Crafting Brand Identity: The Role of Interior Design

Welcome to the world where business identity converges with the art of interior design. Here we will explore the pivotal role interior design plays in shaping a brand’s narrative, and how your specific branding can elevate your interior.

What is Business Branding?

 

Branding is a critical tool companies use to create a distinct identity for their company in the eyes of their customers. It’s more than just a logo or a tagline; it’s a comprehensive strategy that defines the personality, values, and promises a business makes to the world. Effective branding fosters recognition, builds trust, and sets the stage for a lasting connection with your customers. It’s the art of crafting a narrative that resonates with your target market, creating a memorable and distinct imprint in their minds.

 

Dandy’s Ice Cream | Designed by JDG | Photo by Andrew Fyfe Photography

Brand Identity: Your Business’s Visual Language

 

Now let’s focus on brand identity, a crucial component of business branding. Brand identity speaks to the aspects of your business that are instantly recognizable to your patrons – the face your business presents to the world. It includes visual elements such as the logo, colour palette, and even the typography you use. A strong brand identity not only sets you apart in a crowded market, but also serves as a powerful tool for conveying your business’s essence at a glance.
With this understanding of business branding and brand identity, we can now explore how interior design strategically contributes to these concepts. When incorporating branding into the interior design of a commercial space, every aspect is passed through the filter of a company’s specific branding before it is ever implemented. The result of fusing interior design and brand identity is the creation of a space where branding is not simply something you see upon entering, it’s something you feel.

 

Duer | Designed by JDG | Photo by Andrew Fyfe Photography

The Value of Colour in Brand Identity

 

In commercial interior design, there is one major element that works to set a brand apart from their competitors. Colour! As interior designers, we love when a client comes to us with their branding colours in hopes that we can incorporate them into the interior design of their space, but there’s more to it than simply splashing a coat of paint on the walls. A meticulously curated palette can convey the essence of your brand, speaking to the personality and values in a way that goes beyond mere sight.

Using the psychology of colour, brand colours can be implemented based on the feelings a company wishes to convey with their interior design. Colours have a profound impact on human emotions and perceptions and understand this can elevate your brand strategy. For instance, warm tones like reds and oranges evoke energy and passion, while cooler tones like blues and greens convey calmness and trust.

 

Dandy’s & Luxe | Designed by JDG | Photo by Adam Reiland

This is simply scratching the surface of colour psychology, however. Each colour on the wheel has a myriad of shades, tints, and tones. Take red for example; one shade may evoke energy and passion, while another could produce feelings or anger and aggression. Interior designers are equipped with the knowledge needed to help companies deal with the hard choice of which brand colours to choose, as well as how to properly display them in a space to create the emotional impact desired.

Navigating Consistency Across Locations

 

Expanding a business to multiple locations presents a company with considerable opportunities. A new location means new customers, and the chance to do something new and fresh with their interior. However, it’s crucial to seamlessly carry branding across each location. We want each location to feel like an extension of the same space rather than a completely separate entity, ensuring a cohesive brand experience across the board.

 

OEB Breakfast (Willowbrook) | Designed by JDG | Photo by Leading Lines Studios

Imagine your multiple business locations as a home. You may travel from the kitchen to the dining room, each unique with their own story to tell, but you’ll know that you are still in a familiar and comfortable space by the continuity of the underlying features. This analogy encapsulates the essence of maintaining brand consistency across multiple locations. Just as a well-designed home flows seamlessly from one room to the next, a cohesive brand experience ensures that each branch feels like an extension of the same narrative. This not only fosters a sense of familiarity for your customers, but also strategically reinforces your brand identity.

The Fusion of Style and Values

 

Interior design transcends aesthetics; it’s a strategic tool for communicating a brand’s values without the need for words. Each design choice is strategically chosen to echo your brands personality. From the choice of furniture to the arrangement of your space, each element is carefully curated to align with the values that define your business. It’s a process that goes beyond trends, ensuring that your brand’s identity is not just of the moment, but speaks to a timeless presence.

 

Tap & Barrel (Bridges)  | Designed by JDG

 

In the strategic dance of style, layout, and atmosphere, each element plays a crucial role in influencing brand perception. An excellent example of this is the comparison of two well-branded restaurant designs: OEB Breakfast and Tap & Barrel. OEB’s interior design was curated to bring us a bright and cheery atmosphere that speaks to their company specific values with their farm-to-table aesthetic taking center stage. Contrast that with Tap & Barrel, where similar colours are used throughout the space, yet an entirely different experience is created. This juxtaposition highlights the powerful fusion of style and values, showcasing how two establishments, while using similar design elements such as colour choice and furniture, can create something very unique that resonates with their respective brand narratives.

