Kizik Introduces New Brand Platform and Identity With an Immersive NYC Pop-up and Omnichannel Campaign
Kizik, the industry leader in hands-free footwear innovation, debuts a new brand platform with its national introduction of its brand promise, “Motion Is Magic,” The integrated campaign unlocks the power and potential of Kizik’s category-creating, hands-free technology, inviting consumers to enter a life of frictionless freedom where they can experience the limitless possibilities of a life in motion.
This widely resonant proposition will guide Kizik’s continued growth into retail, wholesale, and international markets, culminating this April with a limited-time NYC experiential pop-up that features the launch of five new silhouettes.
April 2024 / By Our Inaugural Sustainability Impact Report
MG2 is proud to share our inaugural Sustainability Impact Report for 2023. This annual report will measure our progress year-over-year towards meeting the AIA 2030 Commitmentto reach towards carbon neutrality by 2030. Taking this step helps us reach our goal of transparency and accountability to our clients, our industry, and the communities where we live and work. This report demonstrates our progress in design and project work and also calculates our corporate carbon emissions.
While sustainability has long been part of the MG2 ethos, we formalized our position in 2020 by joining the AIA 2030 Commitment and publishing our first Sustainability Action Plan. With this 2023 Sustainability Impact Report, we’ve taken the opportunity to refine our plan and take advantage of new tools and processes. As part of that plan, we have established four goals as a firm:
Goal 1:
Operating Energy
With a focus on building performance, we aim to reduce the amount of energy needed to operate buildings. In new construction, this involves building heating and cooling, lighting, plug loads, etc. For retail tenant improvements (TI), we primarily focus on the lighting power density which calculates the light output per square foot.
Goal 2:
Embodied Carbon
This goal represents all the building materials required for new construction or retail TI. Each material has an associated Global Warming Potential (GWP) number which considers the material’s extraction from the earth, manufacturing process, transportation to the building site, and building construction, called “cradle to gate.” We calculate the material quantities in the building (typically from a Revit model) and apply a GWP number to those quantities to determine the metric tons of CO2 a building uses. Reducing this number requires higher efficiencies in our designs and our materials.
Goal 3:
Material Sourcing
Many material manufacturers provide Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for their products. This goal emphasizes the importance of collecting EPDs when we procure or specify materials. In addition to the AIA 2030 Commitment, we are proud signatories of the AIA Materials Pledge. Our job as designers is to bring a deeper awareness of the material makeup and offer our clients “good, better, and best” choices when selecting materials.
Goal 4:
Water Conservation
Water is one of our most precious resources. We calculate and track water usage for irrigation as well as indoor water use. No matter where you live, water is becoming a scarce resource, and as designers we are responsible for implementing innovative solutions.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure, and as a firm we always challenge ourselves to do better. We are constantly tracking data for the above goals during each design phase of a project, from Concept Development through Construction Documentation. Each design team is responsible for collecting and evaluating data during the design process and looking for ways to improve efficiencies.
MG2 invites you to check out our 2023 Sustainability Impact Report and check back each year to see our progress. Enter your name and contact information below to gain access, then click on the report to read full-screen.
Harnessing the Power of Fitting Rooms: Elevating Visual Storytelling and Unified Commerce Experiences
The fitting room has a reputation of being a little sterile at best — and completely unbearable at worst.
While few have prioritized the fitting room experience, Good American, River Island and Victoria’s Secret are among a growing list of retailers turning it into a point of differentiation by leveraging immersive visual storytelling and intentional tech integration.
“Sensorial elements set the tone and the mood from an environmental design standpoint…and then the technology facilitates the efficiency for the customer, and the learnings and data for the brand. Anything you can do to minimize the amount of time it takes for a customer to get an answer while they’re interested in a product increases the chances of a good experience.” Melissa Gonzalez, Principal, MG2
There are many questions surrounding denim, from how to engage consumers with exciting retail experiences to how to reduce overproduction waste. These five companies, including MG2, offer up some answers.
“Brands and retailers want to create in-store experiences that feel impactful and unique, but too often they create mood boards that are just a canvas of what everyone else is doing,” said Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at MG2.
