On the Rue duBac

Dawahares retail clothiers sought to create a prototype store in the new wing of the renovated Fayette Mall in Lexington, KY. The store, which first opened last summer, is geared toward customers 12 to 18 years old. To create the store design and layout, as well as the logo and graphics to define its new brand, the company turned to Architectural Group Intl. (AGI), Covington, KY. AGI, an architectural firm that specializes in retail projects, collaborated with John Heatherman of Retail Design Collaborative (Cincinnati) to lead the project. Heatherman regularly consults on AGI projects.

Dawahares selected the name duBac for its new store concept. The name was borrowed from the Rue duBac, a fashionable street in Paris, which the client wished to emulate.

To grasp the client's preferences and ideas for the retail design and logo, Heatherman and the AGI team met with Dawahares several times, often walking with the client around shopping malls so they could point out what they liked and disliked.

Heatherman said, "This is the first time we've had the opportunity to set the groundwork for a project from start to finish, including the design concept, planning, documentation, logo and graphics.".

Heatherman said they worked directly with Dawahares management and had its full attention for the entire logo, graphics and store-design process. AGI coordinated the store's interior construction as well.

Before launching into the store's interior space, the project required the creation of a duBac logo and signage designs. Anne Wheeler, principal of Anne Wheeler Design (Cincinnati), who specializes in environmental graphics, designed the store's graphics and implemented then into the store's signage.

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At the beginning of the design process, Wheeler said the design team met with Dawahares to talk about their goals, the customer base and the store's potential competitors. Then they began the logo creation, followed by the signage design.

"They gave us carte blanche with developing the name into the graphics and logo," Heather-man said.

The design team created logo options for the storefront, plus a secondary logo. During the three- or four-month project, Dawahares kept a tight schedule and budget, so, to be efficient, the AGI design team narrowed down many design decisions before they presented them to the client, Wheeler said.

The primary logo features a custom font with a timeless appeal. The secondary logo, used for T-shirts, bags, letterhead and other accompanying items, features a more elaborate, trendy design. Wheeler said the primary logo would stand the test of time, while the secondary logo could be altered, if necessary, as styles change.

"We ran with the idea of street signage and tried to make it [the main I.D. sign] look like that. The design is supposed to be reminiscent of the original building style and street designation in Paris," Wheeler said.

"The signage and logo elements set the pace for the design of the interior retail space," Heatherman said. "It was the catalyst."

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Wheeler specified materials for the identification sign, but she wasn't involved with the fabrication process in this particular project, so her initial design was somewhat changed. Cincinnati-based Harlan Graphics fabricated the signage.

Once the logo and signage were set, the interior layout was crafted. Heatherman said the storefront resembles a streetside café with paned windows and appropriate lighting. Seating within the store, recycled-wood flooring and applied brick generate a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. AGI designed the entire retail interior, which was bid out to contractors. AGI supervised the construction process.

"In our business, it's rewarding working with a client from the concept to the store opening. We had the satisfaction that we controlled and developed not only the graphics, but the interior as well," Heatherman said.