, the street was very close to the New School's heart in the early years, where anyone could walk off the street and attend a class. Corridors continue to be art galleries. 40% of the students are international. But even the international students come from reasonably affluent backgrounds and we still need to find ways to make emerging markets, sustainability and such real world issues sexy to them.
  We discussed however, the opportunity of internships and of using our design success stories as cases and the possibility of online interactions. Besides, we also committed to developing an exhibition for the Parsons' gallery, that brings alive both India and our work.

Afternoon: With Carlos, met Joel Towers, Dean Parsons and Mathew Caballero, Asst Dean, Parsons. It was nice to find out that one of the most respected design institutions in the world had quite a refreshing perspective and had chosen to be nimble. Joel talked about the New School being part of a global network, where there would be a lot of exchange in not very typical/formal/structured ways. We were all very excited about the possibility of collaboration.

Evening: The evening rocked! We presented in the Orozco room. This is a room reserved for very special occasions. Orozco (a Mexican mural artist painted a mural on the walls of this room, in a way that it couldn't be taken out. He wanted his work to be accessible by the public and not put away in a museum). Well, we made our work accessible to the cool junta of New York (finally!) But seriously we had an amazing crowd of academicians, practitioners and industry. Most that Carlos had invited, some whom Jacob and Sonia had called. We showed our E India movie, The Idiom presentation (by Sonia and Jacob) and then Kishoreji (Kishore Biyani), along with us, took questions. We started at 6 pm and it showed no signs of winding up, even by 9 pm and continued on to dinner. (The legendary) Bruce Nussbaum, who was there went on record to say that this was the most engaging discussion he had had on design ever. Even Mr Biyani was excited and enjoyed the discussion.  Most were fascinated by the scale and speed at which things are happening in India. Carlos was beaming (he made it possible and everyone was thanking him for inviting them). We made new friends, in the UN, in Panasonic, in Havaianas, in AIGA, in Smart Design and many more.

12th March

We (Carlos, Jacob, Girish, Sonia) had lunch with Miodrag Mitrasinovic, Dean, School of Design Strategies. He told us about the idea of laboratories/about the India-China School. It was a meeting that turned out to be more than just refreshing!!! We have a follow on meeting early next week to make a plan of action to develop on the emerging design education needs in India looks like things will happen sooner than later. 

Posted By Sonia

Designing Engineering Excellence

The TVS exhibit at the Delhi 2010 auto expo

An Indian trade show dedicated to showcasing automotive excellence

The 10th auto expo held in New Delhi between Jan 5th – 11th, 2010 was a grand success. There were over 150,000 business visitors, 2000 odd participants and over a million visitors. The crowd consisted of overseas buyer delegations, International Business Visitors, Dealers Delegation, Government Officials, Senior Executives of PSUs, Garage & Workshop Owners, CEOs / Decision Makers, Division Heads, Managers / Department Heads, Engineers, Consultants, Technicians, Mechanics, Drivers, Delegation from State Transport Companies, Delegations from Technical Institutions and General Visitors. The expo was spread across 70,000 square ft at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. It witnessed the largest ever overseas participation with contingents from Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Taiwan. There were 72 vehicle launches at the expo, 10 of them being Global launches. Many participants launched vehicles with the aim of tapping into Indian market, as we have the 2nd largest two-wheeler consumer market in the world.

TVS Motors rocks the Expo:

  

  One of the front runners in the Indian two-wheeler market, TVS motors, had an excellent expo. TVS showcased its range of existing production models along with those that run on alternative energy sources and an ATV concept vehicle called the Hammerhead. TVS had one of the best exhibits at the expo. The swanky exhibit area was conceptualized and built by Idiom Design and Consulting, Bangalore. The TVS exhibit area was one of the trendiest and most modern looking exhibit areas at the Delhi auto expo.

The Engineering Ripple:

    The design objective that Idiom had been given by TVS was- ‘Real products for Real people’. Keeping this in mind, Idiom came up with a design concept called ‘Engineering Ripple’. As TVS is moving forward with Technology, Idiom felt that they needed a modern design that was interactive and also showed the people how TVS has evolved over the years.

