Thinking

Agency strengthens leadership team with experienced agency manager and retail expert, setting the course for a generational transition.

Every summer, more and more brands are leaving their traditional retail spaces to go where their target audience spends their most valuable time: the beach. What used to be a temporary pop-up is now evolving into full-fledged brand worlds.

People today are increasingly seeking places that offer something digital channels cannot replace: connection, atmosphere, a sense of belonging, and the feeling of being part of something. The most valuable currency is no longer just owning a product, but the memories associated with it - moments that are experienced, shared, and emotionally linked to a brand.

Milan Design Week is no longer just an event for the furniture industry. It has become a strategic platform where brands test how far they can venture beyond their original sectors and how precisely they can translate their identity into space, material, and experience.

Future-proof brand spaces captivate people today primarily when they dissolve the boundaries between consumption, craftsmanship, and community. It is about a form of immersion that relies not on sensationalism, but on radical transparency and the preservation of values. Longevity, repairability, and local manufacturing are moving to the center of design. The space itself becomes evidence of a brand's promise for the future.

For a long time, retail Christmas followed a clear formula: red, gold, pine, and lights. But anyone looking at international benchmarks in recent years can sense a clear shift: away from classic Christmas scenery and toward unique stories and curated spaces. The most exciting concepts no longer just decorate—they stage.

In a world full of buzzword bingo and technical jargon, we want to create clarity. With our new format “Let's Break It Down”, we get to the heart of what lies behind terms, strategies and formats in the context of brand retail & experience marketing. Let's start with: Pop-Up Space. Temporary in space, permanent in the mind. How brief brand moments create real proximity - and stay that way.

Some days linger on for a long time. Our SALON39 for our 30th anniversary was such a day. Together with thought leaders from politics, business and culture, we asked ourselves a big question: What spaces does the future need? What we found were not simple answers, but three powerful insights that have stayed with us ever since.

Designplus GmbH is positioning itself for the future with a new leadership team: effective April 2025, Sebastian Sickinger will join Peter Gross as Managing Director to lead the agency's operations.

The Ada Lovelace Festival 2024 is one of the leading gatherings for visionaries and innovators tackling the central themes of the future. The spotlight is on groundbreaking technologies and sustainable developments that are redefining how we experience brands. For forward-thinkers, the festival offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into the future of customer relationships – from artificial intelligence to immersive brand experiences in physical spaces.

For us, attending #Orgatec is not only an important platform for engaging with clients, production partners, architects, and designers, but also a unique opportunity to experience firsthand how #OfficeSpaces of the future are evolving and to understand the importance of experience and identity for an #EmployerBrand.

By now, surely all agencies are using AI, and each has its own workflows and preferred tools. We’ll show you three tools or use cases that make our lives easier – and maybe yours too.

Last weekend, we were in Misano Adriatico at the #Italian Bike Festival. With over 500 international exhibitors and an exhibition area of more than 50,000 square meters, the fair is an important meeting point for industry experts and the public.

We were at the EUROBIKE Show in Frankfurt. Firstly, to visit our customers and secondly, to gain an insight into the current situation in the industry. We have summarized the most important facts for you

Our visit to StratCon in Berlin in July confirmed this once again: Without sound strategic planning, any creative implementation loses impact. As a retail agency, Designplus is aware that brand management in the space goes far beyond visual design - it is about creating experiences that reach the right people and have a lasting effect. In addition to creative design, this also requires strategically oriented concepts that are precisely and individually tailored to the brand, the communities and the locations. Our colleagues Lilli Benz and Marleen Pauli gained valuable insights at StratCon that will further strengthen Designplus' work as a retail agency

Picture a place where the brightest minds in design and retail come together to shape the future. That was exactly our Salon39 — a celebration of inspiration, shared knowledge and genuine connection. Today we share the most important takeaways with you, and how they can transform the way we look at retail.

The motto of this year's Munich Creative Business Week (MCBW) was “How to co-create with nature?”. We have taken away and summarized the most important insights for us!

