We believe that...
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We become an integral part of the team, but always retain a sense of perspective and challenge assumptions.
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Our work centres around the way people relate to the physical world. We use emotional triggers to influence people’s behaviour.
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We immerse ourselves in our clients’ world and get hands-on experience.
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We consider all the design details to make spaces work better than expected, and to create small moments of delight when something simply works beautifully.
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We apply thorough, end-to-end design principles to retail spaces to make sure they do the job they’re supposed to do.
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Our work reaches out to people because we put our heart and soul into it.
Thinking Out Loud
How do we redefine the role of retail floor staff?
Project Stories
Thinking strategically about format
We understand different retail formats and how businesses can make the most of each and every one of them.
We’re bi-lingual and are fluent in both design and manufacturing.
Who we are...
We’re a strategic retail design consultancy, focusing on physical spaces. We’re based in London and work with a range of international clients. We apply fundamental design principals to our work, making sure that spaces do what they are supposed to do – and more.
We’re big enough to handle full-scale roll-outs, but small enough that everyone knows each other’s name.
Our industrial design background is supported by a broad range of complementary skills and disciplines.
Our work starts with initial research and design creation and involves final delivery and ongoing client support.
We work on many projects for clients over many years. This means we can develop deep levels of trust, understanding and friendship.
Project Stories
The happiness circle
Happy staff means happy customers. Which in turn means happy brands and happy businesses.
Our News
All set to test out our website at London Design Festival 2015
Finding the right balance between costs and brand impact.
Ten ways we add value
We’re experts in retail design, and work from defining initial strategy all the way through to final implementation and post-delivery support.
We’re known for our mix of imagination and pragmatism. The spaces we design are exciting, but most of all, they work.
Our clients trust us. They feel safe in our hands, and keep coming back for more.
Before we start, we research exactly what we need to do. This helps us create spaces that work for business, brands, customers and staff.
Our design focuses on all user groups. It connects with people through empathy and emotional engagement.
We’re tuned into retail trends and consumer insights, which helps inform our thinking.
We have a background in industrial design, so we understand how things are made. No matter what or how many, the end product will be the same as the initial concept.
Clients and manufacturers talk directly to our design team, which means nothing gets lost in translation.
We have a network of trusted specialists, who we bring in if and when a project demands it.
We support clients and manufacturers every step of the way. We assess the success of our work after it’s done, and are on hand to make sure everything’s working as it should be.
Knowing what to add exactly how much can make all the difference.
Project Stories
Physical triggers, emotional effect
For us, understanding how people relate to and feel about the physical space around them is critical.
Knowledge Share
How we communicate the idea helps our clients understand the idea better.
Our People
Our team hails from many countries, backgrounds and complementary disciplines… their skills and character make the place what it is.
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Dante: Design Visualiser
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Layla: Studio Manager
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Pablo: Product Designer
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Alex: Design Director
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Rina: Interior Designer
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Tiago: Design Director
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Ian: Creative Director and Founder
Ian studied at Ontario College of Art in Canada, before winning a post-graduate scholarship to London’s Royal College of Art. After graduating with a MA in Industrial Design, he worked in several design and research studios before becoming one of the first Helen Hamlyn Research Associates. Afterwards, he continued his learning with an entrepreneurial business course at the Tanka business school at Imperial College London.
Ian founded Quinine in 2007 to put his deep understanding of brands, behaviour and the physical (man-made) world into practice. The practice readdresses the idea that design can either look beautiful or work beautifully by finding a way to achieve both.
Ian is often invited to share his views and expertise with students in higher education. He has served as course director of MA Product Design at the Institute of Design in Madrid, as a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art and is currently the External Examiner at University of Creative Arts.
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Tiago: Design Director
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Linda: Interior Designer
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Project Stories
We think in three dimensions
Too often store design may superficially reflect the overall ‘look and feel’ of a brand, but no more.
Thinking Out Loud
Questions from our clients.
Project Stories
We understand how things are made
Our industrial design background provides a valuable link between brands and manufacturers — we speak both languages.
Our Place
It's where we work, think, create, meet clients, come up with our best ideas, make coffee … and enjoy each other's company.
Our Awards
We’re not awards chasers. The truth is, we’re generally too busy to have time to enter them. But sometimes clients or other agencies enter awards on our behalf, and we’re proud to say that we’ve had more than our fair share of plaudits. Here are a few…
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CMA Awards 2012
Bronze award in the Consumer Services category for the Rogers Communications Sales and Service Store design.
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Mobile News Awards 2011
For the the second year in a row, Orange UK won the award for the best Large Retailer.
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Mobile News Awards 2010
Orange UK won the award for the best Large Retailer.
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Oracle Retail Week Awards 2010
We were a finalist in the Small Store category for our Multi-Media store for Orange UK.
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Retail Interior Awards 2007
We were a finalist in the Best Small Shop category for our Little Arrow store design for Orange UK.
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Pop Awards 2005
We were the winner of a Gold medal in the Personal Products and Accessories category for our PPOP display for Orange UK.
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HBA International Packaging Awards
We were a finalist in the Personal Care section for our 2 in 1 Wax Roll On for Parissa Laboratories.