Market: Consumer Experiences

Catch’N Ice Cream

Bringing the brand of an iconic influencer to life

Since his humble beginnings as a Cold Stone Creamery scooper in Michigan, Dylan Lemay always dreamed of taking his love and passion for ice cream to new heights. The young entrepreneur spent years honing his craft, building his personal brand, and creating unique, first-person social videos that put ice cream fans in the spotlight.

Today, as TikTok’s number one food & beverage content creator, Dylan regularly entertains over 15 million followers across numerous digital platforms with his ice cream “throwing” antics. When the influencer was ready to establish a brick-and-mortar venture, he partnered with MG2/The Lionesque Group to bring his brand and vision to life.

Catch’N Ice Cream is an innovative, interactive ice cream shop experience in the NoHo neighborhood of New York City. Like neighboring retailers on its strategically chosen block of Bleecker Street, Catch’N is a contemporary brand that offers visitors an engaging yet timeless approach to a classic experience, one that is inherently Dylan Lemay.

The store’s design language is crisp, clean, and modern, with angular details that draw guests’ eyes to the culinary performance at its center. Hand-selected from dozens of options, the venue itself is a traditional podium retail space in the historic Bayard-Condict Building: the only structure in NYC by the great modernist architect Louis Sullivan. This unique setting creates a backdrop of familiarity and neighborhood context that juxtaposes the trendy elements specific to the Catch’N brand.

In order to fundamentally capture Dylan’s style and personality, every element for Catch’N was custom-designed, from the logo and style guide, to merchandise, fixtures, counters, and wallcoverings. Curated with intent, Catch’N’s color palette boldly diverts from the industry’s traditional, frequently used shades while still befitting that of an ice cream company.

The Catch’N experience centers around a huge cold slab counter where staff chop, fold, and throw ice cream to customers, replicating the influencer’s signature style. The user journey, both kinetic and sensory in nature, puts each patron in the spotlight, just like Dylan’s digital brand and video creations. 

As guests wait their turn, they’re awarded ample sightlines to the cold slab experience and the ability to explore the full line-up of ice cream-themed merchandise. Technological touches such as digital menus and projection mapping infuse humor and keep in-store content fresh, rounding off a stylish, engaging experience created by—and for—the next generation.

“Catch’N is born 50% from social media and 50% from the culinary ice cream world,” explains Peter Stocker, Principal at MG2 and design lead on the new ice cream brand, “The design and customer experiences in the space reflect that duality.”

“What’s been so exciting about working with Dylan and his team to create this unique culinary experience is the incredible growth we’re seeing in the ‘creator as a brand’ trend,” adds Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at MG2 and Founder of The Lionesque Group, an MG2 studio. “The opportunity to partner with such a dynamic innovator with a steadfast entrepreneurial mindset, and be that counterpart in helping him find the perfect space, bring the design to life, and mold the brand voice—it’s been a rewarding experience for all involved.”

LouLou Market & Bar

Expanding the legacy and brand of a culinary legend

Upon his semi-retirement, Thierry Rautureau, better known to many as the award-winning Chef in the Hat, was ready to embark on a new culinary endeavor. He sought to expand his brand beyond traditional fine dining into a more approachable but still sophisticated experience that would appeal to a wider audience.

Rautureau collaborated with MG2 and SSP America to design and develop LouLou Market & Bar: a French-meets-Pacific Northwest restaurant in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The restaurant weaves together the chef’s passion for cooking, a lifetime of culinary accomplishments, and rich personal history.

Every aspect of LouLou’s environment and branding was chosen to reflect the Chef’s vision, the legacy of his brand, and his lifelong journey.

The familiar wood tones and neutral colors of its nearby terminal neighbors are delicately interrupted by a dark blue and white color palette. It’s a strategic motif that distinguishes itself while also creating a welcoming respite in the chaotic gate environment.

Custom wall coverings surround visitors—hand-illustrated to pay homage to Rautureau’s childhood dog—gracing the walls alongside a refined logo, signage, and greenery-adorned shelving. Elegant yet hearty Parisian fixtures, furnishings, and operational elements such as rattan seating and bespoke brass beer taps combine to create a warm market atmosphere. Menus, plating, and presentations artfully blend French and Pacific Northwest culinary traditions.

“We wanted to make sure it lived up to the Chef’s reputation,” explains Peter Stocker, Principal and LouLou’s design and branding lead. “It was a powerful collaboration in which we pooled ideas and talents to achieve a genuine design vision. I believe we were successful in honoring his legacy, brand, and personal history — the end result is authentically and aesthetically him.”

Press Coverage

Something new for travelers is popping up all over

“Large existing retailers are resorting to pop-ups as a low-risk way to test new markets ‘and show people what the experience is,'” reports Jon Marcus for The Boston Globe.

“This also accelerated during the pandemic, when brands were desperate to stay connected with their customers, who often moved away to work remotely. Some New York stores ‘followed people to the Hamptons,’ for example, said Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at MG2, Founder of The Lionesque Group, an MG2 studio, and author of ‘The Pop-up Paradigm: How Brands Build Human Connection in a Digital Age.’

“It’s that uniqueness that makes pop-ups particularly appealing to travelers.

