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.

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

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

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

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

Spotlight on Crea International's participation at Infdex 2011, Doha - Qatar - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Spotlight on Crea International's participation at Infdex 2011, Doha - Qatar

Innovative design showcased at Qatar's greatest interior design and furniture event of the year

The Physical-brand-design company from the 5th to 8th of October 2011 will be one of the sponsors of the event at Doha exhibition Center. INFDEX 2011 focuses on providing a unique platform for display of various products & services in the Furniture & Interior Design , Lighting, Art, Fabrics, Textiles and Architecture industry and offers highly cost effective medium for promotion to hundreds of potential partners, customers, and government and corporate decision-makers. A unique occasion for the italian retail design company to show its innovative thinking to middle east design world. Massimo Fabbro, ceo of Crea International, will give a talk on Physical-Brand-Design methodology, showcasing the most innovative and distinctive projects of the company, already known in Qatar thanks to Barwa Bank, the most progressive Sharia compliant bank, one of the most challenging retail-banking projects conceived by the company.

Keep posted to see photos and more informations about the event.

Spotlight on Crea International's participation at Infdex 2011, Doha - Qatar - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Innovative design and art at Elephant Parade press conference - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Innovative design and art at Elephant Parade press conference

Crea International hosted at the press conference of the event at Palazzo Reale

A joyful occasion for the physical-brand-design company to greet, with all the other sponsors of the event, a herd of 80 brightly painted elephants that will push their way into Milan life for two months. The italian-retail-design company presents its art work, the only elephant of the parade with its story written on its back … a story of colours,dreams, love and hope in a better world :

“my name is elephamm and I live over the rainbow….

…I met by chance a creative spirit called Amm who told me his tribe’s story, free spirits able to speak through the voice of the heart. Special people who catch the sight of the rainbow and set off for a colour to get up on it to live in there and to communicate with all the living creatures through the universal language of the light.

I shared with Amm my experiences and my dreams and he taught me how to draw stories which came out from the heart. In order to help me, he gently slid in one of my big ears to talk directly to my soul.

We played, talked and laughed and we were moved to tears by watching on Youtube the story about Mosha little elephant who was moving his first steps after his leg being healed from a mine explosion. I convinced Amm to remain inside me to help me to get on the rainbow and to learn how to talk his language.

I walked over the rainbows all around the world with Amm and my legs bloted with all their colours. My blue eyes, as big and pure as babies' ones, are still capable of dreaming. And with the pencil, I always carry with me, I can draw how I feel. I have told my stories to all other little elephants and I have become the herd’s head. They have decided to follow me on the first rainbow that will rise in Milan, connecting their trunks in a single row.

We will be able to observe the world from a peaceful, joyful and friendly place from above…. Far away from fear for mines and poachers and from a world where men don’t communicate anymore and cry for their incapabilities. For this reason on shiny and sunny days we will try to send some light rays to men, through our hearts, in order to light up their self consciousness for a few seconds and let them start to perceive what they can’t see and feel anymore.

Come and know our “Elephamm” in P.za San Babila!

Special thanks go to F.lli Fotolito – Milano for the promotional supply of Elephamm t-shirts

For more informations about the event visit : elephantparade.com

Press and PR contact : francesca.soffici

Innovative design and art at Elephant Parade press conference - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

New opening in Milano for Finanza & Futuro Banca retail banking flagship store - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

New opening in Milano for Finanza & Futuro Banca retail banking flagship store

A new important challenge for Crea International to give the Deutsche Bank administered funds company an innovative design within retail banking

The Physical-Brand-Design company has conceived and designed the whole restyling plan of Finanza e Futuro Banca.The brief that gave birth to the new innovative concept design was certainly a challenging one: create a brand awareness and make perceivable to clients and prospects the new positioning of the brand through the retail concept. This required the capability to develop a project with a high visibility from the outside, innovating the external approach of the financial services offices and the capability to communicate the new brand soul upon the mix of exclusivity and accessibility. In other words the design concept had to transfer the oxymoron concept of F&F Banca as the private bank managed by financial promoters.The project had to convey the rigorous roots of Deutsche Bank and the dynamism of F&F Banca and generate the feeling of a financial boutique capable to deliver high professionalism together with a strong and warm relationship.

