Full spotlights on the brand new Allianz agency innovative service design concept

Allianz is leading a redesign process of the agencies with a design solution aimed to strengthen the brand leadership and to improve the shopping experience, through a brand new innovative model of service and the enhancement of the new visual identity.

The project which started back in the second half of 2012, carried out crucial development stages for the conception of project whose first agency was officially inaugurated in Milan around mid June.

Following a strategic analysis to understand the context using surveys in Italy, Germany and France and interviews with 63 agents in different countries, further meetings were carried out for the evaluation of creative drafts and to discuss about the new service model with the management and the Allianz Partner Agents Committee.

The project passed through a technical development stage, after the approval by the CEO George Sartorel and by the Allianz Partner Agents Committee in late 2012.

The new service design concept of Allianz agency caharacterized by a stylish and fresh environment, which promotes the relationship between Agent and customer.

The model of service is developed according to different areas which interprete Allianz new way of communicating by interactive and visually impactful atmosphere.

The project breaks the standards of the traditional insurance service model, realizing a comfortable space designed to make the customer feel at ease with new counseling workstations, an important welcome area and a zone for fast operations.

The brand values of quality, clarity, modernity and elegance were channeled through the set of all finishing materials.

The choice of these elements has been studied in detail to create a refined environment: light and dark wood and steel give life to a welcoming atmosphere consistent with the professionalism of Allianz. The final result is a very bright and reassuring space, that communicates strength and confidence to the customer. The design is Crea International srl and dinn! srl copyright.

 Info: www.creainternational.com/allianz

CREA International e Il Prisma. Il nuovo assetto societario

CREA International coerentemente al proprio posizionamento, annuncia un nuovo assetto societario con l'ingresso nel capitale sociale a fianco del fondatore Alberto Pasquini de Il Prisma, azienda con 43 anni di esperienza nell' architettura, interior design, ricerca e sviluppo nel settore dell' ambiente di lavoro, affermatasi sul mercato grazie ad una metodologia "Redefine Your Habits", che nasce dall' interpretazione dello spazio come luogo fisico volto ad alimentare il talento e la passione di chi lo abita e di Marco Bini, uno dei massimi esperti in Strategic Retail Management. 

I progetti di CREA International rappresentano l'integrazione dinamica ed innovativa di architettura, design strategico dei servizi, retail design e naming&branding con una metodologia unica, innovativa e consolidata "Physical Brand Design" ovvero la capacità di portare i valori del brand attraverso il design all' interno dello spazio fisico. 

L'operazione del valore complessivo di oltre mezzo milione di Euro tra aumento di capitale e finanziamento soci, consentirà a CREA International di attingere ad una piattaforma multidisciplinare ricca di risorse professionali con oltre 50 specialisti tra architetti, ingegneri, project & account manager e grafici. 

Per ulteriori informazioni, è possibile visitare il sito www.creainternational.com

Lavazza coffee shop is running abroad with the new format Espression - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

A design concept signed by Crea International supporting italian brand’s internationalization as told by Marco Valle, the Lavazza coffee shop director.

"Espression is a highly identification place of Lavazza brand, a combination of creativity and style in which the coffee expertise and the typical italian design concept are blended.

The layout’s aim is all italian and plays on design elements and on creativity which is expressed not only in an aesthetic way, but even in the products’ offer. Instead the retail design reflects our bands values. A modern design, rotating around photography’s world. Design innovation can be discovered even in small details, together with the use of technology, allowing great flexibility according to the contexts in which we operate. The physical layout is adaptable to every single necessity of the store”.

This is what Marco Valle said during an interview on the magazine “Retail & food”, focusing above all on demonstrating how the company objective aims not in a strong numerical development, but in presiding over specific areas, well representing the countries in which the company invests.

After first opening of the pilot coffee shop concept in Turin, the brand has started to spread in a trasversal way.

The store in Malpensa is one of the last ones, half in China, Belfast, Dublin and Budapest airports and a deal made with chinese partners which allowed to open in 10 months 18 shops between Shangai, Guangzhou and Beijing, with the aim to join more than 200 stores in the next five years.

“Espression” really aims in telling “Italy” in a new but absolutely truthful and current manner.

Old traditional stereotypes have to be put aside in order to bring to the surface a truer and more modern way of being Italian, communicating that originality, vitality, pluralism of languages and cultures, typical of italian culture and its “ecleticism”, offering the pleasure to drink a coffee in an amusing, emotional, innovative and different environment. In Italy Lavazza does not need to improve the brand awareness because the brand holds 48% in retail market, serving more than 10 thousand bars.

That’s why the attention of the the company is now focused in investing abroad.
Click here to find espression coffee shops worldwide.

Forte Bank – supporting your success, the last challenging project signed by Crea International - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

A new banking brand with the mission to be a step ahead on retail banking kazakh market, through a premium positioning

“Forte Bank” (Almaty – Kazakhistan) the new rebranded METROCOMBANK has just announced the launching of a new banking brand

A bank looking at the future and innovation but still keeping the own cultural and traditional roots. “ In mid 2010, we decided to rebrand the bank. There were a number of key reasons: the perception of METROCOMBANK as a retail bank offering express loans and its association with a Russian bank. The Bank has rapidly repositioned itself as the institution offering the highest quality banking services to the SME and corporate clients. We are now ready to demonstrate that the bank has changed not only the logo and name, but also the philosophy of customer service,''- said Guram Andronikashvili, CEO of “ForteBank” JSC.