“‘When you go away, you want to get something that feels authentic and unique,’ Gonzalez said.”

Read more at The Boston Globe

France meets the Pacific Northwest at Thierry Rautureau’s new airport bistro

“Enjoying a coffee and croissant on rattan chairs, sipping an Aperol spritz at a custom millwork bar, or grabbing a quiche to go at LouLou Market and Bar in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Concourse B, you might feel as if you’re in Paris rather than at an airport — and that’s the whole point,” Emma Hinchliffe of The Daily Journal of Commerce reports.

Read more in the Daily Journal of Commerce

VYNE Washington Tasting Room

VYNE-Washington-Tasting-Room-SeaTac-Airport-2

Expanding the legacy and brand of a culinary legend

When SSP America sought to replace an existing food and beverage venue in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with a cutting-edge, interactive experience, they partnered with MG2 to create VYNE: a technology-driven wine bar and tasting room.

Born from the goal of showcasing a diverse selection of Washington wineries to travelers from around the globe, VYNE’s interactive pour-it-yourself wine journey offers upscale yet laid-back ambiance in an industrial-modern environment, creating a destination-worthy reprieve from the bustle of SeaTac’s central terminal.

Every aspect of LouLou’s environment and branding was chosen to reflect the Chef’s vision, the legacy of his brand, and his lifelong journey.

Tackling everything from logo development to architecture scope, all the way through construction in a challenging footprint located directly above baggage claim, the teams worked closely together to deliver a final product that is as interactive and educational as it is inviting and enticing.

In 2022, with an above-and-beyond design demonstrating an innovative approach and effective partnership between the airport, its passengers, and the larger Washington community, VYNE was awarded the “Best New Food and Beverage” full-service concept by the Airports Council International – North America.

Meet Our Team

Jessica Thaemert

Associate Principal

With a keen eye for details, a passion for the collaboration process, and over fifteen years of experience, Jessica Thaemert knows how to expertly and thoughtfully craft transformative spaces that heighten the desired sensations from any given environment. She is a hybrid big-picture creative and detail-oriented executor, bridging the gap between conceptual thinking and the realities of construction, budget, durability, and scheduling.

Jessica is a master at partnership design process orchestration, working alongside stakeholders to bring their voices, ideas, and business goals to the table, turning them into tactile, memorable spaces. She is sustainability-driven and maintains a deep passion for keeping abreast of the latest in industry trends and interior aesthetics. From concept to reality, Jessica is a true champion for design challenges of all scopes and sizes.

Perspectives

Immersive Experiences, Enduring Strategies: Retail Design Lessons From Milan Design Week

June 2022 / By MJ Munsell, Jessica Thaemert

What makes a retail experience truly exceptional?

Is it the total, almost tactile immersion in the world according to that brand? The way being in that space makes you feel? The possibilities it allows you to envision? The senses it stimulates? All of the above? Or something else entirely? This year, we attended Salone de Mobile and Fuorisalone In Milan to uncover fresh answers to these questions.

Inspired by all that we encountered, our team rounded up our top experiences, chronicling what made them stand out, and what we can learn and apply to designing some of the world’s best retail experiences.

Alcova

An otherworldly excursion into an abandoned military hospital, Alcova showcased over eighty exhibitors who brought common objects into an uncommon environment, creating focus, enabling storytelling, and developing memories that we now associate with that object and brand.

The journey inside was as impactful as the event itself: the approach, the uncertainty, the unveiling of a vignette — it all added to the allure of the brands, and the influence of the experience.

Alessi

The personalized showcase from Alessi told a brand story through the lens of their history in a multi-scaled environment. It presented small, curated vignettes that featured iconic moments from the brand’s past, narratives from the family who spoke about the factory and company’s timeline in the first person, and offered a sincere, insightful immersion into its legacy through a branded exhibit.

This multi-faceted design firm brought to life an experiential gallery of objects, music, place, and setting. The installation showcased their talent in creating emotional spaces, the curation of beautiful objects, and effortlessly bringing like-minded people together into an unforgettable experience.

Hermes

A showstopper from one of the world’s biggest luxury design houses featured their latest collection of furniture, accessories, and lighting. Inspired by brutalist water towers, large glowing wooden structures covered in translucent paper, enveloped various objects in an ethereal, yet focused setting.

A cavernous, dimly lit space housed these four glowing structures, each devoted to a different product type. The immersive, almost theatrical experience captured the imagination and inspired a deep, emotional connection with an otherwise often inaccessible brand.

Lee Broom

The latest collection from lighting designer Lee Broom was shown in an exhibit titled Divine Inspiration.  The setting placed the collection in a context that richened both its design and the story. Showcasing a stunning series of new, ethereal lighting inspired by historic places of worship. It was truly a multi-sensory experience combining journey, sound, scent, lighting, and place to reinforce the origins of this new collection.

Golden Goose

Golden Goose was successful in evolving their brand experience to be energetic, young, eventful, and even artistic through the in-store experience.  

