International Visual Competition: First Place
Temporary/Pop-Up Retail Space
"Westfield, World Trade – Holiday Market"
Submitted by: Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (formerly Westfield), Paris
The Oculus at the World Trade Center in New York, designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava, boasts a stunning interior. So one can imagine the extreme care it must have taken the Westfield (Sydney) design team to make a fun-filled holiday market that didn’t overshadow or conflict with the building’s design.
“We really were respectful of the architecture in the space, and the whole market echoed that,” says Fiona Kyle, VP, Events, Westfield. “And because we nailed that balance, people responded really well to it. We didn’t hide anything, and everything stood well on its own two feet.”
Twenty vendors were placed in 10-foot-by-10-foot uniform white kiosk pop-ups with company names printed on the front. The modular fixtures and displays inside allowed retailers to express their individuality through merchandising, while the structures themselves echoed the building’s soaring ceiling.
Other interactive elements included an LED Christmas tree that constantly changed colors; oversized snowmen and an exaggerated snow angel imprint for social media moments; as well as freestanding, modern tree cutouts which helped create a “winter forest” setting.
“I think it’s essentially watching something go from paper and 2-D renderings to a real, living, breathing event activation in the space,” says Kyle. “Watching it all come together and peoples’ reactions makes all that work and effort worthwhile.”
“The lighting, the projections on the floor, all add to the look and feel,” said judge Patel.
“The canvas they’ve created is a nice, simple canvas,” said competition judge Jamie Cornelius, Creative Director, ChangeUp Inc. (Dayton, Ohio). “They could’ve gone the complete opposite way, but the way they maintain a clean aesthetic is surprising.”
To learn more about this year's International Visual Competition winners and honorable mentions, be sure to check vmsd.com throughout the month of August.
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