     

  The exhibit area was designed in such a way that people could have interactive opportunities with the working of these machines. So, in addition to displaying the vehicles, Idiom also embedded working automotive parts (like the disk brake system, fuel intake design and 2-wheeler engines) into the display. There was a history and technology timeline display depicting the evolution of TVS through the years. There was also a visual suspended meeting room overlooking the exhibition space. The Wheels unplugged review says “The display at TVS Motor Company stall demonstrates the company’s unwavering pursuit for green technologies to create pragmatic innovations that benefit the lives of people. “

The 2010 TVS motors line-up:

The TVS section at the expo was well received by many. Anand, an Engineer with a reputed auto-manufacturer said “ABS in two wheelers is a boon to riders. Ok! No stunts! But safety improves. Hope Bajaj and Hero Honda soon catch up. ABS will be really useful in places like Kerala where you have rains for 3-4 months continuously”. They also introduced their new babies, the 110cc Jive and the Wego scooter. The focus of TVS for the year 2010 would be on these two models. There were many more TVS displays like the new ABS (anti-lock braking system) kitted Apache RTR 180, the Scooty Streak hybrid (petrol + battery operated) and the delicious Hammerhead (a 4-wheeled quad concept vehicle).

The hottest new scooter to hit Indian roads: the Wego

   Over the last couple of years, Idiom has been working with TVS with the Branding of its newly launched scooter, the TVS Wego. The Wego comes with a 110 cc engine that delivers a peak power of 8 BHP @ 7500rpm. TVS has made use of vehicle simulation models, computational fluid dynamics and frequency response analysis techniques to ensure smooth and noise-free engine and best-in-class ride comfort and handling. The all aluminum low-friction engine ensures best-in-class mileage. Multi-reflector halogen headlamps and LED tail lamp with optical guides give the scooter dynamic styling better described as urban dynamism.

  One of the unique features of TVS Wego is its Body Balance Technology that enables lower steering effort, better control and maneuverability through optimum vehicle mass and mass distribution, making it the best scooter to handle in city traffic conditions. With the launch of TVS Wego, TVS Motor becomes the only company with the widest range of scooters in the market starting from the entry-level Scooty Teenz, Scooty Teenz Electric to the iconic Scooty Pep+, the snazzy Scooty Streak and now the TVS Wego. With Idiom’s help, TVS has launched another sure winner.

 

Post Expo:

 The space was designed in such a way that no particular display stole the show and all the displays were given equal visibility. TVS lived up to people’s expectations. They had a world-class exhibition area to showcase their work. TVS motors seems to be adopting greener technologies to the maximum extent possible while not deviating off from biker’s interests. No wonder the TVS stall at the expo received many visitors and was a big hit. Idiom gave TVS what they asked for- a design showcasing real products for real people.

Posted by Rahul

Bridging The Gap Between Bazaars and Supermarkets

The Big Bazaar Family Center, Malleshwaram

An Introduction to Big Bazaar:

    The concept of shopping at a supermarket is relatively new in India. Until a few years back, there weren't any Supermarket Chains in the country. So, when the Future group brought forth the concept of Big Bazaar, they took India by storm. Big Bazaar is now a chain of hypermarkets with more than 100 stores across India. It is a subsidiary of the Future group. It is a unique hybrid, modeled by combining the conventional international supermarket with the traditional Indian bazaar concept. It is the Brainchild of  Idiom Design and Consulting and the Future Group . Idiom has been involved with the Future group in the conceptualization of Big Bazaar right from its inception. As you know, the Big bazaar franchise has been tremendously successful. Big Bazaar has brought the concept of 'Hypermarket' stores to India. Right from the concept, to the design of this project, both parties have worked collaboratively to create something new and unique to the other Big Bazaar Centers.

The Family Center Concept:

 The core thought was to create a Big Bazaar that plays a much larger role in people's lives, more than just transactional shopping. It should be a 'must-visit' destination for a larger group of people. The rationale was to create a destination that celebrates togetherness and joy while offering the virtues of saving thereby maximizing the value of every Rupee/ moment spent here. To make the place a pivotal point for the Indian family, more ' Theatre/ Discovery' was added so that families felt the need to spend more time here and enjoy every moment that they spend at the BBFC. The idea was to create a shopping experience that was interactive with the customer, a 'Destination Store' , a place where people could go not only to shop, but also to spend their entire day there.

Designing for the local community:

  The aim was to design a space that the people of the community could connect to. Our market research showed that Malleshwaram was predominantly a Family community. The people living in this area are very conservative and traditional. All these elements had to be taken into consideration while the design was being planned. Therefore, the space and graphic designs were all themed around this concept.