The journey began at the storefront were visitors were driven by curiosity to peek into the action of the store from the outside. Once inside, a combination of both hands-on artistry with life-sized digital screens, created a complimentary experience.  Watching a delighted customer unpack their customized sneakers, unveiling artwork that was created specifically for them, and the energy that surrounded it was a brand defining moment.

An unexpected detail was the acknowledgment on the history of the space: Golden Goose honored the previous tenant—Alexander McQueen—through iconic elements and a narration of the legacy and significance they played.

Rossana Orlandi

Described as a “meandering wonderland of craft, collectible design, and mind-bending furniture that enticed visitors to explore down hallways, up stairwells, and around corners”, Rossana Orlandi’s gallery had us finding inspiration in every nook and cranny.

RO offered three curated experiences, which included immersive settings, collectible furniture, and spaces for eating and drinking. Some highlights were the “Sexy Seventies” collection by Se, the indoor/outdoor rustic spaces that showcased both practical and artistic sustainability concepts, and The Danish House exhibition that effortlessly showcased its curated Scandinavian designs.

What made all of these showcases so great?

  • Fully immersive experiences
  • Intuitive storytelling
  • Entirely integrated messaging
  • Bold, yet simple
  • A clear point of view
  • Disciplined design
  • Instantly iconic
  • A story told using all senses

This year at Milan Design Week, we were reminded of the importance of three pivotal, yet enduring design strategies:  “do not stray”, “keep it simple”, and “leave something to the imagination”.

With every experience we encountered, it was the fusion of sound, scent, lighting, design elements, visual merchandising, and people that made them memorable. And it’s this blending of science and art that creates exceptional retail experiences.

MG2 Associate, Catherine Clark, Named on 40 Under 40 List

Catherine Clark, a senior project manager at architecture and design firm MG2 was honored with the Retail TouchPoints 40 Under 40 Award at a reception during the 2022 Retail Innovation Conference that took place in Chicago in May.

Read more in the Daily Journal of Commerce

Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Gardens

Engaging. Instagrammable. Destination-worthy.

When Victoria’s Secret, one of the defining brands in the world of beauty, sought to elevate both local and global awareness around its iconic Bombshell fragrance, they partnered with MG2 / The Lionesque Group on the design, development, and build-out of a one-week immersive pop-up experience on The High Line: an iconic outdoor park that weaves through the heart of Manhattan.

From the onset, finding the perfect outdoor venue—an outdoor city park that allowed for the selling of goods but also supported the duration desired by the client—was as challenging as it was paramount. The team sourced, scouted, and worked with the City of New York to navigate the complexities of permitting to secure the iconic, elevated High Line park for the pop-up’s location. With the challenges that variable weather can provide for outdoor venues, designers also took every possibility into consideration while curating the experience, incorporating contingencies for inclement climates.

With a focus on creating an immersive, technology-integrated journey that would play host to several events and memorable moments throughout the week, designers adopted and embodied the Bombshell state of mind from day one. Designers studied concepts in 2D and rendered in 3D, while also carefully curating the color and material palettes, signage, lighting, and floral packages that would become the foundation of the experiential attributes, iconic structures, and captivating motifs.

With the run-of-show, customer journey, and design details finalized, The Lionesque Group conducted a veritable orchestra of contractors, vendors, and specialists, coordinating the budgets and timelines of hundreds of moving pieces to bring a wholly unique, unforgettable 10,000 sq/ft pop-up to life.

The experience featured 150 lbs of greenery, 525 feet of LED neon, 1,350 sq/ft of pink vinyl, and approximately 58,000 stems of fresh florals—half of them season-favorite peonies—sourced both locally and from countries around the world.

The Bombshell Gardens debuted to unanimous fanfare from the press, influencers, celebrities, and visitors. Complete with immersive projection mapping, artful mirrored installations, elegant gardens containing thousands of flowers, and classic brand iconography, visitors were immersed in the Bombshell story: a place of discovery where all are welcome to be inspired and uplifted through the ultimate fragrance journey.

Engaging, Instagrammable, and destination-worthy, the Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Gardens experience garnered over 93,000 visitors, millions of social media impressions, four engagement proposals, significant brand awareness and coverage, and the genuine, high-spirited, consumer-empowering brand engagement it sought from the week-long pop-up event.

Press Coverage

Awards

Retail TouchPoints Reveals 2022’s 40 Under 40 Winners

Retail TouchPoints and design:retail have unveiled the 2022 slate of 40 Under 40 Award winners. Representing the entire retail realm — from store design to CX strategy, ecommerce and retail operations — the 40 Under 40 Awards spotlight up-and-coming leaders who have done innovative and remarkable work and contributed significantly to the progress of the retail industry as a whole.

Read more at RetailWit

MG2’s Sustainable Materials Evaluation System with Candon Murphy

Learn how MG2’s Sustainable Materials Evaluation System helps clients, prospects, and staff choose the most environmentally feasible materials for their building projects. Candon Murphy, LEED GA, Assoc. IIDA, Design Lab Manager and Materials & Sustainability Specialist with MG2, speaks with BD+C Executive Editor Rob Cassidy.

Read more at Building Design + Construction

New York By Design Architecture: Season 1, Episode 2

Season 1 of New York By Design: Architecture uncovers outstanding projects that exemplify excellence in New York architectural design, showcasing the human story behind some of the most innovative and creative architects and builders in and around New York.