Creating Immersive Retail Experiences at SXSW: What’s the Future of Brand Engagement?
How can brands leverage theater-driven design to create immersive retail experiences that resonate with consumers? Melissa Gonzalez, Principal and Shareholder at MG2 Design and the host of Retail Refined, has illuminated this topic at SXSW (South by Southwest) 2024, highlighting the significance of engaging consumers through multiple touchpoints.
“What do you stand for? Why do you deserve my money? It was great to see so many of those themes and topics really bubble up to the top of conversations,” Gonzalez said, emphasizing the need for brands to craft compelling, personalized narratives that capture the consumer’s imagination and foster a connection
VMSDmagazine celebrates the best and brightest young designers in retail design through its annual VMSDDesigner Dozen awards. These 12 emerging stars recognized this year come from retail organizations and design firms across the country and internationally, and Joy Dayaw, Design PM at MG2, was selected.
Floor Covering News Publisher and Editorial Director, Steve Feldman, penned his column this week about Gen Z and MG2’s research and insights report: “Gen Z: A Deeper Look at 4 Key Personas and How They Are Shaping the In-store Experience.”
“‘This is still a young generation that’s just coming into their career, still largely living with their parents, so they’re still going be motivated by cost, even if they want to make sustainable decisions,’ said Melissa Gonzalez, principal at MG2.”
New Store Strategies: Flexibility, Adaptability Key to Engaging Today’s Demanding Consumers
“Flexibility is definitely a key component whether you’re doing Store 1 or Store 100,” said MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez in a Chain Store Age’s interview with Debra Hazel.
Read the cover story, “”New Store Strategies,” on why flexibility and adaptability are key to engaging todays demanding consumers.
MG2 partnered with a prestige beauty company to assess and develop a customized, scalable sustainability program for both new and existing retail stores globally, spanning their family of brands.
The objective of this more than 12-month endeavor was to establish a framework, along with measurable standards and criteria, that could be incorporated into the built environment across various categories, including store buildout, energy, and water conservation, sustainable sourcing of materials, and operations, among others.
Goals included:
Immersion into corporate and brand goals
Establishment of standards for sustainability in the built environment
Create a set of criteria to measure sustainability
Evaluation of the full lifecycle of the brand environments, including design and materials selection, vendor selection, fabrication, installation, operations, visual merchandising, and end-of-lease removal/recycling of all elements
Deliverables included:
Stakeholder workshops to establish priorities by brand
Toolkit and guidelines, creating standards and specifications for sustainability in the built environment
A scoring system to evaluate and rank achievements within the brand’s custom sustainability program
We were thrilled to discuss our Sorel pop-up with Matthew Hall for VMSD’s “2024 Retail Forecast.”
“Saturated inside and out with the brand’s signature orange, the space’s interior walls also feature a collage of vintage ads combined with new campaign imagery to celebrate the breadth of the brand’s heritage. An augmented reality ‘Magic Mirror,’ with branded filters and experiences at the store entry, invites consumers to fully immerse themselves in the brand story and interact in a unique way. ‘The product features were a key inspiration,’ says Melissa Gonzalez, MG2 Principal and The Lionesque Group founder, ‘and New York’s energy and characteristics was the muse.'”
MG2 Named a Finalist in This Year’s Glossy Beauty Awards
We’re excited to be named a finalist in this year’s Glossy Beauty Awards for our partnership with Victoria’s Secret on VS Bombshell Gardens pop-up on New York City’s High Line. The award spotlights the competitive beauty industry and today’s consumers’ desire for new and innovative products and experiences from the brands they love.
“In Gen Alpha’s mind, there are no boundaries in terms of how they’re able to access information…And the information and resources they have access to are more far-reaching than what we’ve ever had access to. In their mind, they can figure out anything.”
‘Elevating Voices’ Exhibit Features Black Northwest Artists
Bellevue joins partners to present Black History Month exhibit at City Hall
In celebration of Black History Month, the City of Bellevue, in partnership with Seattle architecture firm MG2 and Onyx Fine Arts Collective, is presenting the exhibit “Elevating Voices,” featuring the work of 17 Pacific Northwest Black artists.