A project where Crea International was involved in a multiprofile design,

ranging from new brand identity with the creation of a new logo to a new branch design concept and on product and fashion, to give the company a new repositioning on the market.“We create for Fortebank a unique identity that is a mix of international contemporary and Kazakhstan rooted mood, both in branding and in physical design for branches. Every single detail has been designed following this philosophy, from logo to visuals, from branches to people dress code. The results is a new bank image that is setting a new standard in banking sector in Kazakhstan. As for the new branches, we focus our design in creating a totally brand new customer experience, unseen so far in the country. The Fortebank branches have a customer service designed on some clear statements: simplicity in managing transaction, effectiveness in supporting customer's consultancy and learning needs, high quality in space experience. Fortebank will contribute to open a new way of doing banking in Kazakhstan and to communicate worldwide the New Kazakhstan business standards." Words that Massimo Fabbro, Ceo of the Physical Brand Design company proudly expressed, having been able of working and successfully complete such an articulated project. 

The Bank will continue to serve businesses in Kazakhstan, offering unique products and first class service.

The new brand is designed to strengthen the association with the chosen strategy and to enhance the reputation of the bank as a financial institution built exclusively for Kazakh businesses. The unique and personalized service model is designed putting customers as central fulcrum of all processes using newest banking technologies and completely different from the banking processes used by the traditional banks in Kazakhstan. Forte Bank first aim is to pay attention at its customers and keep beside them step by step along their business growth to establish a strong and longterm relationship well reputed and unmistakable, teaching them the techniques and procedures to improve their business strategies.

The chosen name ForteBank (in different languages "Superior" "Fast", "built for the ages") reflects the concept of the new brand to communicate a cool, iconic and premium institution,

going through cross border dimension, focused on cultural Kazakhstan reinterpretation. The new bank's logo was created by a Kazakh ornament coming from bording country, a reinterpretation of traditional yurta ornamental motifs, acknowledging country’s origin. Logo is the first element of brand graphic dna: it expresses bank values and imagery in just one simple sign using a huge pattern tone on tone helping to make the brand be immediately recognizable and premium looking reassuring for the huge use of logotype. The font of logo is customized to give a tone of unicity to the bank. Colours are unique for Kazakh banking market, result of a study, managed by Crea International working team, on kazakhstan banking colour scenario, to find out new gradations never used by competitors which could express the national iconic colours, deeply rooted in local traditions: burgundy and sky blue color. An accurate choice to create a premium brand perception deriving from from the chromatich constrast of dark and light colours.

In the very near future, the bank will present its new Forte Bank branch in Almaty, fully projected by the retail design company.

Suggest Link - Suggest URL Directory

Physical-Brand-Design eclecticism showcased on the prestigious design magazine “Ottagono”: different projects, striking the balance between aesthetics and emotions - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

“Transforming the relationship model” : space to create value for the brand through service innovation, working on some strategic souls such as reputation and customer engagement

Four different projects, from different geographical areas and fields showcasing how Physical Brand Design translates the heart of the brand through design innovation, but adapting it even according to the culture and traditions of the country, without imposing its own style. Each project is handled by a multidisciplinary team of individuals of different ages and with widely diverse professional experiences with the goal to change the relationship between place, use and users creating a new service model and a new retail service design journey of the space.

Innovation is not necessarily synonymous with technology but Crea International often uses space to create innovation, not through material codes or colors, but just as tool to communicate emotions as in the case of Air Bank, the Czech bank which stepped out from traditional and old banking stereotypes. The space organized around a central “agora” surrounded by a stepped amphitheater and the assertive use of colors, make the branch iconic and recognizable and are making the success of the bank, which has opened 15 branches in less than one year.

Another interesting and out of the box project by the retail design company, published on the magazine is “1001 nights”, a concept restaurant in a big hub for Qatari people entertainment, offering a complete dining experience: different landscapes for a variety of different menus and dining room atmospheres.The access is conveyed by a magic pipe which takes people into the different areas of the building, living from the underground one through a set course, passing under a waterfall, to a very dark and scenographic lobby, where the most sophisticated technology leads people in choosing food. A place where it’s possible to choose food experience, if being serviced by attendants, or receiving food without seeing anybody, through innovative tricks. 

Once again space astonishes, surprises and offers a unique and memorable experience. In Tim retail stores instead, another important Physical Brand Design project space is focused to reinforce brand identity, reputation and positioning, maintaining the historical values of the company. The aim is to offer a “warm technology” to shift attention to products, services and communication, avoiding the invasive presence of technology and tempering the chilly appearance of plastic and telecom products with warm colors and materials with a modularity of the space. 

Last but not least in terms of innovation for Arab culture still anchored to its traditions, is Saudi Arabian Airlines, where a radical reorganization of the space focusing on the culture and everyday lifestyles in Saudi Arabia characterizes its branch offices around the world. The other side of the moon is the design metaphor of the entire space, from the craters in the floors to the round ceiling light units, to the graphic patterns to decorate the surfaces. A space focused on customer engagement for a total new experience within the space and values of the brand.