Conclusion

 

As we conclude this strategic exploration, the message is clear: interior design is a crucial component in elevating your brand. Each decision, colour, and layout contribute to a cohesive brand narrative that works to elevate your interior and bring your brand’s personality to the forefront.

If branding is not something you have previously considered for your space, it’s not too late. Contact us to begin the conversation that will act as a launching point for your business’s brand identity makeover. Let’s make your business interior a strategic asset to your company.

Interior Design Trends 2020

Over the past few months, JDG has been researching the predicted interior design trends of 2020. In 2019, we saw many trends flourish such as colour blocking, monochromatic schemes, and lots of “Instagramable” spaces. What design trends will 2020 bring for interior designers? Let’s take a look…

 

1) Softened Colours

Many of the trending interior design colours of 2020 stem from vibrant colours, but are softened to be more pleasing to the eye, and more comforting to the soul. Looking at Design Week in Milan, the trending interior design colours of 2020 are expected to be colours such as Pumpkin Red, Lemon Yellow, Champagne, and Fuscia. In addition, Pantone named their colour of the year “Classic Blue”, which is slightly bolder than the other expected trending colours of 2020. It seems that 2020 is going to be a year for taking interior design risks, and using colours that haven’t been used in a long time. These inspiring colours will help to create beautiful commercial spaces, whether it be a restaurant, retail store, or even a medical clinic.

Image Sources: (Left) Italian Bark (Right) Tumblr

Image Sources: (Left) Design Milk (Center) Yatzer (Right) Pantone

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_2) Arches

Arches are another interior design trend that we will be seeing a lot of in 2020. It seems that design trends will be moving away from rigid, rectangular, and linear lines, and moving further towards curvilinear lines, soft edges, and organic shapes. These softened forms are becoming extremely attractive interior design elements, as they offer a calming interior environment as a refuge from this fast-paced world. Although arches have been around for centuries, they are making a major comeback in a modernized form. These arches are originally found in Greece — in the doorways, windows, rooflines, and iconic swimming caves. Bringing forms like this into a design will really make a statement if they are integrated into unexpected places. We are so excited to bring this effortless element into our many interior design projects moving forward!

Image Sources: (Left) Lavorist (Right) YellowTrace

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3) Cane

This natural material started trending in late 2019, but is definitely continuing into 2020 with full force. Cane also dates back as far as the second century in India and China, and has recently made a comeback in a contemporary format. The beauty of cane is found through its effortless combination of visual and tactile texture. The neutral colour can be combined with almost any colour palette, which makes cane an excellent accent material for any interior design project. Incorporating tactile textures like cane in a space truly creates a genuine and calming environment. A common interior design application for cane is through furniture. People are drawn to natural materials, just like we are drawn to the beauty of the outdoors. Bringing natural materials into commercial environments can create a whole new experience for the end user.

Image Source: AtelierTwoPlus

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4) Indoor Gardens

In 2020, interior gardens will continue to make interior design projects stand out over the rest. This is especially true with commercial applications. Integrating plants and greenery into a commercial design feels unique and unexpected compared to residential environments. People often do not expect greenery at a restaurant, dental office, corporate office, or even a retail store. By including gardens in the interior design of these unexpected places, the overall design becomes more intriguing, inviting, and definitely more “instagramable”. This is all connected to Biophelia (check out our November 2019 blog to learn all about it).

Image Source: ArchDaily

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5) Built-In Seating

According to Dwell Magazine, built-in seating will be an impactful interior design trend for the year 2020. Not only does it create a focal point or unique element within a space, it also saves a ton of space. Loose tables and chairs alone are no longer acceptable if you want to make your seating design a trendy statement! Fortunately, Janks Design Group is ahead of the game, and we have already began integrating similar design elements into some of our current projects. The best part? This interior design detail can be applied to almost any environment, whether it be corporate, retail, restaurant, hospitality, or even residential design!

Image Source: Dwell Magazine

Sources:

 

Authentic Interior – 2020 Design Trends

Dwell – 2020 Design Trends

Wall Sauce – 2020 Design Trends

Italian Bark – 2020 Design Trends

Italian Bark – 2020 Design Trends from Milan Week

 

Reflecting Back on 2019 – Interior Design

Ah…. 2019! What a wonderful year for Janks Design Group and our incredible clients. We began innovative interior design projects, worked on the development of current projects, and celebrated as our completed projects came to life! We had the honour of providing design services for Hospitality, Restaurant, Retail, Medical, and Corporate projects. As we dive into 2020, we reflect on some of our commercial design highlights.