Our new shop window concept at Zinser has made it into Textilwirtschaft and schuhkurier :) Little Italy in Tübingen. Zinser brings La dolce Vita into the shop window for spring. We have developed a colorful, cheerful concept for the fashion chain store. Be sure to stop by in Tübingen if you want to experience Italian flair in the shop window 😉 . Thanks to Zinser for the great collaboration!

2024 marks a turning point in retail, characterised by innovation and a new focus on the customer experience. We are experiencing an era in which retail is no longer defined solely by products, but rather by unique, multi-sensory experiences. May we introduce? The top 4 trends for this year:

Artificial intelligence has established itself as an indispensable tool in numerous areas over the past few years. A remarkable transformation is also becoming apparent in the field of brand partnerships. We will show you how AI is reshaping the landscape of creative collaboration and opening up unlimited possibilities for brands.

In December we rang in the festive spirit together with Die Crew AG at our After Work Xmas Edition at NATAN!

We are passionate about continuously discovering and developing new possibilities and solutions to promote sustainability in our society and for the environment.

Unter Auftrag der Wirtschaftsförderung Stuttgart hat die Agentur wesentlich zur Namensgebung, Formatentwicklung, Designkonzeption und Außenwirkung des Projekts beigetragen. Für die Macher*innen aus Stuttgart sind Projekte dieser Art zukunftsstiftende Vorbilder für die Transformation von Innenstädten.

Let's set off on a journey into the future together! In July we hosted #Salon39 at our agency — a one-of-a-kind experience that brings people together and pushes the boundaries of creativity. We're still buzzing, and our minds are working overtime to sort through and make use of all the valuable input, the new faces and the many impulses and inspirations we were able to gather. Here are the highlights and insights that inspired, entertained and challenged us all.

Entwurfs- und Kampagnenarbeit von Kreativagenturen und Storedesignern werden in absehbarer Zukunft wohl unter Einsatz generativer AI-Anwendungen erfolgen, denn: KI kann jetzt auch Design. In welcher Form kann der Einzelhandel davon profitieren?

It's not unusual to present a salesroom to the public in an igloo, to introduce the new Porsche at 2300 meters above sea level in a snow globe-like display, or to be surrounded by a giant Advent calendar all at once. Welcome to the exciting world of pop-up stores!

Unlocking Brand Success: The Power of In-Store Experience In David Meyer's, General Manager Wholesale at Tom Tailor, and Gross Peter's masterclass on Future Retail, they explored the compelling topic of Future Retail. Here are some key takeaways from the conversation:

We are thrilled to bring you a recap of the highlights from Milan Design Week 2023. "The design industry's efforts to develop new, more sustainable materials are impressive. In Milan, we saw it all. From textiles made from human hair to bricks. I feel intoxicated by the inspiration and the desire to keep going," summarised Monica Blanes, department Design Development.

Hyperreality blurs the lines between reality and virtual reality and imagination, creating an exaggerated and idealized version of the world we live in. The fashion industry has entered a new era where the lines between reality and virtuality are becoming increasingly indistinct.

The retail industry is in a time of change. Competition from online retail is growing steadily and consumers increasingly expect personalized and seamless shopping experiences. In this context, the Digital Experience is becoming increasingly important - even outside the Internet. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the retail industry in recent years. Lockdowns, restrictions and changing consumer behavior have led to a decline in brick-and-mortar retail. Online shopping, on the other hand, is booming. Consumers have become accustomed to the convenience of shopping from home and now expect similar experiences when shopping locally.

We visited EuroShop in Düsseldorf — and this is what we took away!

Hannes, our Art Director Experience Design, gave us an insight into AI at our Designplus Academy, where we update and educate each other. Today, we are sharing our learnings at Designplus with you.

Berlin Fashion Week January 16-21, 2023

It’s that time again!

For us, the two go hand in hand. In our company description, we call ourselves a self-efficient agency - not because it sounds good, but because this is what we practice.

