In pursuit of beautiful concepts – distill to distinct
Every design choice in a brand interior, spatial experience or exhibition design should be made consciously and derive from a strong design concept. The same is true when creating a collection of objects.
The design concept is something we distill out of the foundation.
While the foundation is your platform, an archive you can constantly come back to for inspiration, the design concept is a distilled and very clear version.
If last weeks issue’s nurture your foundation was about exploring, searching, adding, deepening and building…
…distill to distinct is stripping away, making hard choices, focusing, distilling into a clear and unique concept.
In this 3rd issue, we look into the fundamental importance of the Design Concept, it’s time for Principle No.2 Distill to distinct.
Did you know that you can always come back to read this and other issues in my Journal.
The image is from the workshop I facilitated together with one of the founders and Creative Director of BVD, Catrin Vagnemark, when starting up the project of designing the interiors of their office.
The starting point for the design concept always comes from you
BVD is a well renowned strategic design agency with a foundational concept “Simplify to Clarify”.
During a workshop we explored their values, what they find essential, and asked each of the employees to define how a day normally – and preferably looks like!
When creating their office interior design, my job was to translate their visual identity into spatial form, and weave in functional needs and flow of the day-to-day practise, as well as an inviting atmosphere for visiting clients.
At the moment we’re doing some finishing touches. Stay signed up for this journal and see how it turned out!
A good interior concept can fall if the actual colour and material choices aren’t properly managed. Here I’m trying out, and sharing with the staff to see and feel, the colour and material choices for the BVD interior design in it’s right environment.
When we understand a brand and/or the underlying story, we can create a design concept that manifests it physically. One of the underlying ideas was to design the space like a “spatial portfolio”. Large scale typography, a graphic black thin line becomes a shelf for the studio’s award winning work.
In adherence to defining strategic colour schemes, material choices etc. the design concept can also bring forward functional and idea based aspects. This is an early inspirational moodboard in the BVD project, defining a completely new space, an atelier, where the hands on skills and everyday work with packagings, mockups, presentation could be supported and also communicated and invited into for clients and collaborators.
Behind the Scenes at Maison Entière:
The creation of a Scent Story
Remember the large inspirational moodboard that I shared with you in last issue of this journal? When I created the For the Love of Pine artisan scent collection, I needed to focus my inspiration and the open possibilities of the larger lab-project, into a distinct scent story.
The three following collages visualize the three layered Scent Story and helped focus my work in recreating my idea as a fragrance. I shared it as a Monday Moodboard. Follow me on IG for a creative and inspirational start of the week.
For the Love of Pine
Scent Story: Heart Note
Fresh wood, pine needles, oil painting, forest air
For the Love of Pine
Scent Story: Accessory Note
Citrusy fresh, heather, blueberry bushes, green pine cones
For the Love of Pine
Scent Story: Base Note
Mature pine wood furniture, moss, resiny, earthy
You can order a numbered box of the artisan scent collection For the Love of Pine here. Or come by the studio to experience it.
Moodboard vs Material board
While a Moodboard (conceptual collage) is an essential part of the design process, and defines, suggests and bring together a visual idea, the Material board makes the design concept real, tried and tested and tangible and multisensory.
When you take time to distill the concept, more creative, unique and authentic design work will follow with much more ease and intention!
How would your brand look, feel and work, when manifested physically? If you have an idea, but need help bringing it out, let’s work together. If you’re not sure, let’s find out!
Multisensory design concepts
The more focused a design concept is, the clearer it has been distilled, the more you can create with it – multidisciplinary, multisensory, for different medias – and still keep it coherent.
That’s how you design Oneness.
In the “Sensory Richness” exhibition at Dahl Agenturer I weaved together “For the Love of Pine”, as well as “Le Cabanon Suédois”, two experimental design projects from Entière Lab. The exhibition and end result is actually a curation of the process, a kind of a behind-the-scenes to how I work with material boards and bespoke surfaces in a thematic way when creating interiors and spatial experiences.
How can you express your brand or story in a multisensory spatial experience? What is the main, strategic concept from where all the choices are made?
The inspiration for the concept.
The concept was created from the sensation of walking alone and off-season on the cliffs, by the sea. It challenged my idea on colour combinations and material choices. I wanted to recreate and share what I found intriguing.
Multisensory installation.
This very thematic design, in a few, distinct chapters, enabled creative work in a multidisciplinary way. From materials to painted surfaces, bespoke paint finishes, carpets and textiles. Interior and symbolic details. Plants, moss and flower arrangements. On the opening night snacks and drinks were included in the large scale material boards, as part of the installation.
Remember, a focused design concept doesn’t narrow down the possibilities, it gives way to them. So dare focus in a personal way and you’ll get a platform for endless creativity! Let’s collaborate.
Book the Talk or Workshop:
10 PRINCIPLES of Holistic Design
Let’s create brand building and storytelling design concepts that are authentic, responsible and dare to look forward. Invite your audience to spatial experiences that’s truly engaging and human centered, that enlivens all senses.
We need a new paradigm. I invite you to dive in and explore this path with me.
/Charlotte Ryberg, Creative Director & Designer Entière
Architecture or design studio, design school, creative or holistic brand?
Let’s set up the talk or workshop,
tailored to your conditions.
Together we will explore and define how each of the 10 Principles and how they apply to you. Each principle adds depth and another layer to your brand and story.
The talk/workshop can also focus mainly on the first two foundational and concept creating principles, and be held in either Swedish or English.
I can host at my studio (max 10 participants) or come to you. Perfect for that inspirational day at the architectur/design studio, design school or product brand. It brings energy, authenticity and focus for companies and institutions where design, creativity or a holistic perspective is at the core.
Interested? Let’s set it up!
Monday Moodboard Week 12: Relate to time