The Editorial Store
Unger, Uzwei Store Branding & Packaging, 2014
Unger, the Hamburg-based, tradition-rich fashion house, opened their “little sister” store. They called on MUTABOR’s Identity Design unit with the mission to develop an image that does justice to the offshoot’s trend focus and appeal to a younger, female target group. The result: the “Editorial Store”, bringing to life the concept of a fashion magazine as retail store: It offers a selection of trend labels, flowers, café and beauty products all to the highest aesthetic level and in an atmosphere that invites customers to stay for a while and be inspired. The visuals connect elements which reflect the relationship with its more traditional parent company using modern stylistic devices. The Unger’s “U” has generated a second (in German: “zweiten”) store: Uzwei. A striking word mark combined with an expressive pattern, which is reminiscent of a water reflection and optically animates its location on the canal. The look of the “Zwei” brings to mind embroidery visualizing Unger’s heritage. The copper element is derived from the particular copper architecture of the Kaisergalerie, the store’s location. The High Fashion area receives its own branding in a classic black & white with copper elements. Another attraction is the ceiling-high light sculpture that colorfully interprets the Uzwei pattern depending on the natural light throughout the day. A new image was born equipping Uzwei with a long-term, continuous transformability and reinvention laying the cornerstone for the new fashion brand Uzwei. The store opened in Fall 2014.
MUTABOR also teamed up with Uzwei owner Florian Braun to bring the new look to the interior design: façade, shop window and checkout area were branded and a floor mosaic created in the form of the logo.
The packaging system remains the same – whether box, bag or coffee to-go – the UZwei pattern as the core element is always present. To complete the branding, the logo is superimposed on this pattern.
The store’s other product offers are to be staged as sub-brands – Uzwei flowers, Uzwei deli and Uzwei cashmere – with a more rough appearance. This supports the marketplace character of the store.
This Corporate Design offers multiple variation possibilities – while the “U” remains the same, the pattern can change the colors and the “Zwei” can take on new shapes. This helps the sub-brands either visually distinguish themselves, take advantage of seasonal trends or communicate the multi-faceted shop concept.
For the store’s opening, a microsite was launched for three months. Each department got its own fashion model and the photos were then cut into a mix-and-match game, so that the user could create their own look and experience first-hand the Editorial Store’s concept.
UNGER’s “mother brand” is UNGER, Hamburg’s leading store for exclusive women’s fashion. This logo was also conceptualized by MUTABOR.
Skills
Logo Design, Brand Design, Corporate Design, Packaging Design, Labeling, Kommunikationsmaßnahmen, Signage, Retail Design, LED installation