Field & Social

18 East 5th Avenue, Mount Pleasant, Vancouver

This commercial design project was Janks Design Group’s 3rd time working with the incredible Field & Social team on a new Vancouver location. After the successful outcome of the Dunsmuir Street and Royal Centre locations, the JDG team once again used their experienced knowledge to create an interior space that combined functionality and natural beauty.  The new Mount Pleasant interior design provides a new twist on the existing concepts, and serves as the perfect neutral backdrop to the deliciousness offered. This retail design introduced more natural textures to increase the raw aesthetic within the space. We worked with Field & Social and our incredible friends at Harmony Pacific Inc. to bring this alluring space to life. This new Mount Pleasant location celebrated their opening on Monday, December 16th 2019.

Photos by Christine Pienaar

Dandy’s Artisan Ice-Cream

4570 Albert Street, Regina Saskatchewan

This artisan ice-cream shop wanted the interior design of their first location to reflect the passion behind their process, their dedication to local ingredients, and their overall sense of pride that stems from each batch of ice-cream. The Janks Design team was able to clearly communicate our interior design vision to the Saskatchewan client all the way from Vancouver, BC. With the Dandy’s process, product, and pride as our main source of inspiration, JDG designed a bright and inviting space that showcased the delicious ice-cream and overall brand of Dandy’s. Unique interior design elements were integrated through lighting, materials, and layout. To compliment the chilly ice-cream, warmth was introduced through wood seating and a feature fireplace amongst the retail and seating area. The black accents are an elegant contrast to the neutral colour palette, and create a sense of depth and visual interest throughout the retail space. Overall, the interior design of this new commercial space successfully portrayed the goals of the company, and provides a functional environment for both customers and employees.

Photos by Andrew Fyfe

CQ Express

9855 Austin Road, Lougheed Town Centre, Burnaby

This family-friendly space is located within Burnaby’s Lougheed Mall, in the developing hub of Lougheed Town Center. This new Dim Sum restaurant concept was inspired by the fun, fresh, fast, and healthy dishes that have been cultivated by the master chefs at CQ Express. With quick service being a priority for this commercial design project, the JDG team put our problem-solving skills to work, and created a layout that was extremely functional and productive for both staff and customers. The interior design followed in these footsteps, and provided a captivating and vibrant space for guests to enjoy the tastes, aromas, and sense of connection. By integrating branded colours, large custom graphics, and strategic lighting solutions into the restaurant design, the experience of this new quick-service restaurant exceeds expectations. This location is opening in January of 2020, so go check them out!

Conceptual Renderings by JDG

123 Dentist – North Vancouver Dentistry & Implant Centre

144 East 13th Street, North Vancouver

Located in the heart of North Vancouver, this newly constructed dentistry and implant centre is one of JDG’s most recent dental design projects. As you enter the doors, you are greeted with a custom reception desk that effortlessly combines warm wood tones and bright, durable quartz. The impactful wall beyond the desk is finished with an organic porcelain tile. The concept continues into the waiting area, where a modern pendant enlightens the seating area, and provides an essence of street appeal through the large window storefront. Various creative interior design elements were implemented into the rest of the design, such as the variety of planters, a massive geometric wood slat wall, and unique art pieces throughout the dental space. The high ceilings combined with natural light and the custom design create a refreshing environment that makes this dental space feel comfortable instead of institutional. A big shoutout to Lions Head Construction for working with us to bring this space to life!

Vancouver Soup Company

292 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver

This local Vancouver company desired a retail space that showcased their food for comfort product, and provided their guests with a comfortable environment to enjoy their delicious soups, stews, chilis, and entrees. The JDG team worked with the Vancouver Soup Company to bring this vision to life. We developed an interior design concept that was carried throughout the entire project, and reflects the company brand and visual directive. The charming storefront was an expansion on the existing production and warehouse area. As a result of technical, detailed, and creative interior design, Janks Design Group was able to successfully create a space that allowed customers to experience a meaningful face-to-face interaction with the company itself. This commercial design project gave JDG a wonderful opportunity to support local companies led by outstanding people. If you get the chance to try one of their delicious fresh products, don’t pass it up! They are exceptional!

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