by Mary | Feb 28, 2013 | Design News
Lori Terpstra, owner of Rylees ACE and friend of r.o.i. Design, asked us to design the exterior of their new store at 1205 West Fulton last spring. (2012) “It has to perfect for the West Side, not too fancy, but definitely friendly. We are a hardware store and we have to look like one.” was the directive last year.
At the business open house on February 27, Lori was heard talking to neighboring business owners saying, “We love our new store and we love the West Side”
r.o.i. Design was also asked to manage the 49504 marketing campaign for the six weeks prior to the soft opening. (more…)
by Mary | Feb 5, 2011 | Design News
The gang who are connected with “The Hope of Design” often ask this question. What is our customer looking for? What do they really want from us?
Our list gets shorter every year so not listed by any importance or interest, here it goes, for 2011:
What do they really want from us?
To get a deal; find designer furniture & accessories at discount prices.
They don’t want to invest the time to figure out the formula for a project and don’t want it to be “wrong”. So they are willing to throw a few bucks our way.
They feel like they are creative, just don’t have all the tools, and want a designer to give them accessibility to resources so they can design it for themselves.
(more…)
by Mary | Aug 27, 2010 | Design News
An article in a recent issue of Details Magazine was brought to my attention by a colleague today, and it confirmed a trend I have been sensing lately. The title of the article is “Artisanal America” and it covers the rise of handcrafted goods in America and the increase in consumer desire for items that are “not made in China” but rather created by local artisans.
The biggest indication I’ve seen in this trend is the move to buying locally raised and grown foods. I visit the local Farmer’s Market each Saturday, and it’s so nice to see so many local producers offering such a wonderful variety of fresh foods grown locally. Plus, it’s also great to see the popularity of the farmer’s market. That place is packed each weekend. In the same venue there is now an artisan’s market each Sunday where local craftsmen sell their handmade wares, from jewelry and clothing to birdhouses and furniture.
I, like many of my friends and colleagues, welcome this trend and see it not only as a move in the right direction away from big box retail, but also as an opportunity for creative types like us to promote the value of what we do. Like other artisans, designers create one-of-a-kind interiors and products bespoke to our client’s every need and specification.
Here’s a link to the article:
http://www.details.com/culture-trends/critical-eye/201008/artisanal-america-handmade-hipster-authentic?currentPage=1
by Mary | Sep 20, 2009 | 1
How many of us go home at the end of the day, our heads whirling, our tongues dry and our stomachs aching, because we just left a client who needed more than the design they hired us for.
Design, when done well, creates both a return on investment and a therapeutic result for our client. (more…)
by Mary | Sep 5, 2009 | 1
Design; interior, industrial, architectural, graphic, fashion, etc. all have unique differences but have more in common than not.
We sell time, we sell ideas and some of our clients work really hard not to pay for time or ideas. So we bundle it against products, furniture, software, wardrobes, printing, etc. All in the hopes of gaining a return on our time to earn a wage that pays our college loans and makes us respectable bread winners for our families. (more…)
