The PC store experience

Winter 2006, the students in Martha Gill’s Retail Branding class were charged with creating an exciting, inspiring Portfolio Center retail experience—The PC Store, a successful look/feel/event that would communicate across a variety of media. The group was divided into five teams, and each team was instructed to consider online and brick & mortar, as well as direct mail, catalog, and guerilla marketing.

At the end of the quarter, each group had to deliver a PC Retail Concept Book, which would include a conceptual description of the project, key research facts to support the concept; 4-6 pages of sketches; photos of their mood board; name and logo, along with explanation and justification; and typography, palette, and imagery, with explanation and justification. They also had to turn in the rough drafts and final layouts for floor plans, banners, in-store graphics and signage, bags, tags, store items, print and promotional items, catalogs, direct mail, and bag stuffers. And finally, they had to make visual proposals, in the form of DVD presentations, of their ideas.

Sounds rough? Well, keep in mind that this is merely one class out of five—and a pretty typical class load, really. Portfolio Center is not for the fainthearted. If the project itself weren’t challenging enough, working in teams proved to be an even bigger test. Around week five, the honeymoon over, students felt the frustrations that emerge when several dynamic personalities must reach a consensus. The following note, sent by instructor Gill, admonished: “If you are not feeling frustrated and [mad], YOU are not pushing. At this point, you should be fairly agitated. And if your group is in happy-happy-joy land, this week, you are not engaged. For the next two weeks, engage. Do things you think the group won’t like. Challenge yourselves. Challenge each other.”

Ah, that’s what Portfolio Center is all about. No pain, no gain…