Watch the episode on YouTube

The 9 Best Restaurant Architects in Irvine, California

Irvine of Orange County is considered to be a safer place to live than many other alternatives. It is Southern California’s economic center, and it also features some of the best shopping, restaurants and outdoor recreation in the country. Irvine is also home to a number of corporations, particularly in the technology and semiconductor sectors that locate their national or international headquarters in Irvine.

Below are nine of the best restaurant architects in Irvine, California. They were selected for their experience, expertise, and the awards they have received over the years.

Read more at General Contractors Magazine
Research & Insights – April 2022

How to attract shoppers & keep them coming back?

How to attract shoppers & keep them coming back

A few takeaways from this Shoptalk 2022

The last few years have catapulted consumers of every demographic into embracing and expecting seamless online and mobile commerce in a way we never could have anticipated pre-pandemic. And while adoption sharply increased across the board, the cost for brands to compete also grew exponentially. This industry competition—coupled with factors like inflation, price increases, labor shortages, supply chain delays, and tumultuous international relations—is only growing more fierce.

As populations begin to re-normalize and venture back out into the world to shop, brick-and-mortar stores have the opportunity to continue to prove their value. With concrete data illustrating the “halo effect” and the impact on consumer lifetime value, the approach to the in-store experience has forever changed. 

It’s time for brands to think differently. Think about how to make the most of new factors that are motivating consumers to shop in-store. Think about the marriage of physical and digital, while adding in a layer of hospitality, and creating an omnichannel network approach. 

In the wake of learning from and conversing with industry experts during this year’s Shoptalk conference, here are three things brands should be thinking about to attract shoppers to physical retail, and how they can keep them coming back for more.

1. NEW AND HYBRID FORMATS KEEP THINGS FRESH, BUT EACH SHOULD SERVE A PURPOSE, AND ALL SHOULD BE INTEGRATED.

Micro pop-ups, small-format stores, large-format flagships, flex-format, mobile-format, meta-format… these days, there really are no boundaries in how retail can be experienced, and brands are keen to experiment across multiple formats to see what resonates with consumers. However, what retailers need to remember is to be strategic in thinking about the purpose each format serves, and consider the challenges and opportunities that lie within each option.

As we design any store format, the intersection of the customer journey with the package journey needs to seamlessly flex from a point of fulfillment to a point of discovery and immersion. Leveraging digital assets and platforms to inform and fuel both consumer/associate interactions and retail inventory at physical locations is paramount; customers expect this seamlessness as they research, get advice from, and compare brands to the competition.

For example, Foxtrot—a once digitally native marketplace brand—is reinventing the intersection of grocery, retail, and consumer experience through its robust app that powers both delivery and in-store pick-up of goods. They seamlessly flex from quick-serve metrics to consumer-centric hospitality day, harnessing the data captured across both formats to inform their next industry move and better serve their customers. Less friction = more brand loyalty.

2. STORES NEED A ROBUST YET INTUITIVE OPERATING SYSTEM THAT BENEFITS BOTH COMPANY AND CONSUMERS.

Just like what Shopify has done for e-commerce, or what Fabric is doing for headless commerce, physical retail stores need a powerful plug-and-play operating system to empower seamless digital enablement for both staff and shoppers. 

Just imagine: Responsive, interactive window shopping. Fitting rooms that use technology like Fit:Match’s to scan your body type and help find your perfect fit. Endless aisle access to inventory powered by innovation from teams like Crave Retail. Frictionless in-person returns that put customer’s money back in their pockets as quickly and as easily as it restores inventory back into the system, just as Navar or Happy Returns does in-store. Customer patterns and staff interactions are measurable, and purchase intent attribution is trackable via companies like Pathr.AI. The store itself acts as a stage from which shoppable live feeds can be cast, a la platforms such as ShopShops.

All of these technological components may exist in some aspect today, but the real trick will be combining them into one standard operating system to control and rule them all. With this enablement, the “store of the future” will make both retail management and in-person shopping as seamless in the real world as they are online. 

3. Buying is transactional. Shopping is emotional.

It may be an old adage, but it remains more true today than ever before. Emotions continue to be tied to which brands customers pledge loyalty to with their wallets, and it’s an opportunity that can be unlocked within brick-and-mortar stores. When curated carefully through ambiance, color, experience, sounds, scents, and more, retail environments are a narrative all their own. Brick-and-mortar acts as a canvas, painting a picture of an attainable, desirable lifestyle with your brand at the center.

Powering the story: knowledgeable store staff. A team that knows the customer, because they themselves are customers, and can tell shoppers what they need before they know it. A team that is empowered with data at their fingertips – data on past purchases, abandoned shopping cart interest, birthdays and special occasions, fit, style, and more. A team that brings the brand to life.

While technology and immersive experiences may be an integral part of the future of store design, human-centered connections and the emotions those interactions elicit will always be critical factors in consumer behaviors and loyalty.

Providing Opportunities: Mitch Smith

As one of the first 20 employees to join MG2, Smith quickly rose from project manager to CEO and chairman of the board by honing the craft of architecture. He perfectly balances delivery excellence with a design mindset, driving kinetic transformation long into the future.