Holistic Health: Consumers Are Seeking Wellness in Everything They Do – How Are You Showing Up For Them?
Retailers are beginning to think differently in response to their audience’s changing desires for “healthier” shopping experiences. By evaluating traditional store design elements through the lens of wellness, brands have the opportunity to create environments that are more holistic, rather than simply physical, and inclusive of cognitive, emotional and spiritual health attributes.
In this report, we look to demystify what well-being means to consumers and the in-store design features that support a state of mindfulness and deliver a sense of value in retail today.
Our full deck is available for download at the bottom of this preview. Take me there now!
CONSUMERS WANT AN EXPERIENCE THAT SUPPORTS THEIR WELL-BEING, NOT JUST A PRODUCT THAT DELIVERS WELLNESS
Consumers are more aware of their health and what contributes to their holistic well-being than ever before. This awareness, however, is not just limited to mental, emotional, and physical wellness, as it also accounts for our communal health and how we engage with wellness practices and experiences beyond our home. More and more, consumers are seeking out alternative care solutions and services. Many retailers have the ability and the real estate to test these alternatives as a way of not only contributing to their audience’s well-being, but as a way to drive greater traffic and loyalty. By offering spaces for a moment of calm or reflection, engaging water features or biophilia throughout or facilitating workshops to fuel connection, retailers and brands can go from experiential retail, to transformative retail.
For many consumers, retail therapy is transformative and delivers endorphins similar to exercise, resulting in a positive behavioral change in mindset. For many others however, the retail environment can prove taxing and stressful, allowing them to become overwhelmed and distracted from their original objective. By thinking intentionally and strategically, retailers can connect with consumers of all walks of life and deliver a comprehensive experience in-store that is good for both the body and the mind.
Key Takeaway
Since the pandemic, the desire to prioritize one’s health and holistic well-being has increased significantly. Consumers are now making lifestyle choices with wellness in mind, which has ignited a feeling of purpose and a new sense of motivation. As individuals navigate the endless sources of stress and anxiety they face both in life and work, it is only natural that they gravitate towards environments that ease these burdens rather than contributing to them. With so many retailers to choose from, consumers are feeling a pull towards those that recognize the hardship of mental clutter and are committed to alleviating some of that tension in authentic and meaningful ways. This can be achieved in a variety of ways in store, such as thoughtful lighting design integrations, biophilia focal walls, water features, calming music or meditative spaces, all of which give the consumer the opportunity to decompress. Through this, retailers and brands can demonstrate their commitment to their consumer’s priorities and values, resulting in repeat visitation and long term loyalty as consumers will find these brand experiences enjoyable and transformative. By investing in store design features with human centric needs at the heart, brands will see a return on their investment both financially and in their audience’s social capital.
“Bars should also ideally be visible from the entrance, says Joy Dayaw, associate, MG2 Design, Seattle, to create an immediate impression and to attract early arrivals over from the hostess stand. “
Evergreens Updates Design Palette for New Factoria Store
We’re excited to see Evergreens, located in Bellevue, WA, featured in the Daily Journal of Commerce.
The location’s mix of cool green tones with light wood is designed to reflect the brand’s commitment to serving local, organic produce. Alongside a mural by local artist Jen Vickers, the new space is light, bright, and welcoming to all customers.
Learn more about this new location in the DJC article below. Password protected.
Casper tests a new store design as it rethinks its retail strategy
Melissa Gonzalez, principal of MG2 said in an email it is common for startups like Casper to evolve their retail store design as they mature. “With a company like Casper they’ve evolved much as a brand but also, it’s important to stay on top of evolving consumer trends, behaviors and needs and ensure that you are factoring that in to your in-store experience,” she said.
From Shein to Chanel: Why we’re in the age of pop-ups
“Pop-ups are also a great way for retailers to lean into the preferences of the Gen Z shopper. Driscoll cited data from MG2 Advisory, a leading creator of pop-ups, which showed that nearly half of Gen Z shoppers who primarily shop online prefer to engage with brands through experiential pop-up activations when shopping in person.”
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