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Starbucks Urban Fast Prototype, Seattle, WA Starbucks looked to Kiku Obata & Company to develop a new urban store prototype, the first of which is located in downtown New York. The "Urban Fast" store serves as an extension of the customer's second place, the office. This is where customers can escape the business environment and find social connection, access to news and information and brand consistency in an authentic and inviting atmosphere. This store model is the Brand Beacon and the Core of Starbucks. It defines the essence of the brand: great coffee and great personal service. Kiku Obata & Company's services included brand strategy, positioning, store design, architecture, interior design, lighting, signage and graphics. |
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Busch Stadium/St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis, MO Kiku Obata & Company developed the overall brand strategy and experience, comprehensive signage, graphics and wayfinding program, sponsorship program, and design of the Cardinals Team retail stores at the new Busch Stadium. Creating a spectacular ballpark experience was at the forefront of all aspects of the design of the new stadium and our firm worked closely with the architect and client team to ensure a cohesive look and image. Over 1,800 graphic/sign elements comprise of the graphics/signage package for the new ballpark. |
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Wild Pair/Bakers Footwear Group, St. Louis, MO The new Wild Pair is fashion footwear uninhibited exemplifying the coolest fashions and the hottest brands. Kiku Obata & Company worked closely with Bakers Footwear Group to develop a new brand identity to position Wild Pair as a leading fashion destination for women and men. The new store prototype in Queens, NY and in Las Vegas, NV is the physical expression of the Wild Pair brand--the hip place for sexy, funky style that appeals to everyone's wild side! The design concept is based on a "bohemian-inspired boudoir" complete with its own bed, luxurious pillows, armoire, embellished full-length mirrors, curtains, and custom light fixtures. Other inspiring design elements include tomato red walls, "tattoo graphics," and song lyrics that reference the word "wild." |
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The Disney Store, Secaucus, NJ The Children's Place acquired the Disney Store in 2004 and enlisted Kiku Obata & Company to launch a new prototype to expand and grow their brand. The former store appealed to four to eight-year-old girls and carried a variety of theme park and Disney-themed products. The new prototype store in Trumbull, CT re-captures the "magic" of Disney - the wonder, adventure and sense of discovery for which the Disney brand is known and loved worldwide. Kiku Obata & Company also saw this as an opportunity for the store to be more of a fashion destination, not an extension of the theme park as it previously had been, and a modern update of a global icon. The design features iconic Disney elements in a clean and modern envelope to ensure the various categories of merchandise are easily accessible and inviting. The new prototype expands the market to include everyone who grew up with Mickey Mouse. |
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Located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Grand Avenue originally opened in 1982 as a retail and office development and included the city's celebrated Plankinton Arcade. Today, it links five historic buildings in a "Grand" expression of historic preservation and new architecture, adding vibrancy to Milwaukee's unique architectural character. Kiku Obata & Company, working in collaboration with the project architect, sought to identify a solution that would appeal to the downtown area's diverse customer base. Grand Avenue now has an updated look that resonates with today's retail market, attracts new tenants and increases customer activity, while underscoring the mall's established position as a regional landmark. The new system features architecture, graphics, lighting, new interior colors and flooring, and even poetry written exclusively for the project. The new design elements reference Milwaukee's history and traditions, and its urban nature. Poetic verse captures images of Milwaukee's rich industrial and river heritage flows freely in visual graphics on walls and standing fixtures, and is imbedded in circular multi-color terrazzo bands that overlap and converge on the new ceramic tile floor. The circles suggest ripples of water, or the way people converge, like rivers, when they congregate. |
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Delmar Redevelopment District, St. Louis, MO The Loop on Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis is an eclectic district of retail shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, art galleries, and offices within an established urban residential neighborhood. Over the last six years, Kiku Obata & Company has worked with building owners and tenants to expand The Loop east down Delmar into the City of St. Louis, entering a less populated and under-developed section of the neighborhood. The firm's offices are located in The Pageant, one of the first anchors in the revitalization. The firm utilizes their combined expertise in identity development and branding, architecture and interior design, signage and graphics, and retail development; forming a dedicated team to work quickly and efficiently in order to infuse the neighborhood with local character and good design. Additionally, the firm was selected to re-brand the Loop and design a comprehensive signage and wayfinding program utilizing the new brand. The goal was to create a bridge between the City and County communicating a unified urban district. |
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Indiana Avenue Cultural District, Indianapolis, IN Indiana Avenue Cultural District, during the 1800s to the 1940s, served as the center of African American commerce, entrepreneurship, spirituality, education, entertainment and social life in Indianapolis. Kiku Obata & Company and Blackburn Architects were commissioned by Indiana Avenue Stakeholders to create a vision for the future that embraces the culture and history of Indiana Avenue and translate hopes and dreams into reality. The firms interviewed residents and key constituents -IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis) and Clarian Health - and prepared a comprehensive redevelopment blueprint outlining how the District can enhance cultural identity and assets, attract residential and retail development anchored by a vibrant and revitalized Indiana Avenue, become a "great street" for residents and workers, and welcome people of all backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities to the District. |
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Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, MO The Southeast Missourian is Rust Communication's flagship daily newspaper and one of over twenty local and regional papers for this growing media firm based in Cape Girardeau, MO. The company retained Kiku Obata & Company to refresh and renew the newspaper's home facility in order to streamline workflow and provide an enhanced and unified image both internally and in the community the paper serves. Challenges included creating a contemporary space within the envelope of a historic building. The new design needed to meet the dual goal of revitalizing the physical plant as well as revitalizing the paper's role in its community. Kiku Obata & Company implemented a design that incorporates a rich blend of old and new. The design preserves the building's historic traits alongside contemporary expressions of the future of the media industry and the Cape Girardeau community. |
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Ciélla/Bakers Footwear Group, St. Louis, MO Ciélla, a new shoe store brand by Bakers Footwear Group, celebrates the 35-50 year-old women with a special store designed just for her. No footwear retailer has yet focused on this important niche group. Located in Kansas City, Kansas, Ciélla gives women what they want – a place that is inviting and comfortable with stylish footwear and exceptional service. Kiku Obata & Company worked closely with client to develop the Ciélla brand including the overall brand strategy, name and experience. The design concept evokes the lavish luxury of diving into a women’s personal “dream closet” featuring her unique collection furniture, photographs and artwork. |
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Great Rivers Greenway, St. Louis, MO Currently, the firm is developing a comprehensive signage and wayfinding system that will connect and identify links to all of the regional parks that make up the district. The system consists of site guide maps, vehicular, pedestrian, and destination signs, site interpretive signs, bike route markers, a centralized site informational kiosk, temporary signs, signature elements, and architectural elements. |
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The Pin-Up Bowl is a bowling alley and martini lounge located in The Legends at Village West, a new retail development in Kansas City, KS. Kiku Obata & Company was responsible for overall concept, brand, identity and imagery, interior design, lighting, environmental graphics and signage, website, print collateral, and merchandise. The challenge was to successfully merge a bowling alley and martini lounge to create a favorite destination for fun and relaxation that is not pretentious or intimidating. The owner wanted a decidedly retro look and feel yet; we did not want to imitate any one particular style or era in the design. The Pin-Up Bowl is inspired by classic Art Deco elements coupled with contemporary graphics, high-tech elements and materials resulting in a familiar look that is fresh and modern. |