“You can’t wait for a specific opportunity to arise to develop your staff,” Smith says. “You have to continually invest in and provide opportunities.”

Read more at Zweig Group

MG2 Celebrates 50 Years of Award-Winning Architecture, Design, Strategy, and Branding

Perpetually guided by our vision to create transformative experiences that elevate everyday life, MG2 celebrated its fifty-year anniversary of delivering award-winning architecture and design projects across the globe.

Read more at Puget Sound Business Journal
Perspectives

Bringing MG2’s 50th Anniversary to life

March 2022 / By Ellen Dulweber

In 2021, MG2 celebrated five decades of success. And true to our humble nature, we marked the occasion without much public fanfare. With the world still partially in lockdown, it was a challenge to truly celebrate how we’d originally intended. But the lavish parties we’d envisioned soon gave way to a whole host of virtual storytelling and celebratory experiences that were just as heartfelt and inclusive. And, in a way, it was more meaningful than we could have ever expected.

 

 

With everyone’s attention focused elsewhere the last year few years, it would have been easy to let this significant milestone pass by unnoticed. Instead, we decided to mark the occasion as much as the virtual nature of 2021 allowed: by documenting the big ideas of our leaders, elevating the perspectives of our diversifying employees, and putting it all out there, rough cuts, raw emotions, and real ideas.

To commemorate, we wanted to provide the firm with something new and unexpected. We curated numerous experiences and opportunities for staff to contribute throughout the year, with those compiled into a final physical and digital “zine” to encapsulate the past 50 years and look forward to the next 50. As a group of skilled visual designers and creative writers, our Creative Services and Marketing teams were uniquely positioned to bring the firm’s story to life through in-depth interviews, thought-provoking prompts, crowd-sourced ideas, and podcast-style conversations. We illuminated our people through photography, video, editorial design, and illustration. We shot for the moon.

It was important to us that this celebration have its own personality. We wanted it to have characteristics inspired by our past, but also have a cool new slant inspired by the future we envision for ourselves. In debating whether we should celebrate our past or nod to the future, we realized, why not both? Thus our 50th Anniversary theme of “looking both ways” was formed: by looking in the mirror and really asking, “who is MG2?” we can see the vision of our past refract into the future. 

We looked past the traditional to pay homage to the innovative trajectory of our firm while honoring the grit and sheer determination our foundation is built on.

On the Creative Services team at MG2 we love round robin design. It’s a true melting pot for everyone to collaborate and put forward their ideas for iteration and improvement. We leveraged the tactic when developing our 50th Anniversary logo: one of us started with a sketch, then passed it to the next person. They refined and then passed it on again. Rinse and repeat. Over time we started to tease out these amazing ideas that everyone had a hand in. And in the end, there’s no better feeling then when each of us looks at the final product and sees a little sliver of our original idea.

With so much incredible content to gather, we leaned into a physical format to feel like a time capsule and live on past our 50th Anniversary. Our goal was to immortalize what this anniversary meant to employees from all experiences and perspectives, and bring it to life through something that was unique, artful, and a little rough around the edges. Something cool and fun to display on our coffee tables amongst editions of Rizzoli and Phaidon.

The zine is comprised of three chapters, each depicting a certain time period of the firm. Each chapter features a distinct design personality; from color palette and typography to creative writing and voice, we wanted each element to feel like it belonged.

When you read the first chapter, “Reflections,” you’ll feel the pride that our founder Doug Mulvanny felt when he started the firm from a small rented desk and a phone line. You’ll also observe the confident leadership transition to Jerry Lee and the impact he created on the firm and in the community. This chapter’s visual language consists of a magenta palette with coral accents and straightforward sans serif typography to pay homage to “what was.”  

“Looking Both Ways” gives a more in depth look at MG2 today, and how CEO Mitch Smith found his way to the firm, climbed the ranks, and intends to lead us into the next 50 years. Among stories from employees across the firm, President Russ Hazzard talks about his “take the bull by the horns” approach. This chapter’s color palette takes influence from our focus on sustainability with pops of teal and a rich grass green. Typography comes to life through our standard typefaces, but with a twist of something new.

Finally, you end in an experimental play land, “Refractions.” As our female leadership takes center stage with CCO MJ Munsell and COO Celeste Lenon, electric colors of blue and coral erupt from the page as our typography twists and turns energetically, refracting the possibilities for our future.

The small touches really allow the zine to shine. We’ve integrated our audio and video experiences via QR codes that launch you to our “Conversations” series podcasts and video interviews with our executive team. Photo spreads are punctuated with die cut paper pieces that pace your experience and add a touch of whimsy. Gate fold timelines expand our history past, present, and untold future to create something truly interactive. Even the paper choices have been carefully selected to evolve and shift with the eras of stories they tell. And finally the zine is wrapped in one final iteration of our logo, this time dissecting it with notes and key drawings reminiscent of architectural plans.

Compiling this zine was truly a passion project for us. A predominantly virtual world made for a complex challenge to solve in celebrating MG2’s 50th Anniversary. But our people and their stories made it worthwhile. We’re excited to bring this anthology along with us as 2022 ushers in year one of “the Next 50.” Cheers to a notable past, inspiring present, and very bright future for MG2.

