Future Technology and the Timeless Classic

DJI is a tech company that endeavors to empower creativity and innovation for humanity. They have reconstructed human production and lifestyle through scientific and technological innovation. E Studio has been working with DJI closely in the past three years in the practice of retail space for tech, and constantly developing spaces and scenarios in the demand of the new consumers.

DJI & HASSELBLAD Store is a new store type SI of DJI, aimed at creating a perfect concept image experience space. You can experience DJI and Hasselblad for a closer look at image products, enjoy the masterpieces and appreciate the originality and the beauty of technology.

The first concept flagship store in Shanghai is located in the bustling Xintiandi commercial street. The entire building retains Shanghai’s modern iconic Shikumen facade and the inner district responds to the Historic Blocks with a minimalist technological image. This starts a dialogue between “past” and “future”.

The challenge in developing the image of DJI & HASSELBLAD concept store SI was to explore a balance between two brand attributes: “DJI innovation representing the future” and “Hasselblad camera standing for the immortal classic”, and the brand convergence and differentiation in the same retail scenario.

In the current commercial atmosphere where all flowers bloom together and there is fierce competition, what image can represent DJI and Hasselblad? Only the products of DJI and Hasselblad can fully represent the brand itself. E Studio hopes to demonstrate the ultimate industrial design and product display experience. Therefore, the subtraction is applied in the room design, eliminating all the salient parts and only retaining the feeling of materials and space blocks. Eventually the products could be extremely highlighted and displayed.

On the first floor, the DJI product experience area is set up, and on the second floor, the HASSELBLAD video gallery and workshop are built.

The first and second floors are connected by a dynamic metal spiral staircase, which creates a sense of lightness through the glass curtain and forms an interesting optic artistry with the sunlight. The hollow part of the spiral staircase is used as a test flight experience zone in the store.

It emphasizes the integration of future technology and timeless classics to create a museum exhibition with a sense of quality. The gray stone interior constitutes a pure container and the exquisite products are neatly and evenly displayed on the “great stones”. All displayed and exhibited appliances are made of stone, forming a regular and stable stone matrix. The homogeneous space makes the products more prominent.

HASSELBLAD

“It’s a small step for me, but a giant leap for mankind,” said Neil Armstrong who first set foot on the surface of the moon in 1969.

Some moments are destined to become classics. Before light and shadow become images, behind the camera, inspiration has burst out. All starts with a person, the pursuit of breaking through regularity. From the film days to the digital days, Hasselblad aims to strike image tools, interpret image creativity to spark off inspiration.

Record classics and become classics! Over the past 80 years, Hasselblad has captured countless legendary moments. E Studio has designed the Hasselblad retail area as an art gallery, reducing the aggressiveness of commercial retail and recreating classic moments in an artistic way. Therefore, video enthusiasts can get absorbed. The 1969 Apollo moon mission was chosen as the theme of the gallery, with a limited edition 1:1 NASA astronaut sculpture.

The overall color is moderately restrained in the space, reserving the proportion of color for the video works. The Hasselblad exhibition props were made of matte black wood grain. The soft gray leather surface sets off the camera’s delicate industrial design. The iconic orange of Hasselblad shutter button is integrated into the design of cabinet props, which makes the brand feature more obvious in the black space.

In this case, the construction and display props realize the standardization and prefabrication in the factory. The loss is reduced through reasonable transportation, thus realizing an efficient global store opening.

In the future, E Studio will continue the endeavor to explore retail space design, and search for the critical points in designing such space, from the artistic application of technology and new materials to the creation of diversified social interaction and open environment, in the hope of pushing retail design to a new level.

Client
DJI & Hasselblad

Location
Xintiandi, Huangpu, Shanghai

Area
580 m²

Completion Date
2022.03

Design Firm
E Studio

Lead Designer
Fan, Junjian
Zhou, Xuanzhuo

Design Team
Fang, Guiyun
Huang, Chenxi
Wu, Leqing

Photographer
YuuuunStudio
Tony Tan