   Live sections, rice and banana mandis, sampling and tasting, fresh flowers, lots of areas to snack, recreational areas (Ice-hockey, foos-ball and pool tables), a salon for men and women etc were all embedded into the design. There are demo zones called the 'Try- Me' zones where the customer can sample sweets, papads etc which are heated or cooked right in front of them. There is a grinding area where you can get your rice or wheat ground immediately after purchase, free of cost. There is also a customer advisory board consisting of a few eminent customers from the Malleshwaram locality, so they could connect with Big Bazaar directly. Our market research revealed that Malleshwaram consisted of various communities and each with different food habits. To strike a connection with these communities and to give a taste of modern retail, it was imperative to include something for every community (ex: a pudi and powder section for the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada communities). Since it is a family center, there was something included for every member of the family. All age groups were also taken into consideration. There is a cafe, a recreational area and loads of food stalls where the youth can relax and spend their time. There are also benches on all floors so that the tired and the elderly can rest when they feel like sitting down.

Navigation was made easy by placing signage at every strategic point and displaying what each section housed with descriptive text and images. People seemed happy that their shopping experience was made easier (by housing various products under one roof). They were happy that now they could get whatever they wanted, from flowers to jeans, from pastas to murukkus, all under one roof. The concept of a family center was well appreciated by the customers. The Family Center houses a lot of ethnic merchandise to cater to the needs of the community.

 Our team took into consideration and included the following features into our design:

Designing the Space:

•  Facade: A landmark space, a grand entrance, with temple like cues that make the store visible and prominent from a distance
• Stambha: A large structure which becomes the signature element of every Family Center
• Ample aisle space
• Seating arrangements for the elderly
• Big lifts to accommodate a larger number of people
• Partnering with local vendors (ex: Bhagyalaxmi Gulkand, Gayathri Coffee etc) to bring the local flavor of the catchment
• Separate floors for men, women and children fashion, giving more space to show case the depth and width of the products
• Since the catchment houses a more conservative section of society, and keeping the idea of making the BBFC a landmark, community center, we tried to embed Templesque designs 

 Designing the Graphics:

• The theme 'Family spirit' was reflected by the graphics on the facade and the internal communication
• The communication and visual vocabulary captured the heterogeneity from community to locality to celebration, gifting, saving, merchandise etc
• Bold and bright colors that serve the purpose of clear visibility and easy navigation for customers around the store

Value Shopping for Local Communities:

 The Family Center houses loads of products and brands, all under one roof. These products are very aptly prices. For instance, a customer can choose from close to 50 varieties of rice, neatly arranged and packaged, and end up paying less than what they would pay outside. The 'Local connect factor' was well received by everyone. For example. the banana mandi stall is actually run by a local vendor who is well known in Malleshwaram. He sells his fruits for Rs. 4 lesser than what he sells at his stall. Shoppers can avail of a number of discounts and offers that Big Bazaar has to offer. For example, the 'BUY 2, get 1 FREE' concept is applied to many products. The Family center is the ultimate shopping destination for those who believe in Value Shopping.

The Launch:

The Big Bazaar family center in Malleshwaram, Bangalore was launched on the 6th of February, 2010. The launch was a grand event. The launch started out with performances by folk artists and a Dollu Kunitha performance followed by the customary 'Cutting of the ribbon' and a traditional pooja to bless the new family center. There were folk dancers, performers, caricature artists, musicians, a DJ and loads of fun activities for the customers. Popular Kannada movie star, Mr. Ramesh Aravind visited the family center later in the evening to have and interactive session with the customers.

  The launch was a big success and the BBFC was flooded with people from all over, most of whom were excited that Malleshwaram now housed a Big Bazaar. Our design was unique and different from all the other existing Big Bazaars. Our intention was to merge Big Bazaar with the community. We wanted to transform shopping from just being an errand into becoming an enjoyable experience.

 

Record Success:

  The Big Bazaar Family center is doing extremely well. Sales on weekdays touch around Rs. 20 lakhs, while sales on a Saturday or Sunday could easily net Rs. 40 to 80 lakhs. The Family center has blended in to the otherwise conservative and traditional locality of Malleshwaram. The Big Bazaar Family Center is something to look forward to. It is different from the other Big Bazaars in terms of its local connect. We are now in the conceptualizing phase, with the Future group, in launching a Family Center along the lines of the one in Malleshwaram, in Rajajinagar (another traditional south indian, conservative section of Bangalore). So drop by the Big Bazaar Family Center in Malleshwaram and see Value shopping at its best.


Posted By Rahul