Why stores—like one permanent pop-up—should be designed more like Lego sets

Walls that move. Display racks and tables that can be reconfigured. How agility is becoming critical in store design today.

Read more at Retail Brew
Perspectives

How A Suburban Seattle Strip Mall Is Being Transformed Into A Healthy Community

March 2022 / By How A Suburban Seattle Strip Mall Is Being Transformed Into A Healthy Community

This article was produced for and originally published by Bisnow.

__________

There’s a growing movement to change the way American communities are designed that places a greater focus on the well-being of residents. At the heart of these new communities is one thing: accessibility. 

Sometimes called the 15-minute city, the design goal for these neighborhoods is to have all the necessities a person could need — from groceries to medical attention — within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their home. According to a 2019 report titled Foot Traffic Ahead from Smart Growth America, these types of walkable developments lead to improved social mobility, economic growth, and several other factors in residents’ lives. 

The team at Seattle-based architecture, design, strategy, and branding firm MG2 believes strongly in the potential of walkable developments, which is why they are focused on designing what they call healthy communities. 

“Our focus goes beyond the traditional ‘live-work-play’ tenets of mixed-use developments,” MG2 principal Ben Gist said. “We also take into account what we feel are the vital principles of ‘nourish, move and learn.’ We’re combining all of our expertise in designing everything from grocery stores to healthcare clinics to create one cohesive, walkable, healthy community.”

Gist said that for MG2, some of the key components of a healthy community include easy access to grocery stores, daycare centers, office space, healthcare facilities, parks, and mixed-income housing. The firm has spent the last few years focusing on how to take its architects’ varied experience in designing a variety of retail spaces and pivoting that toward transforming underused retail sites — like malls — into dynamic neighborhoods. 

One of its most recent projects is located in Kirkland, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle. Here, MG2 and its partner Madison Development Group have taken the site of a former strip mall and are redesigning it into a 1.35M SF development called Rose Hill. This new community, located right off the 405, will feature four mixed-use apartment/retail buildings. Each is designed with a different demographic in mind, radiating its own personality inside and out while still speaking the same design language. 

Along with just over 800 apartment units, these buildings will feature retail components including a healthcare facility and a daycare center. There will also be workspaces, an outdoor party deck, and several other amenities open to all residents. 

“We’ve distributed the amenities throughout the project, enticing residents to explore and get to know buildings beyond their own,” Gist said. “We’re trying to encourage a sense of community, curiosity, and movement throughout the site.”

On-premise, residents will find a 40K SF full-service grocery store, as well as a Costco just across from the site. This is especially appropriate since MG2 has designed hundreds of Costcos across the globe. Further setting the stage for the walkable community, Google finalized a purchase agreement for the nearby Lee Johnson car dealership in November, with plans to use the site to expand its Seattle footprint with new physical offices.

Gist said that up until this point, most American communities were designed with vehicles in mind. In contrast, Rose Hill is focused on creating accessible, well-lit, and artfully landscaped pedestrian walkways that make it easy for residents to walk to any building in the development. Even the main parking garage features plants and natural lighting through skylight-esque openings as it leads residents and visitors directly into the grocery store entrance.

Construction on the development is expected to begin this spring. 

“Rose Hill isn’t just for the people who will live within a 15-minute walk from its buildings,” Gist said. MG2 envisions that it will be a hub for the entire Kirkland community, which at this time mostly comprises strip malls, parking lots, low-rise buildings, and single-family neighborhoods. 

He added that the nature of retail is changing, shifting the formula for malls across America. Traditional anchors with smaller shops in between no longer address consumers’ current needs, and have accelerated mall closures across the country. 

“This is why we’re taking a new approach to retail development, starting with asking the question ‘How can retail encompass a community, not just retail opportunities?’” he said. “This effectively shifts us from developing ‘places to shop’ to designing sought-after destinations that feel like home.”

Reach out to Ben Gist to learn more about Rose Hill & the team behind the healthy community design.

Melissa Gonzalez Named one of Most Inspirational Women by Women’s Wear Daily

This International Women’s Day, WWD’s Fairchild Studio teamed up with Berns Communications Group to spotlight 25 women who represent inspirational leaders in business.

These women have not only overcome challenges and faced the glass ceiling head-on but have fostered space within the fashion, apparel and retail industry for future women leaders to grow — even taking the time to give other women a helping hand.

Here, WWD hears more from these extraordinary women on challenges they see in the industry, the opportunities for young women in business and advice they would give their younger selves.

Read more at Women’s Wear Daily

General Contractor Magazine Names MG2 as one of the “Best Retail Architects in Irvine, California”

Irvine, California is well-known for its beautiful parks, friendly residents, low crime rate, and excellent educational system. With its population expected to grow further, this California city is bound to become an even more popular place to live and do business.

If you want to open a retail business in this lovely city, the list below includes the best contractors in the area. The firms were chosen based on history, reviews, and awards.

