English | Deutsch AMOREPACIFIC, Korea’s largest cosmetics manufacturer, commissioned frog to develop the interactive display system for its flagship New York City location. Situated in the heart of Soho, one of the city’s most competitive retail districts, the new store needed to draw passersby out of the fray, holding their attention inside and inspiring sales.
frog sought to balance the atmospheric and the informative, creating an interactive display that was strong enough to attract attention, yet subtle enough to harmonize with other architectural elements. The store interior, designed by Yabu Pushelberg, would represent the five elements of the Eastern tradition – water, metal, fire, earth, and tree. In conceiving a visual grammar for the display system, frog explored these same elements onscreen, looking at the manipulation of depth and shadow, texture and physicality. We analyzed the projection of light through a multitude of natural objects and experimented with abstract forms representing life, movement, and energy – seeking to capture the heart of the AMOREPACIFIC brand.
The motion and clarity of water provided the ultimate theme for our display. Products are showcased on circular resin pads that appear to float upon a shelf of continuously running water. Behind them, the interactive display suggests a wall of water, which ripples in the wake of customers’ motion through the space. As users approach a given product display, words emerge from within the watery surface, promoting thoughts of balance and purity, then wash away as the customer moves elsewhere in the store.
When a customer pauses, more detailed product information surfaces on the wall, highlighting the specific benefits of the offering at hand. This direct connection between interest and information builds an immediate bond between user and product, increasing the likelihood that browsing will become buying. And because this textual display is sufficiently prominent to be legible to customers elsewhere in the store, it provides a silent, elegant mode of peer-to-peer marketing.
The entire system operates from two PCs, four digital projectors, and two video cameras, all of which work together to identify consumer motion and generate a seamless interactive experience. The result is a shopping experience like no other, one that expresses the constant rejuvenation and sophistication of the AMOREPACIFIC brand.
Even before its opening, the projection wall attracted a nightly crowd; as intended, its novelty, dynamic energy, and visual appeal served to generate new interest in the brand. The installation acts as its own advertisement, distinguishing AMOREPACIFIC from the competition in an area of heavy foot traffic. The flagship store has helped the Korean cosmetics company make a strong entry into the US market.