See also:

A store more than a bank: Air Bank branch invites people to go and live the bank - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Numbers demonstrating how service design innovation has contributed to grow customer satisfaction

Physical Brand Design strategy has succeeded to reach the goal in creating a new retail banking design format, capable to attract customers, giving them an overall feeling of reassurance and freedom.

A community environment, based upon relationship and retail codes which has contributed in just 4 months to achieve 20 thousands customers who have around 9 billion CZK (360 mil. €) and to plan for the end of 2012 to have 60 – 70 thousands of customers. These results, besides obviously the commercial strategies of PPF company, have been even reached thanks to the retail service design strategy which has succeeded in creating a new experience inside the branch, helping to increase customer loyalty.

A fact also emphasized by the numerical statistics: more than 80 % customers choose Air Bank from the 5 biggest bank in Czech Republic, 60 % of new account requests are made through internet and 40 % in stores. But signed agreement are 60 % completed in stores and 40 % on internet (even if the full online sign-up is supported).

It means, that 20 % of all customers start filling the request form on internet but prefer to go to the store and finish the procedure. An important element, underlining how the customer feel reassured and loose in finalizing its operations within the branch. A success that will be discussed tomorrow in Paris at Efma conference “Branch of the future” by Air Bank marketing director Jakub Petrina.

 See the attached video with the interview to Martina Duskova, store manager in Air Bank branch in Prague explaining and confirming how physical brand design empowered customer’s loyalty.

Air Bank branch presented at Efma conference in Paris : a unique retail service design journey strenghtening customer satisfaction and brand identity - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Focus on how Physical Brand Design strategy has contributed to the success of this innovative retail banking format

From Thursday 3 to Friday 4 May 2012 Crea International will be hosted in Paris, at Efma conference “Branch of the future”, through the voice of Jakub Petrina, Air Bank marketing director, who will explore the bank as a distinctive retail banking case.

Jakub Petrina presentation will focus on how the innovative design of the branch, fully expressing the values of the brand, has contributed to give success to new Czech bank, proposing a unique service design experience for customers in a fresh, friendly and no barriers environment.

He will show how the free fruition of space inside the branch which allows customers to take a seat wherever they desire, affects their relationship with the bank, making them feel at ease but even supported and assisted, in a complete paperless experience. Mr Petrina will even explain why a unique design does not have to be expensive to be impacting and successful.

A journey into brand lightingscape: Crea International presentation at Frankfurt fair “light build” - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

The multidisciplinary approach to create store design innovation in retail spaces: lighting as an important tool to translate and enhance brand identity

Andrea Borsetto and Marco De Carli, design director and marketing strategy director from the Physical-Brand-Design company gave a lecture on how the multidisciplinary approach of the retail design company creates innovative environments, working on two important aspects: on one side on a strategic and marketing view highlighting how lighting influences the retail service design journey and the layout zoning and on the other from a creative and design point of view creating emotional effects.

Light is an important tool to create innovation in a retail design project. Particular focus has been given to Barwa Bank branch (Doha-Qatar), one of the most innovative retail banking projects by Crea International, where light contributed to give value to the brand and, above all, to the retail service design journey. Thanks to the appropriate and impacting use of lighting, together with the innovative interior design, Crea International created a technological and emotional queuing system. Inside the branch the customer is welcomed by an attendant who, giving him a digital device which through a colour matched to his responsible banker informs him of his turn when the colour appears to his workstation, shows him all the new products of the bank through the interactive and touch screens. Decorative elements are all backlight and during the night, thanks to light system use, the bank assumes a very emotional and dramatic effect.

Light can help in creating a story with focus on brand identity, integrated in the service model can help in developing different areas and atmospheres and different approaches with the customers, and mixed with design affects the emotional aspect giving materic sensations. Marco De Carli explained also how, during the design creation, the Physical Brand Design process led the project team to talk with solution providers as General electric, working together to find out the technical light solutions to enfasize and give value to the design project. The presentation explored three different cases: on food, bank and fashion where lighting has worked to create value for a brand. Very interesting “Barbican” benchmark food restaurant for its innovative way of using light to tell a story and to divide the spaces : a theatricality used to create different zones and atmospheres, to enhance emotional feelings.
Another interesting benchmark explored is “The United nude”, which uses light to display the product, highlighting it in a very innovative way to engage customers. Light is inside the furnitures,every single light solution is custom made for the space, and the “Wall of light”, a wall made of coloured lights, enfasizes products.
In order to create a positive and innovative environment, lighting can create the path for the design shape within a perfect integration and develop values through the design experience , finding out innovative lighting solution through a strong partnership to create benchmarks for the brand. Working with a solution partner like GE the Physical Brand Design projects can develop and suggest a consistent branding and innovation space design project.
See also:

Crea International at Frankfurt fair “light build”

An industry experts’ discussion on how sophisticated lighting design & quality lighting adds value to office spaces

On Tuesday, 17th April Andrea Borsetto, design director and Marco De Carli, marketing and strategy director at Crea International will give a lecture at “light+building”, the world’s biggest trade fair for lighting and intelligent buildings. 2,100 ehibitors and more than 180 visitors in last 2010 edition, top countries Netherlands, Italy, Austria, France, Switzerland, great Britain. Spain, China, Belgium and Russia. The Physical-Brand-Design company will face a discussion on how design influences brand and image and how lighting can best attract customers. Stay tuned !

