After a period of  intense "on-screen"  designing, I finally took the time to get my hands dirty. Inspired by the DIY book: DESIGNOBJECTEN 2, I felt like getting creative with concrete- mix, an industrial sized bucket and some wooden pegs to make a small bar stool.


More images and a project description are filed under: RRODUCT DESIGN > concrete stool

In the past week I had a successful concept presentation in Shanghai: by analysing the consumer research, three conceptual customer-journeys were created to communicate the concept of the design. The result is a concept store unlike anything the Chinese sports-bicycle industry has ever seen. Plans are made for launching a first concept store in China in the course of 2015. 

In order to design a retail concept that truly works for a sports-bicycle brand in China, research on the product’s context in the Chinese culture has been scheduled for current months.

With the help of Dutch marketing researcher (.) and a local Chinese research company, we were able to successfully conduct focus-groups and observations among various consumer groups across China and the Netherlands. Chinese consumerism and the Asian sports-bicycle industry is truly fascinating to research and there is a lot to design for. 

My next retail project will be in Shanghai, China. In close cooperation with Q-square consultants Han Goes, established in bicycle design, a retail concept for a Chinese sports-bicycle brand will be developed to boost sales and attract new customers. 

Research and design planning started by exploring China’s consumerism and getting in touch with the brand’s culture. 

After many months of working on the retail design of Spar at Dastro retail concepten, Dastro and I finally witnessed the opening of a Spar City at the Hague's New Babylon building. 
Even though it is hard  to suppress the urge to inspect every detail, the experience of the first stroll through a shop that you worked on is incredible.