The Herron Corner
The Herron Corner is a small merchandise store and gallery space inside the Herron School of Art and Design building. The store is student driven which means students both run and contribute to the merchandise and art displayed inside the store. I am an alumni from Herron, and this was my Capstone project. I wanted to leave a positive impact on the place and people that helped to shape me into who I am today.
It started with a shirt
“WHEN are you going to get me a Herron t-shirt?”
–my mom
Back in 2018, my mother asked me this, and I did not have an answer for her. I searched down the river and through the woods to find a place where I could buy a Herron t-shirt, but I was not successful in my journey. Through my college experience, I occasionally heard my fellow classmates talk about wanting a t-shirt and not being able to find any. This stuck with me through the years, so when I needed a topic for my Capstone project, I knew what I wanted to do.
3 Problems
Merch.
Herron lacks merchandise that is widely available its students.
Pricing.
Many students want to learn more about how to price their artwork.
Space.
Herron needs a permeant space for students to sell their work
Project GoalS
ENGAGE.
Facilitate an environment where students want to engage with the store.
RESEMBLE.
Brand feels like the Herron and IUPUI, but has its own distinct identity.
Culture.
Increase interest in Herron around the IUPUI campus.
BRANDING
Developing the branding for the store was quite tricky. I was developing a sub-brand within a sub-brand. Herron’s branding is based on IUPUI’s branding which is based on IU’s branding. Luckily, I was already familiar with the IUPUI’s brand, so I just needed to discover how Herron’s brand differentiates itself. I met with two Herron brand expert to gain more knowledge about this. Below, you will find the results on my exploration and a link to IU’s brand guidelines
The triangle pattern was inspired by the Herron’s unique architecture.
Store Design
This part of the project was very tricky to iron out. I wanted to use a preexisting space inside of Herron that could be transformed into the store space. I ended up choosing a tiny space tucked away in a corner on the first floor. I was very intentional with how I layed out the store space. I wanted it to be wide enough so multiple students could walk around the space without bumping into shelves.
Bird’s-eye view
Cashier’s view
Customer’s view (left side of store)
Left entrance view
Shelf layout
SIGNAGE
Developing signage to direct students to the location of the store was a vital component to the stores success. As the name suggests, the store is located in a small corner space in the school. I developed 4 signage touch points which included, posters, a mural, flyers, and a sign.
Standing signs
Standard 24” x 36” posters
A-frame sign
Mural (hallways view)
Bulletin board
Flyer 1
Flyer 2
Flyer 3
Flyer 4
Store Sign
Products
These are just a few examples of what the physical products could look like. I surveyed students about which products they would like to see in the store, so these are based on student demand. In the future, my hope would be that most of the t-shirt design are developed by Herron students.
I developed a series of products inspired by icon statues found around Herron that were created by Herron alumn
Sketchbook design 1
Torso Fragment created by Casey Eskridge
Sweatshirt with Expanded Statue Series
Tote bag design
Sketchbook design 2
Job (Shea) created by Judith Shea
Basic sweatshirt design
Tote bag design
Sketchbook design 3
The Herron Arch 1 created by James Wille Faust
sweatshirt design
Tote bag design
Packaging
The packaging system is intentionally minimal. I wanted the merchandise and work to speak for itself in the store without being impeded by the packaging.
Bags with tissue paper
Tags on products
6” x 2.5” product tag
Front of Tag
Back of tag-each tag will have a different fun fact about the school
Social media
Social media plays another important role in this the success of the store. Its main purpose will be to inform students about events, promote student artists, and to show off new merchandise. I focused on the Instagram and Twitter platforms.