Crea International at Frankfurt fair “light build” - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Flagship Wind : brand reputation and customer satisfaction, testifying the brand’s rise - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Flagship Wind : brand reputation and customer satisfaction, testifying the brand’s rise

Interview to Maximo Ibarra, Wind Business Unit Consumer director, to show how the new concept design contributed in creating a new space of interaction and community

That the new retail design concept of Wind Flagship Store aims to improve the relationship between human beings is no longer a secret. That it has become not only a place where purchasing product and services, but also a meeting place, not even.

380 sqmt store right in the centre of Milan on two floors where the Wind Theater area becomes a space for events …. where sharing feelings and emotions. Below a short interview to the Business Unit consumer director explaining the results and the events, highlighting the growing success of the brand.

Which are the benefits that the new concept design of Milan flagship store has brought to the Company?

Our Milan flagship store has always been a place of excellence where our customers can experience the world of Windand, above all, it expresses our company values through its layout and innovative design. Technology at the service of our customers, exclusive customer care and dedicated commercial consultancy, the broad range of Wind products and services make the flagship store a reference point capable of fully meeting the needs of our customers.

Can you tell us the results obtained from the launch of the flagship store on business level: numbers, feedback from customers and shop staff etc.?

In almost two years of operation, our store in Corso Matteotti has welcomed and cared for over 20,000 customers, ensuring, with a team of 7 Wind employees, an excellent level of service, as documented by our internal Customer Satisfaction parameters.

How often do themed events occur in the flagship store? Have the topics of the events a special meaning or are they decided randomly?

In 2011 we organized seven themed events and one so far in 2012. With these appointments we have shown even more how close we are to our customers, by celebrating within the store many events not purely related to the world of telecommunications, but related to the promotion of young Italian talent ("The Surrealistic Pixel" event-exhibition by Alessandro Dotti), to fashion (fashion show with two promising talents of the Made in Italy of the future, Mimì à la mer e AnnaBiblò), to art ('Hallowind' event with the creations of the Arrigo atelier) and to wine&food ('choco-fever' feast and Christmas 'gourmand' event).

In a friendly and technologically advanced environment, we have also involved the Wind community and the citizens of Milan in a series of initiatives directly related to the telecommunications world, such as the launch of the Nokia E7 and of the HTC Desire.

A success even for the Physical-Brand-Design company which has conceived a telecom retail project in a technological environment that has become a perfect habitat for a new empathic community, an environment to create connection between brand and customers, contributing to customer loyalty.

Flagship Wind : brand reputation and customer satisfaction, testifying the brand’s rise - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

GE lighting conference in Budapest: light as innovative design driver presented by Crea International - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

GE lighting conference in Budapest: light as innovative design driver presented by Crea International

The use of light in retail service design greatly affects the environment and "mood" inside the space : Barwa Bank branch presented as distinctive example

Lighting design has become a creative extension of interior design, improving its success. A lighting design practice brings sensitive advantages to today’s design processes and the value-added that it provides to a project can make or break its success and therefore it plays a key role within the realization of a design project. An interior designer can provide an overall lighting plan that follows the design goals of whole space as well as making recommendations for general lighting solutions.

On march 21st in Budapest, at General Electric lighting centre, “Meat customer event 2012” took place and Crea International has been hosted to make a presentation on lighting topic. Libero Rutilo, design director of the retail-service-design company, trough the exploration of Barwa Bank branch, where illumination played a fundamental role to emphasize the experience within the space, gave a lecture on lighting applied to Physical-Brand-Design methodology.

Among the audience the most important lighting international distributors and local managers who showed great enthusiasm and participation. After a general overview on Physical-Brand- Design mission and working areas, mr. Rutilo emphasized how light can be considered as a marketing tool, supporting communication strategies, increasing brand identity and contributing, together with an appropriate retail-service-design, to create a unique and memorable shopping experience within a store, as in Tim’s project where he was able to integrate light within a space, giving a new space mood.

He presented Barwa Bank project as emblematic example of how light was protagonist in customer’ s experience within the branch. Designing an islamic bank in a country deeply anchored to its traditions with a retail approach, giving a perception of luxury fashion brand, was an attractive challenge for the italian-retail-design company. Challenge even won thanks to the introduction of an innovative lighting system, that allowed to realize the particular service design journey that broke all the traditional retail-banking-design projects.

As a matter of fact the whole experience inside the branch store is controlled by lighting : through the ceiling illumination system, with four colors displayed, customers know when it’s their turn for assistance, through the task lighting customers have focus on the workstations and the whole wall perimeter is back lited highlighting the desert flower, strengthening the brand identity.

Even the iconic ATM, recalling the desert flower and the mobile branch emits light asserting its presence and giving high visibility to the bank.

The design director’ s presentation closed showing how, in Physical-Brand-Design strategy, designer plays a meaning role as point of reference among the actors of the process, both for the client and suppliers and contractors too. In Barwa’s lighting realization the great difficulty was to select products that were readily available on middle east market and Crea International design director showed the importance of being eclectic and adaptable to face problems and to give ready solutions, following brand’s expectations.

Libero Rutilo comments his participation to the conference : “ very interesting opportunity for me to speak about how the lighting can change the perception of the space and create memorable and unique experiences. On the other hand , a nice chance to improve contacts around the gulf area."