The mission for more optimism and solidarity went into its next round!

The Forbes Retail Tech Trends are not always uplifting, but can also bring you back down to earth. That doesn't bother us though, being groundedis just as important as flying high.

From global to hyper local

No more waste!

...let's fly, let's fly away! Many would like to fly away from Corona, especially our beloved retailers, because the pandemic still has them in its grip, even if, fortunately, not quite as strongly. But perhaps flight can be used in the retail landscape, albeit in a completely different way, to come out of the pandemic even stronger? The latest Forbes Retail Tech Trends are available and of course, we don't want to withhold them from you.

We are part of the Eventdesign Yearbook 2022/2023!

What does the help of the future look like? Many of the upheavals of recent times have made clear that most people are willing to help, but don't always know exactly how or where they can.

Part 2: Eco Storytelling

We are in the midst of Design Weeks in Italy - the first time since 2019. Our Managing Director Peter Gross brought back his biggest inspirations and highlights for us:

"It's sure to be super!", the sentence that virtually sealed our newly conceived community event and (at the time still unknowingly) contributed to the title of the entire event: the "Super Market"!

Part 1: Interaction instead of material

For understanding and for all newcomers in the field of Metaverse: The current metaverse includes all virtual and 3-dimensional experienceable spaces on the internet. In addition, the term also describes a future conception of the Internet, which intends to be understood as a coherent universe - which also explains the play on words in the name (Meta & Universe). Basically, we are talking about Web 3.0. Similar to Web 2.0, the metaverse is designed by its users, but with one more decisive dimension, namely the third. The possibilities seem (at first glance) virtually limitless.

NFTs are THE topic of conversation right now when it comes to funding and investing. An NFT - Non-Fungible Token - is proof of ownership of a digital asset.

Among the top performers of the runway productions for the upcoming Fall/Winter collection, Louis Vuitton stood out with a remarkable show.

Christmas is just around the corner. The Christmas showcases of our customers already put us in the right Christmas mood!

He was considered a superstar of the fashion industry. Virgil Abloh inspired us all to be more creative.

For a recent outdoor-fashion campaign for our client s.Oliver Group the task was to create a room and light installation around the main character: the jacket. In order for the centerpiece to not…

The redistribution of roles in the fashion industry

Why do we go to the city? What do we expect, what do we do there, what do we love, and what do we miss? These were the guiding questions of the #CheerUpStuttgart Talk at the Kultur Kiosk. The ideas and answers that participants brought to the table were inspiring and forward-thinking. It was an exciting evening filled with emotional conversations - on a mission for more optimism and cohesion in our inner cities.

Welcome to the new way of shopping

Coral-like Pop Up Installation at Shanghai's Shopping Mall

NFT is short for Non-Fungible Tokens. These digital artworks are dropped on digital marketplaces like sneakers and then auctioned off.

How Virgil Abloh uses fashion as a medium.

Monogram Mania at Versace.

The magic of being in three places at once.

Harrods starts the new season with generous atmospheric windows.

How retail spaces become community and experience spaces.

Political and social positioning with local reference.

About good storytelling and new self-service shop concepts.

How retailers use public space to meet people directly.

Canadian sculptor Jaime Angelopoulos creates abstract illustrative shapes and leave us with a room full of imagination.

FASHION REFASHIONED The journey continues, stay tuned!

The Beauty of Physical Space

Give people a reason to go offline!

Karyn Olivier’s discrete rearrangement and dislocation of familiar subjects shifts our experience, asking us to reconcile memory with the present moment, and collapsing past, present and future. Her work often deals with themes of public and private space, and a collective nostalgia connected to shared social and physical experiences.

While the news are filled with headlines about the amount of fashion goods that brands produce each season, Yang Mai’s exhibition „Good Morning, China!"

»Second Objects« is more than just another upcycling project. It embeds principles of sustainability into the idea of recycling our own projects. Rethink | Reuse | Recycle