Blue Paradise: A Retail Space Transformed into a Summer Fairy Tale

TIST's Award-Winning Design Creates an Interactive Shopping Experience

The design was inspired by the idea of creating a cool summer story where animals and girls play together on a mysterious island suggestive of the deep sea. TIST aimed to direct a magical fairy tale world, not simply a shopping place. The intention was to connect each space with different but extending stories, creating a single, cohesive picture.

Unique properties of the design include the stereoscopic interpretation of spaces and the creation of imaginary 3-dimensional characters. These elements were crafted to bring the story to life and engage the customers in the narrative. The design was realized using plywood for the basic structure, with colors and textures expressed through painting and printing. Fiber reinforced plastic was used for cubic expression of characters, and a steel framework was used to strengthen the durability of areas where children sit or stand.

The design includes several show-windows divided by scenes, a photo zone at the lobby where customers can join and experience the stories, and graphic walls and banners that develop the stories even while shopping. The display takes advantage of the flow of visitors in the space, delivering a seasonal atmosphere to customers.

The project, which took place from June to August 2016, was located in the entire space of Lotte World Mall. A lot of care was paid to developing the graphic stories to express different spaces in one story. The design study was concentrated on improving the user experience of visitors through the space.

The main challenge was to bring a new experience to customers by connecting the wide open space of the complex mall, filled with a number of brands and images, with one story. TIST's goal was to expand the space from simply a place for families to spend their weekends to a place that creates a culture of stories through design.

With the theme ‘Let’s play, Blue Paradise’, TIST aimed to give new and unexpected experiences to customers for the summer project of LOTTE WORLD MALL. The focus was on increasing the user experience by space and expanding the culture of story by design. The result is a continuous storytelling experience for customers while shopping and moving.

The design was awarded Platinum in A' Event and Happening Design Award in 2017, recognizing world-class, exceptional, and highly innovative designs that showcase unmatched professionalism, genius, and contribute to societal wellbeing. The award is given to designs that advance the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology, exhibiting transcendent excellence and making the world a better place.