See also:

GE lighting conference in Budapest: light as innovative design driver presented by Crea International - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea international host to a Travel Lab event, a symposium on “Temporary and Flagship stores: strategies on brand field to face crisis” - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea international host to a Travel Lab event, a symposium on “Temporary and Flagship stores: strategies on brand field to face crisis”

An event where Marco De Carli, strategy director of the physical-brand-design company, gave a speech with a special spotlight on some distinctive examples

Service design is one of the most important aspects on which companies have decided to invest as the key marketing tool in retail field, contributing to brand equity and customer loyalty.More and more brands should think about the physical space, working on an appropriate physical brand strategy to be declined on several physical touch points on territory in retail field, such as retail networks, temporary or flagship stores, according to the brand strategy of the company.

On this basis Crea International has been invited to the event to support the importance of Flagship stores as tools for retail positioning, to implement the customer relationship and loyalty, to centralize the flows and sales, and give awareness and local presence to the brand.

In Hotelplan’s headquarter in Milan, with a dynamic and interactive audience composed of top managers and entrepreneurs from the tourism industry and with, among the speakers, the direct store manager of Illycaffè – Elodie Horaist - and the holder of an important network of temporary stores - Paolo Comini of Sidecar Group - De Carli’s presentation has focused on Physical Brand Design’s way of approaching projects, starting from the brand identity, going to developing the design concept, always shaping signs and codes consistent with the brand, to get to the service design aiming to enhance brand positioning.

Talking about Flagship store, the presentation has explored, among the others, one of the most distinctive of the italian brand design company: Wind flagship store. The aim was to create a flagship able to make the successes of the company over the years touchable to customers, with an upgrade of image to make the brand more fashionable and cool.

Everything supported by a physical brand strategy due to the biosphere as distinctive sign of an innovative design, sensitive to the balance of different chromatic and morphological elements, perfect habitat for a new empathic community in a totally new landscape.A work that led to the opening of the two Wind flagship stores, one in Milano (C.so Matteotti) and the other one in Rome (P.za di Spagna).

He has also shown how the Physical-Brand-Design methodology applied to a project as Welcome Travel has led to the creation of a totally new design concept of the retail-travel-agency and can be used flexibly by the network to give to customers a new place of meeting and sharing where the purchase experience and concept within the agency are redefined.

Present to the explanation of the retail travel project Gian Paolo Vairo, Ceo of Welcome Travel, who has explained how this physical brand design project is perfectly integrated in a a new company vision which joined the retail travel agency with web and mobile areas. The new Welcome Travel aspires to propose to customers new standards of services which are lined up with those of the main European markets: quality, training, efficiency, technology and customer service in order to renew the methods of distribution of the tourism product and create a benchmark for the whole italian market of travel agencies. He has declared to be extremely satisfied of the work and the Group aims to join new satisfactory results thanks to this new store design innovation

De Carli’s intervention has then analyzed some other important cases starting from Tim retail network where PBD strategy has contributed to renew the whole network and distribution channels, in a consistent view with the historical values of the company of reassurance of the customer to reinforce brand identity and positioning; going to Lavazza coffe shop an international coffee chain supporting brand’s internationalisation, where the major challenge was to create a a service design concept which could be adapted to the international expansion of the company.

And finally in Air Bank branch project he has presented to the audience a bank model where service design and customer experience within the branch play a central role in the start-up asset of the whole project.

An intervention that certainly showed how Physical Brand Design strategy can be declined to different fields, with different values and expectations but all with the same objective to give distinctiveness and uniqueness to the brand, in a market that is becoming more selelective and where consumers, despite the crisis, are paradoxically getting more and more demanding.

See also:

Crea international host to a Travel Lab event, a symposium on “Temporary and Flagship stores: strategies on brand field to face crisis” - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International @ an evening organised by A+D+M - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International @ an evening organised by A+D+M

A fun event for the Physical Brand Design company

On december 3rd Alberto Pasquini, president of the interior design company, partecipated to an evening organized by A + D + M magazine - the acronyms of architecture, design,materials - for the architects protagonists of the magazine’s covers. On this particular occasion, the location for the preview was “La Commenda di San Giovanni di Prè” A recurring appointment of the last 5 years, where the voyage destination organized every year by A + D + M is revealed (this year will be Lisbon), an opportunity of sharing ideas in a different landascape.

Crea International @ an evening organised by A+D+M - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Meeting with prof. Antonella Caru’, from Bocconi university, with some questions about service design - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Meeting with prof. Antonella Caru’, from Bocconi university, with some questions about service design

How can service design feed business? How can it be a success’ implementation?

Service design concerns design of services and it’s a difficult activity because of immateriality and procedural nature that characterize them. Service design rotates around the brand identity: the design of all elements of the service should be directed to the creation of brand identity. Following this aspect, a fundamental component is given by the environment, by the structures where service is provided, which must be functional to service delivery and to customer participation, but also help to create and and simultaneously convey the brand's service. The context in which the service is delivered has a strong impact on the brand and, on one side is the element of identity par excellence, on the other is the field that most directly contributes to the generation of customer experience: this may contribute significantly to the success of a service concept.

Have you got any considerable company case to bring as model?