The design concept gets its inspiration from first class financial journey. First class suggests comfort and accurate services approach, cocooning but at the same time an innovative environment with great attention to details. The design innovation of first class is perceived right from the outside of the flagship store: the windows although opened and transparent have been designed with a blue gradient glass and brushed aluminium that provide a touch of glamour. The interior design has privileged simple shapes, materials and colours in contrast, combining the blue and white colors clash, creating a timeless environment, capable to enhance what really matters : the human touch, the relationship based on mutual trust.

Particular attention has been dedicated to the communication of the offer : a colour scheme based on pastel colours developed to identify every single product proposed and introduced in the display system that groups in an unique proposition the various brochures composing the offer and the poster focusing on the special proposal of the moment. This system contributes to give to this innovative concept a touch of simplicity and at the same time preciousness, even in the offer. The whole environment provides an overall feeling of lightness, simplicity and essentiality. A perfect equilibrium to take a break with the external world and make clients concentrate on their future in a peaceful state of mind.

The choice of F&F Banca to open a new flagship store in Milano, following Rome’s one, and to refresh and reshape all the branches through out the country, implementing the innovative design concept of Crea International, is a strong signal not only of the strong increase of the activity of the financial company but even that Finanza e Futuro believes that space is an essential tool in its repositioning strategy to put clients at the centre of its attention, committing in all its activities to top class service where care and profesionalism are the key words for success.

Another fully managed project by the interior design company,that through its exclusive Physical-Brand-Design way of working, successed once again in translating the brand values within the space.

New opening in Milano for Finanza & Futuro Banca retail banking flagship store - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International: concept innovation within retail banking design shortlisted and showcased at the prestigious exhibition of “Compasso d’oro ADI award” - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

Crea International: concept innovation within retail banking design shortlisted and showcased at the prestigious exhibition of “Compasso d’oro ADI award”

CheBanca! Under the spotlight in Rome for the full-service-design category for the retail design company

The Compasso d'Oro ADI is the oldest but also the most authoritative design’s award, born from a Gio Ponti’s idea, aimed to give value to Italian design products.

Adi foundation (industrial design association) selects the most important projects, in different design fields, and gives the price to the best.

This year, the interior design company Crea International will take part into with its innovative project CheBanca! within the full-service-design section.

On 30th of May the event “Uniqueness of Italy - made in Italy and national identity - 1961/2011 Fifty years of Italian know through the Compasso d' Oro ADI award” will be inaugurated in Rome and will last until 25 of September.

A unique opportunity for Crea International to partecipate to a remarkable event in design’s world with its innovative retail banking design of CheBanca!.

The project is really enclosed in service design category, showing its essential, innovative, technological but friendly layout. A design innovation which takes the retail banking branch from an impersonal financial sphere to a different level able to stimulate interaction among customers, even thanks to its innovative design.

The Italian-retail-design company waits anxiously the day of the award ceremony on 12 of July, which will decree the winner.

Crea International: concept innovation within retail banking design shortlisted and showcased at the prestigious exhibition of “Compasso d’oro ADI award” - crea news - CREA International - italian retail design

“Storie di Genuinita’ Italiana” e Concept Innovation, un’altra importante sfida affrontata e superata a pieni voti da Crea International

Dall’iniziativa editoriale di Felice Bassi “Italia straordinaria”, collana che comunica le eccellenze e le realtà più straordinarie del nostro paese attraverso una serie di percorsi fuori dal coro, nasce l’idea di “produttori straordinari”, una guida che seleziona tutte quelle piccole e medie aziende impiegate nella produzione agro-alimentare italiana biologica e biodinamica.

Aziende che, distaccandosi dalla lavorazione industriale, scelgono di seguire con cura il processo di produzione, a partire dalla selezione delle materie prime per arrivare poi al confezionamento e al successivo commercio nel rispetto dell’ambiente e del consumatore, utilizzando macchinari antichi, che permettono di seguire metodi produttivi tradizionali, tramandati di generazione in generazione, senza però tralasciare l'innovazione, garantendo così al consumatore i prodotti migliori.

