Even though the concept of branded environments has been around since the 1990’s its adoption, implementation and usage seems to have been limited mostly to a select high profile few and large multinational clients. This movement within interior design had grown out of the recognition of a simple premise that brand equity leads to better customer awareness, differentiation from competitors and higher value all around. What was revolutionary here was that brand equity could be translated into 3D!
Your spa space needs to do more than just look good!
So what is branded environment design? It is where we set out, using design as an asset, to critically analyze problems a spa maybe having or struggling with and find creative, strategic, sustainable and cost effective solutions to take the business’s brand elements and through them create a well communicated customer experience that engages the senses and stirs the emotions via the three dimensional space.
Done right branded environment design has been shown to lead to increased sales, improved market positioning as well as aid internally in employee satisfaction and retention, increased productivity, pride inthe work place and better understanding of your spa’s business mission, vision and values.
With the right team of professionals to aid you a well developed branded environment can be achieved through creative utilization of such things as architecture, interiors, lighting, graphics, marketing and even landscaping. As interior brand designers we set out to market your spa from the inside out! Through creating a physical and sensory relationship with your customer via your space we aim to communicate the unique value proposition we identified together in a previous blog. If this unique brand message of yours is not conveyed in the environmental design of your spa the message may become diluted and even worse unclear.
Some of the components we use to develop a branded environment include finish materials, furniture selections, invoking environmental graphics, individualized way finding and programming and signage. More subtle tools that suggestively stimulate on a more subliminal level can also include customized scents, custom developed sounds and lighting effects. Leveraging these in the physical space will help deliver your unique business identity and personality.
So as you can see, regardless of size or stage of business life cycle every spa can potentially benefit from having it's so called signature reflected through its environment. In fact, one can even argue that by strategically utilizing visual touch point, and providing a completely immersive experience that delights your clients and provides them with pleasant surprises, a sense of discovery, transformation and escape, you as a spa owner, may be engaged in one of the most practical and cost effective ways to represent their business intent and unique value promise both internally and externally.
In our fast paced lives where escape to a sanctuary is sometimes essential even though our stay there may be brief a well defined and designed spa helps leave a lasting impression which in turn leads to repeat business for as they say good design is good business.