A first example that comes to my mind is the one of “Apple Stores”, characterized by a modern interior design, charming, apparently simple but extremely aimed to details, with an optimal balance between functional aspects and emotional accessibility to the service. Another example is “Abercrombie”, very connotated, which divides consumers between those who hate it and those who love it, but that is an important element of identity for the brand. Very interesting in my opinion is “Eataly”, an innovative concept, masterfully developed following elements of originality focused on a concept of authenticity. I would also mention, among high emotional innovative designsCheBanca!, as expression of change in marketing strategies in retail banking field. It must be said that the contexts are not only physical, but can also be virtual: the websites linked to a brand (for example Mini, Fiat 500, or Nutella), are created to welcome people into a virtual experience

What are the main reasons that led you to call Crea International as company testimony to run your workshop?

A distinctive feature of our Master of Science in Marketing Management is the constant interaction with business: we deal with various themes searching for integration and comparison between theoretical and managerial aspects. In this case, facing servicescape’s aspect in Services Marketing course I wanted to engage a company who were skilled in service design activity: I asked about, I looked at your website and I called you, discovering with pleasure that we share the sensitivity to these issues, with a lecture marked by different and complementary skills.

Meeting with prof. Antonella Caru’, from Bocconi university, with some questions about service design - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

The curtain drops on Elephant Parade, the first humanitarian participation by Crea International… and not the last! - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

The curtain drops on Elephant Parade, the first humanitarian participation by Crea International… and not the last!

A charity auction organized by Christie's during a gala evening has closed the charitable event: the italian-retail-design company was there to say goodbye to its Elephamm!

Seventy-four elephants from the open-air international exhibition held in Milan from September 16 to November 15 have been auctioned and sold during a gala evining. Among the works during the event, which was attended by five hundred artists and entrepreneurs from all over Europe, Elephamm has been sold and Crea International, proud for having participated to the initiative, was there to say goodbye to its creature.

“I am very happy that Italian people, despite the difficulties in global economic situation, are ready to invest in art and in charity," said co-founder of Elephant Parade Mike Spits. "I want to thank them one by one all those who responded to our appeal, thanks to their generosity we are able to support these important cause." The next auction will be held in Singapore on 12 January.

 

Amm has now a new home where the two guys who purchased him promised us that they will take care of him and love him.

Alberto Pasquini, president of Crea International, comments below the event :"I'm very glad and serene to know that our creature " Elephamm " found in Salvatore and Massimiliano two good and true friends who wanted him in their house at all costs, even making him enter from the window because he could not pass through the door.

We told them that Elephamm is unique, as his history; that he is afraid of the dark and that’s why he always wants that the light stays turned on all night long and that one day, when he will see the rainbow, he will go away from the window to wander again on a color of the rainbow from which he came. "

 

The italian retail design company plans to partecipate to others humanitarian initiatives in the new year.

The curtain drops on Elephant Parade, the first humanitarian participation by Crea International… and not the last! - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Retail travel services within service design innovation, in two words: Welcome Travel

At the press conference, go to the first challenging retail travel project by the Physical-Brand-Design company

On november 30th, Welcome Travel press conference took place in fascinating Logotel headquarter in Milano to announce to journalists the new project by the first italian travel agencies network, property of Alpitour group and Costa Crociere. Among the speakers the leaders of the two companies who underlined the big impact that such a project will have on WT group and Marco de Carli, strategy director of Crea, to explain the design concept and the customer’s experience inside the agency. As professionally presented by Gianni Onorato, president of WTG, the project aims to trace the lines of future retail travel agency starting from a scenario analysis which underlines the transformation of tourism market with a marked increase in online sales. The first and important purpose of the project is to integrate the traditional sales chain with the web one.

This new innovative thinking of retail travel agency could not avoid a complete restyle of the store: the collaboration with Crea International starts from here with a new service design experience, transforming the agency from a traditional office to a place of meeting and sharing, in a fully opened space, with no barriers between buyers and sellers. This is one of the focal points of the whole project: the holidays package must be sold, not purchased, that’s to say that there must be an attention to the customer, right starting from the store, that must be perceived as the place to be driven in a path totally different from the past.

This was the brief of the client,as underlined during the conference even by Gian Paolo Vairo, ceo of the Group, and the point from which the italian retail design team has started to create an environment where transparency and recognition, lightness and modularity characterize the experience within the new retail travel agencies, starting from the new strategic idea "free to travel". The new shop aims to become a real point of reference for holidays and leisure that pushes people not only to dream a travel but to realize it, with the aid of specialized agents.

Marco De Carli, during the conference has presented the new innovative layout of the new agency where the traditional approach between customer and agent is replaced by a new fruition of space, an emotional experience which leaves from the outside of the agency with a new layout even of the window, totally opened that intrigues and invites people to enter.

Within the agency customers can choose what to do, if having a private consultancy with an agent in confortable areas or just have a look to the offers of the moment, download travel materials from the tablets that they can freely consult. Everything surrounded by a frame of images related to travel, as a real window on the world. “Welcome Travel project was a great design challenge – comments Massimo Fabbro, ceo of Crea International-. We have combined the need for efficiency in service and the need to renew the visual code that characterize the travel agencies .The new Welcome Travel has now a new agency which opens the way for a new, modern, light and easy language to use with customers .”