Crea International è stata chiamata in questo progetto tutto italiano a progettare un design concept che comunicasse i valori del brand attraverso lo spazio, racchiusi non solo nell’eccellenza delle materie prime, nell’unicità del progetto e nella sua eticità grazie alla trasparenza dei processi produttivi, ma soprattutto nella sua italianità, educando ai sapori, al gusto e al benessere.

Una mission interamente puntata all’educazione e alla cultura del cibo con la creazione di un food retail design che potesse essere inteso come presidio culturale legato al cibo, una full immersion esperenziale legata al prodotto sia dentro che fuori dallo spazio progettato.

Esperienza legata a quei valori di semplicità, orgoglio, condivisione, genuinità e franchezza tipici della cultura italiana che si legano a storie passate legate a profumi, frutti coltivati con amore e sacrificio.

Proprio da questo innovative thinking la società italiana di interior design è partita per dar vita ad uno spazio dal carattere semplice ma estremamente innovativo.

Un concept store estremamente ordinato, dove tutti i prodotti sono suddivisi secondo la loro categoria merceologica su scaffalature laterali in modo da permettere al cliente di compiere un giro intero all’interno del negozio e una parte interattiva centrale dove poter approfondire la storia del prodotto.

Isole con la presenza di touch screen dove il cliente appoggiando il prodotto può , non solo ricevere informazioni legate agli ingredienti e al suo produttore, ma anche cucinarlo virtualmente tramite ricette suggerite dal touch screen.

Inoltre, tramite un particolare sistema legato al prodotto è possibile, in un’area apposita a parete, ricevere informazioni dettagliate dal produttore stesso del prodotto tramite un video dove lui in prima persona lo racconta, mettendo la sua faccia e raccontandone la storia.

Faccia che viene riproposta anche sulle etichette modulari, studiate appositamente in bianco e nero, con uno stile fotografico che ricorda il ritratto artistico proprio per enfatizzare il legame alla tradizione, il ricordo a tempi lontani e alla genuinità.

Il tutto in un concept design pulito, semplice fatto di materiali della nostra terra come il legno d’ulivo materia prima tipicamente italiana, i marmi bianchi che ricordano le vecchie tavole di campagna delle nostre nonne,l’ardesia utilizzata per le console d’appoggio a conferire pulizia e integrità.

Un prodotto quindi non solo da acquistare ma che parla di sé, che va incontro al cliente con le sue molteplici sfaccettature e con la sua storia, unica, da raccontare.

Un progetto senza dubbio molto affine alla cuore della compagnia di italian-retail-design che potesse raccontare qualcosa che, in uno scenario sempre più tecnologico e frenetico, ci riportasse alle nostre più vecchie radici, con ottimi risultati.

Per maggiori informazioni :

www.creainternational.com

francesca.soffici@creainternational.com - mattia.stabile@creainternational.com

Qatar's future has a bank: Barwa Bank!

Discover the last retail-banking-design innovative concept by the Crea International

The Qatari future has got a new bank, Barwa Bank which represent the most challenging retail-banking-design project conceived by the Physical-Brand-Design company: designing the most progressive Shariah compliant islamic bank of the future, showcasing either modernity and coolness strongly rooted with the tradition of the country. The objective was to propose an environment aimed to customers more and more familiar with most innovative technologies, a bank thought where people would feel comfortable and welcome in an retail environment close to the fashion mid market luxury.

Through the methodology of Physical-Brand-Design, Crea International team approached the project in a very logical and structured way: "In the first place, the history and traditions of the country had been studied to get familiar with the components Qatari people felt very belonging to their culture and were proud of. Crea also analysed throughout the mission of Barwa Bank and the values it stands for, and finally we looked at the banking models both in Western and Middle East countries to build a strong point of difference and a gap with the current models.

To ensure real distinctiveness versus such current banking models and to build the most innovative bank, Crea International designed a new service standard: only a central banking area hosting multifunctional comfortable workstations where the bank assistant can seat close or in front of his client looking together at touch screen table, where all banking functions can be performed with total transparency and almost paperless. The final result is a delicate balance between tangibility, simplicity, intuitive space fruition of the service model together with the warm but still precious environment and design that characterizes the banking space.