Read more at General Contractors Magazine

50 Best Retail Podcasts

Hosted by retail strategist Melissa Gonzalez, Retail Refined is designed for retail leaders and retail lovers alike. The Retail Refined podcast explores the in-store technology of the future, challenge the industry’s preconceived notions, and sit down with retail’s biggest names to understand the brand strategies that will define the next decade in retail. Guests to date have included Intel, Salesforce, eShopWorld, Impinj and more.

Listen at FeedSpot

100 Reasons to Celebrate: MG2 Announces Global 2022 Promotions

In the wake of yet another challenging year for our firm, our industry, and our world, we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the incredible accomplishments and achievements of our dedicated team. As we enter 2022—a journey toward both unlimited opportunities and possibilities unknown—we’re thrilled to recognize this dedication, resilience, and passion with the promotion of one hundred MG2 employees across our global offices.

Amongst our leadership, we’re excited to welcome four new Principals—Shannon Suess, Terry Odle, Mai-Lee Lam, and Mat Yeung—four new Associate Principals—Barbara Granados-Saldana, Amy Hart, Cheryl Usnick, and Ta-Ren Chyn—as well as two new Shareholders—Janelle Schneider and Jooyeol Oh.

See Terry’s promotion announcement in the Los Angeles Business Journal →

Beyond leadership, it is an honor and a privilege to nurture the careers of, recognize, and promote dozens of MG2 associates across every department, market, and level. There are no minor roles here; we would not be the firm we are today without all of our employees’ incredible talent and perseverance. We are grateful to have extraordinary individuals helping define and deliver a boundless future for MG2 and our clients, bringing your best to everything you do, and making our firm such a special place to be.

IRVINE

  • Christine Sa’d – Associate 2
  • Clara Gradinariu – Associate 2
  • Gustavo Montalvo – Associate 2
  • Jasmine Le – Associate 2
  • Katherine Graney – Associate 2
  • Ahmed Islamoglu – Associate 3
  • Jenny Nguyen – Associate 3
  • Garrett Honeycutt – Associate 4
  • Maribel Abrica – Associate 4
  • Meadow Pirigyi – Associate 4
  • Arturo Reina – Associate 5
  • Matthew McClellan – Associate 5
  • Renee Krause – Associate 5
  • Isaac Perez – Senior Associate 1
  • Terry Odle – Principal

MINNEAPOLIS

  • Lorren Mueller – Associate 2
  • Sarah Cooper – Associate 2
  • Elle Reinhard – Associate 4

NEW YORK CITY

  • Joseph Schafran – Senior Project Manager II

SEATTLE

  • Casey Hopkins – Senior Communications Manager
  • Chris Schanz – Facilities & Multimedia Specialist
  • Emily Walker – Marketing Specialist
  • Hannah DeVriend – Human Resources Coordinator
  • Hannah Shugrue – Senior Project Accountant
  • Kristin Troxel – Human Resources Manager
  • Kendal Solak – Shared Services Specialist
  • Mike Johnson – Senior Financial Analyst
  • Natasha Windle – Associate Director, Program Management
  • Richard Bendix – CAD Manager
  • Tyler Wissenback – BIM Account Manager
  • Abigail Shane – Associate 2
  • Alex Breuer – Associate 2
  • Charles Abuel – Associate 2
  • Cori Concepcion – Associate 2
  • Erin Dillinger – Associate 2
  • Isabella Noet – Associate 2
  • Lauren Cebulla – Associate 2
  • McKenzie Aitkin – Associate 2
  • Peter Kim – Associate 2
  • Taylor Chadwick – Associate 2
  • Yanie Hung – Associate 2
  • Carmen Campbell – Associate 3
  • Justin Bise – Associate 3
  • Marina Sosner – Associate 3
  • Melissa Lorenc – Associate 3
  • Morgan Nestegard – Associate 3
  • Sarah Bertis – Associate 3
  • Stephanie Henschen – Associate 3
  • Tais Wagner – Associate 3
  • Connor Dimick – Associate 4
  • Darren Mobley – Associate 4
  • Paul Yoon – Associate 4
  • Scott Nicholson – Associate 4
  • Colby Chapman – Associate 4
  • Moon Choi – Associate 4
  • Negin Sharifi – Associate 4
  • Alison McClellan – Associate 5
  • Amy McCurdy – Associate 5
  • Christina Puzon – Associate 5
  • Darren Thies – Associate 5
  • Jared Bassetti – Associate 5
  • Marit Jensen – Associate 5
  • Craig Chapman – Senior Associate 1
  • Eli Hardi – Senior Associate 1
  • Joe Palmquist – Senior Associate 1
  • John Leuck – Senior Associate 1
  • Megumi Matsumura – Senior Associate 1
  • Angela Balmer – Senior Associate 2
  • Elisha Person – Senior Associate 2
  • Geir Mjelde – Senior Associate 2
  • Geoffrey Grice – Senior Associate 2
  • Hong Ho – Senior Associate 2
  • Jason Breyer – Senior Associate 2
  • Kendall Williams – Senior Associate 2
  • Shawn Ronning – Senior Associate 2
  • Stephen Bullock – Senior Associate 2
  • Amy Hart – Associate Principal
  • Barbara Granados-Saldana – Associate Principal
  • Cheryl Usnick – Associate Principal
  • Mai-Lee Lam – Principal
  • Shannon Suess – Principal

SHANGHAI

  • Elva Qian – Administrative Assistant II
  • Flora Cheng – Operations Manager (no change in title)
  • Song Yan – Associate 3
  • Vicky Nie – Associate 3
  • Lily Peng – Associate 5
  • Hsin Cheng – Senior Associate 2
  • Ta-Ren Chyn – Associate Principal
  • Mat Yeung – Principal

WASHINGTON, D.C.