“The project tells a new retail story - says Marco De Carli,strategy director of the project strategy - a strong message of communication ready to strengthen and enhance Welcome Travel’s identity. The opening and immersion into the world of travel along with innovation and the new style of communication of the brand, makes the new space a place that WT, welcomes, involves and communicates with people in a new dimension of interaction between person, place, and brand. The promise of the project aims to strengthen the positioning of WT and to the serenity and the pleasure of the trip: “free to travel. "

Officially announced the partnership between Crea International and Welcome Travel - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International at Bocconi University: why not? - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International at Bocconi University: why not?

The Physical Brand Design idea and strategy approaching service design in telecommunication and retail banking field

Service design is becoming a driving element in defining a brand: the physical landscape in which company services are offered is one of the most important aspects able to communicate a company’s distinctiveness. The attention to the customer and his needs is an aspect which companies are more and more considering as essential in increasing their reputation because customer always expresses opinions and assessments firts of all trough the analysis of the touchable aspects of the service.

In this scenario it’s easy to understand the importance of projecting spaces that are strictly connected with the brand and the service model, that can fully embody brand’s values and spirit. That’s the first reason why, in her master’s degree in Bocconi University, Prof. Antonella Carù has invited Crea International to give a company testimony about service design.

Marco De Carli, strategy director of the retail design company, has held a lecture master to the last year Bocconi’s students, exploring how service design is the first step in retail concept innovation.

De Carli made an overview on Crea International’s way of working through the unique method of Physical Brand Design®: starting from exploring the different aspects of the process to define a service design strategy which lead to create an appropriate service model, retracing all the key points discussed with the client.

Most architecture and design projects are judged for their external aspect, but when it is the Brand that builds its space it is important to listen, to absorb its emotions, feelings and point of view.The aspect and form that will take its shape are the expression of its spirit and soul. That's PBD method, that’s the different starting point by Crea International from the others design studios. The brand identity is studied in every aspects, both digital and physical.Only by a careful analysis with the client a service model perfectly sewn on the brand can be created.

Marco De Carli during his speech focused on the steps which lead in creating an appropriate service design model, according to the brand’s values and expectations. He gave the example of Saudi Arabian Airlines,one of Crea’s important projects, to support this thesis : Crea's team spent 2 weeks in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to try to understand how people live the spaces in places with different culture and habits.This period led to a better understanding of how starting in creating the space and experience and giving life to project.

Besides obviously thinking in creating an appropriate design it has been determinant to breathe the country, to observe people, to listen to their habits, to observe the landscape and, after that, possessing all the elements to start defining the layout. It's necessary to understand what kind of experience people will have within the space, what does the brand really want to translate in it to bring concept innovation to life, making the brand a unique one.

Service design must help to either innovate or improve services to make them more useful and desirable for clients, as well as more efficient and effective for organizations who are working to improve and innovate services. It is a very different way of approaching the way we think of the relationship between company and clients, through the creation of outstanding and innovative experiences, the tool through which companies can create competitive advantages and higher profit margins. But service design is not necessarily synonymous of innovation.

Before designing, a strategy must be put. And it is not always aimed to put high technologies, but sometimes the strategy is used to reinforce the brand’s mark. It must be said that surely technology has changed the relationship between clients and service providers, but it’s important to consider that clients are not so easy to understand, they have individual needs and expectations that are difficult to standardised. So Service design can really support the service market with new concepts, it can becomes the tool through which organisations can find a new way of standing out against competition and to offer new values. And there are a lot of ways of doing that: analyzing some distinctive projects of the retail design company as Air Bank and CheBanca!,Tim and Wind, Marco De Carli's presentation has focused on how service design gives a strong identity to the brand and strengthens its reputation and the relationship with the customer, aimed to make a client a faithful customer always according with the brand’s expectations.

Air Bank, basing on Agora model, is one of the examples where service design perfectly translate the relational model. Air Bank can be considered a store more than a bank, where the customer is free to do what he most desires: taking a seat and self-browsing, or being assisted by an attendant or just having a look to the new bank products. Whatever he decides to do he must feel free in a friendly and simply landascape, that wants to be noticed but be simply and fresh at the same time. A layout where feeling good and loose, easy to understand without renouncing to innovation, how the client who commissioned the project wanted.

CheBanca! instead is a start-up project that really wants to break down with the traditional bank patterns. It perfectly communicates through service design brand's values of a company that aimed to create a new positioning in retail banking field, without renouncing to simplicity, innovation, transparency and efficiency. A new concept which radically breaks down with the old bank rules, but offers a totally new landscape based on a opened and self browsing space in a friendly and intuitive layout.

Tim’s new layout instead was not so focused on new experiences for the customer or new technologies, but the brief of the company was to offer a space able to transfer to customers the historical value of the company, able to reassure the customer giving an accessible service model under a consistency of experience and language. The result is a highly understandable environment, emobodying brand's values, maintaining its colours and forms with the furnishing lines and the wall system all over the space reinterpreting the waves of the logo, symbol of technological and cultural evolution of a country which has always been accompanying the Italian customs and the trend and tastes changing.

Last, but not least Wind project underlines how service design has been able to reinforce the brand identity creating fashion oriented and glamour flagship stores, in Milano and Roma. Service design has been able, through the introduction of interaction areas through technology, to raise the brand’s identity and putting the company on a higher level among its competitors.