The original inspiration came both from the landscape of Qatar and its nature: the dunes inspired the smooth shapes mixed with clear cut geometrical lines, the flowers of the desert with their delicate colours were source of inspiration for being symbol of energy and growth, the mother pearl and the finely carved architectural walls became the main components to translate the precious approach we wanted Barwa Bank to deliver. The bank would just be like a treasure chest: the centre of the branch hosts the precious blossom flower of the desert around which orbit as petals, a series of working stations where the main bank activities sheltering the growth of the country are operated.The mother pearl luminescence dresses the whole space to capture the Qatari colours, while the inlays with Islamic arabesque run along the perimeter walls.

Clients can freely browse within the branch and do not need to take a seat to queue while waiting their turn: each client is welcome by a butler who registers his priority of attendance, while letting take a look at the interactive tables showcasing all banking new products or at the innovative electronic devices displayed at the entrance". Finally a fully transparent shop front characterizes Barwa Bank: no posters, no displays, the bank innovative design is its best communication to announce the arrival of a new bank in town. To strengthen this uniqueness of Barwa Bank all atm machines and mobile branches have been developed with the same strong design approach. The flower, iconic symbol of Barwa Bank is now blossoming through out Qatar to deliver top quality service to clients.

Massimo Fabbro, Ceo of Crea International comments the project result achieved: " I am extremely proud of the design concept of Barwa Bank. The service model innovation developed for Barwa is breaking the rules of current retail banking models: it introduces a free flow and browsing approach and integrates and expands the self banking model one hand and strengthens the consultancy approach on the other. The final result is feasible either from the quality of design and the kind of service experience which are perceived as a fully integrated experience driven by our unique Physical-Brand-Design projectual methodology". In order to guarantee the highest standards in terms of professionalism and contracting quality, the implementation of Barwa Bank design concept branch has been entrusted to Bnaider United Group.

Design Innovation e Concept Innovation per il primo Flagship Store di Finanza & Futuro Banca inaugurato a Roma

Il 26 Novembre 2010 è stato inaugurato a Roma il primo Flagship Store di Finanza & Futuro Banca, progettato dallo studio di Italian Retail Design Crea International, specializzato nella progettazione di retail banking design concept caratterizzati da un alto coefficiente di innovative design.

Gli uffici dei promotori finanziari sono stati realizzati secondo un retail design concept fortemente orientato alla consulenza finanziaria: "Un viaggio finanziario in prima classe", questo innovative design concept sviluppato secondo l'esclusiva metodologia progettuale di Physical Brand Design.

Il concept store prende vita dall'ossimoro progettuale di "Esclusività e Accessibilità", introducendo così un nuovo standard altamente competitivo all'interno del private banking: uffici considerati come punti di riferimento di "Alta Consulenza Finanziaria", indirizzati ad un ampio range di clientela affluent.

Un servizio di "Alta Consulenza Finanziaria" erogato all'interno di un design concept che richiama un terminal di viaggio esclusivo, reso unico da un coefficiente stilistico di rotondità che ambisce a comunicare una forte desiderio di vicinanza nei confronti del cliente.

Altro elemento chiave del retail design concept è linguaggio cromatico all'interno, che è caratterizzato da una morbida scala cromatica che si sviluppa attorno al gradevole contrasto tra il blu e il bianco.

Nell’insieme esso conferisce consapevolmente un immaginario fresco al concept, che mantiene allo stesso tempo alta la percezione e l' identità di un luogo cardine, in cui vengono forniti "Servizi Top Class" per "Clienti Top Class".

L’apertura di questo nuovo importante presidio di rappresentanza si inserisce nel piano di espansione e restyling della rete di F&F Banca, che tra il 2009 e il 2011, prevede l' apertura di nuovi uffici secondo l'implementazione dell'innovative design concept di Crea International e la modernizzazione di altri 100 già esistenti.

All’inaugurazione del design concept di Roma, seguirà quella del Flagship store di Milano, prevista entro la prima metà del 2011.

Per ulteriori informazioni, mattia.stabile@creainternational.com