  • Alveena Kamran – Associate 2
  • Gabrielle Metzger – Associate 2
  • Emily O’Loughlin – Associate 3
  • Gabriella Santostefano – Associate 3
  • Katy Siu – Associate 3
  • Rosalyn Roman Iglesias – Associate 3
  • Cesar Cruz – Associate 5
  • Kevin Richardson – Associate 5
  • Nils Jonsson – Senior Associate 1
  • Meridyth Cutler – Senior Associate 2
  • Jeremy Goeckeritz – Associate Director, Cost Management


If you’re ready for a new challenge, MG2 is hiring for numerous roles across our global offices. Check out our Culture page to learn more about who we are, and Careers to find your perfect fit.

Perspectives

The Future of Digital & Physical Retail: Top Five Trends for 2022

January 2022 / By Melissa Gonzalez

This post was originally written for & published by The Lionesque Group.

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In late January, our team had the pleasure of attending NRF’s annual Big Show conference in New York, where I had the honor of leading a captivating panel discussion about the future of the industry. With so much changing in retail over the past two years it was a welcome opportunity to connect with brands and experts in person and hear about their innovative approaches toward keeping up with consumer expectations and demands. 

Here are our top five takeaways from what’s important for retailers, brands, and designers to keep at the forefront as they bring future generations of digital and physical consumer experiences to life:

1. Agility in evolving the cross-platform experience is critical. 

As consumers continue to evolve how they shop, blurring the point-of-sale lines across digital and physical spaces, brands need the ability to continually and fluidly advance their offering. Any instance of friction during the payment process can kill the purchase. Unearthing and implementing streamlined methods of putting payment in the hands of consumers and/or in-store associates is essential. 


When it comes to in-store layouts, art meets science. We have more access to data and insights today than ever before, highlighting customer patterns, capturing interactions with store associates, and illuminating friction points. This data is vital to informing agile design strategies, which need to morph alongside the customer. Industry partnerships, like the one announced between The Lionesque Group and Pathr.AI, will be key to defining and strengthening the future of consumer/brand relationships.

2. Efficiency is the most desirable currency that technology offers.

To truly be successful, store associates require information to be at their fingertips, both for back-of-house and consumer-facing interactions. Instant visibility as to what’s on the floor, what’s in the back, and what’s available at another store’s location isn’t just an expectation of today’s customer, it’s necessary to embolden the prospects of a sale and fortify brand loyalty.


Consistent with The Lionesque Group’s recent industry survey findings, every moment a store associate has real-time visibility into the full scope of their inventory adds up to millions of dollars saved by the retailer. Using technology to empower associates with this knowledge bolsters store efficiency, optimizes productivity, and streamlines delivery performance.

Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at MG2, NRF Big Show 2022

3. Omnichannel means being omnipresent for the consumer. 

Whether they’re standing in a store, browsing online, interacting with social media, or playing in the metaverse, consumers want and expect a congruent, simplified “click-to-buy” experience that’s seamless across every presence of a brand.

They’re seeking an “all-of-the-above” optionality that is as fluid as they need it to be in the moment, and this agility is critical as we think about designing the store of tomorrow. Digital integration will need to empower both store associates and the consumer to be able to move interchangeably when visiting different brick and mortar locations so they have the options, access, and efficiency they desire.

4. True sustainability starts with the supply chain. 

Consumers speak with their wallets, and more and more their love language is shifting toward an expectation in transparency, sincerity, and sustainable practices from the brands they support. This further includes retailers being net-positive to the environment, as well as striving for social and community equities.

The real onus, however, is on the full ecosystem coming together to truly make a difference consumers can see and resonate with. Brands and retailers need to own and optimize their supply chain, making it more accessible from a cost and candor standpoint for consumers.

One of the lessons shared by Saskia van Gendt of Rothy’s was a profound sense of understanding of the brand’s own role in the process. “If you own the supply chain,” he notes, “you can truly impact things. For example, you can set up for on-demand manufacturing so as not to leave waste.”

5. We’re amidst an era of phygital convergence.

The metaverse—the industry’s newest buzzword—holds the promise of and capacity to meld physical retail with mixed reality experiences. However, we’re already years into this convergence of digital and brick-and-mortar, with offerings like virtual endless aisles that consumers can browse for hours, just as they might window shop in-store. 

Innovative technology has, and continues to fuel the future of retail data collection and analysis, powering responsive IoT connectivity via RFID, sensors, digital displays, and products that ignite an overlay of immersive media. The digital/physical overlap will only continue to grow.

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Reach out to our team to learn more about how we’re helping define the future of brick-and-mortar retail for brands.