‘Transforming brands into space’

At Matter we closed 2018 talking about the importance of design and architecture in retail. On 13 December we held “Transforming brands into space” at Matter Barcelona, the last Talk that Matter of the season: a session on how a brand is translated into a retail space, from strategy to detail.

Talks that Matter is our series of meetings between professionals from architecture, interior design and industry. This edition featured Marcos Parera (Mesura), Montse Vicens (INTSIGHT), Isern Serra, of the studio he shares with Sylvain Carlet, María Callís, retail consultant, and Miquel Àngel Julià (Nuklee). Each brought new variables and perspectives on architecture and interior design applied to retail.

Speakers and topics

Five talks with a common thread: how to turn a brand’s values into a physical experience.

Marcos Parera (Mesura): renewing the retail container

Marcos Parera, architect, partner and creative director of Mesura, heads the studio’s retail area, devoted to refurbishing commercial spaces in contemporary and experimental settings. In his talk he spoke about the importance of architecture in renewing retail spaces that have become outdated in terms of modernity and innovation, and showed the studio’s constant pursuit of a modern, sustainable and comfortable city.

Montse Vicens (INTSIGHT): details as brand language

Montse Vicens, founder of INTSIGHT, a strategy and creative direction studio for brands and spaces, explored the importance of details in helping brands convey their values. For INTSIGHT, details give an interior its soul, and it is through them that brands express their image and identity.

Isern Serra: conceptualising spaces

Isern Serra, who works with Sylvain Carlet in the studio they founded together in 2008, presented some of their interior design projects that marked a turning point for exhibition installations that had become outdated in design and style. One example is the stands for the furniture company Enea: for the 2018 Salone del Mobile, Serra and Carlet worked with areas of colour to present the brand’s new colour range, and with industrially finished materials.

María Callís: the relationship between business owner and creative

María Callís, a specialist in creating, updating and developing retail concepts, emphasised the relationship between business owner and creative, and how to interpret a company’s needs, taking its identity and image into account, in order to offer it the best ideas and advice geared to its success.

Miquel Àngel Julià (Nuklee): design as the driving force of the brand

Finally, Miquel Àngel Julià, architect, partner at Grup Idea and director of strategy and design at Nuklee, the Grup Idea division devoted to designing brand concepts from the ground up, spoke about the importance of design in driving brand growth. He highlighted the consumer’s experience inside a shop as a crucial element in their satisfaction with the product and the brand.

Key ideas for designing brand spaces

The five talks yield some useful ideas for anyone designing retail spaces:

• Renew the container: architecture can make outdated retail spaces relevant again.
• Take care of the detail: it is in the details that a brand expresses its image and identity within the space.
• Conceptualise the space: a clear concept can give new life to outdated exhibition installations, such as trade fair stands.
• Listen to the client: interpreting the company’s needs is the basis of the relationship between business owner and creative.
• Design the experience: the customer’s experience in the shop shapes their satisfaction with the product and the brand.

Thanks and networking

At Matter we would like to thank everyone who attended, and the speakers, who showed great professionalism and shared with the audience projects that were the fruit of their effort and dedication. The event ended with an aperitif to encourage networking and synergies among our guests.