Marco De Carli comments below the importance of exchanging expertise beteween university world and company one : “ Generally speaking, service design is a strong asset helping the brand to reinforce customers’ relationship, reputation and distinctiveness versus competitors. We strongly believe that the uniqueness of a brand comes, beyond communication and branding, even from a strong experience within the store, in all its dimensions. The future of the brand is evolving and it ranges more and more among a lot of dimensions, between digital, physical and mobile ones.

Spaces can generate value, continuity and credibility within the dialogue between brand and customers.”

Crea International at Bocconi University: why not? - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International announces the first partenrship in retail travel field : the press conference will take place on November, 30th - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International announces the first partnership in retail travel field: the press conference will take place on November, 30th

Design innovation for the Italian-retail-design company working on Welcome Travel’s brand identity and retail design

Welcome Travel Group S.p.A. is the biggest tourism distributive chain in Italy, controlled by Alpitour and Costa Crociere, two important italian leaders in holidays. During these last years Welcome travel’s increase never stopped and it is destined to continue even for next years. In 2011 it has exceeded 1.000 agencies.

Crea International has just started a collaboration with the company to work on a big project , within branding and retail, with a consequent development on all the agencies’ network. The new brand strategy aims on one side to restyle the brand identity such as logotype, colours and graphic DNA and on the other to redefine the purchase experience and concept within the agency with a mix including the store, the presence on web and on the mobile channels. The new agency is a new retail-travel-agency model focused on free time and holidays able to make the client live a full and complete experience, strongly emotional with a deep multimedia involvement. The new coordinated image with its new brand design concept will be even applicated on several corporate materials as stationary ones, communication and advertising ones and retail and web ones too.

This new service design concept will be supported by a new store design, by a wide structure of services, by an effective use of mobile and web channels to encourage the interaction between agents and customers through the creation of a “community “. All supported by the presence of the two big brands, Alpitour World and Costa Crociere.

After this first output a new agencies design concept will be developed, with the mission to strengthen brand identity in a view of modularity, through an innovative service model, perfectly coherent with the single agents’ necessities.

Welcome Travel and Crea International teams are working on this first project’s step to define the projectual drivers through a series of strategic and creative workshops presented to share goals and outputs, where every agency will be able to touch the new Welcome Travel.

Crea International announces the first partenrship in retail travel field : the press conference will take place on November, 30th - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Retail banking: what's up? - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International and innovative design in retail banking

Massimo Fabbro, CEO of the retail design company, will partecipate to a round table which will close the first edition of Parma's university master

Even if we live in a technological and more and more “virtual world”, banks have still existed and will continue to, performing this primary function because of their fundamental business in human lives : they issue credit to people who need it, they make loans and protect depositors' money. Starting from this premise it’s not so diffucult to understand why retail banking field is constantly changing and shaping on the increasing changing in consumers’ and world habits. The new branches need to evolve so that to provide customers with a powerful and attractive alternative to the many new channels that are appearing.

During the intervention to the round table in Accenture center on 11th November, Massimo Fabbro , ceo of Crea International, focused on how the branches of the future have to change. They really need to start thinking how to make the difference to keep up with the times.This has been the key point on which Massimo Fabbro has articulated his speech, touching three fundamental points. The first one in the NEED TO LEARN from other fields to innovate retail banking world. That’s to say that it’s not neccessary to refer to bank competiros in creating new retail concepts, but it would be desirable to direct attention to those sectors where the customer service is the key point of the company’s mission, such as hotellerie, food, fashion, health & beauty.

In the new branch formats the bank have to attract customers, offering new experiences within the space. They have to give a new sense of style like real concept stores to provide a stimulating but also relaxing environment and make in this way banks able to trial new products and services. The second point analyzed by mr. Fabbro is the NEED FOR SIMPLIFICATION in customers’s welcome, in making the fruition easy to understand, with a personal consulting (for young people or old ones for example). It’s important that innovation becomes synonymous of simplification. The third and last step explored by the ceo of the physical brand design company is the NEED OF DIFFERENTIATION. He has shown a big difficulty by the retail banking companies in creating their own identity beacause of the poor attitude to competition. It’s necessary to create something never seen before to attract customers and enhance their banking experience.

Among the audience, the following banks:

Unicredit,

Deutche Bank,

BPER,

IngDirect,

Monte dei Paschi,

Banco Popolare,

Banca Popolare di Milano,

Banca Pop. del Mediterraneo.

Retail banking: what's up? - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Bocconi University hosts Crea International in a workshop on service marketing - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Bocconi University hosts Crea International in a workshop on service marketing

Service design concept within retail design showcased in financial and telecommunication services

On 3rd November the italian-retail-design company will give a company testimony on a workshop for the last year students of Bocconi University, talking about the importance of services in a more and more modern and sophisticated world. A big opportunity given by the renowned milanese university through prof. Antonella Caru’ who has structured a master’s degree of know how exchange between university world and company one.

Marco De Carli, strategy director of Crea International, starting from Physical Brand Design approach, will present a case history on Air Bank, CheBanca!, Tim and Wind to show how service design can fully express a brand identity and strengthen a company’s competitiveness.

An interesting participation by the interior design company to explore how interaction between space and people can have an emotional and functional role able to give value not only to the company but even to the client.

Bocconi University hosts Crea International in a workshop on service marketing - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design