DDi - March 2011 - (Page 12)

12 | Newsworthy | Awards Denny Gerdeman wins Markopoulos Award (The Jets/Giants team shop at the New Meadowlands Stadium), C&A Brazil and a new concept for The Army & Air Force Exchange Service at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City (check out DDI’s coverage on page 54). Read on for a Q&A with this year’s Markopoulos Award winner, Denny Gerdeman. How did you get started in the design profession? Early in my professional career, I was working with an architectural firm, and we won the project to design The Limited headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. I was then offered a job as a store designer at The Limited in 1976. It was there I learned retail design over the next three years—planning, designing and developing several hundred stores. What inspires you as a designer? That’s a big question and one that doesn’t have just one answer. I love that design is about constant change, and I believe the best creativity comes when you have tough project constraints. I like large spaces that are well designed and feel comfortable, but I also really like to pay attention to how the small details are handled. Q A Q A What is your design philosophy? I guess this goes back to my early days as a space planner, but I firmly believe that it starts with a great floorplan that allows and encourages customers to circulate the entire space. Also, the brand personality needs to be designed in every dimension of the space, and the customer intuitively understands and feels the emotion and shopping process. Who are your role models/mentors in the design field? My first mentor was Les Wexner while I was working at The Limited. He was an amazing merchant, brand strategist and visionary thinker. I really had no idea how much I learned from him until I left to go into retail design consulting. Then, I worked with Alton Doody, a brilliant marketing strategist who began applying strategy, design, layout and merchandising to the fledgling mass channel industry. Those were my beginnings; now I travel and observe what’s going on in all aspects of design. I learn from our own studio. The beauty of this industry is that it’s always evolving, and that’s what keeps me energized. What is your No. 1 piece of advice to designers? Travel, observe, keep an open mind, take risks, understand and study your market. Be persistent and always remember that you won’t win every argument, but be prepared for your presentation. Why is visual important in the overall retail landscape? At the end of the day, it’s about the merchandise. The store design is setting the stage for the merchandise, but the real storytelling is how the merchandise is presented and displayed. What are some of your past accomplishments of which you are especially proud? The most recent accomplishment was when Elle (Chute) and I were inducted into the Retail www.ddionline.com Q A Q A E very year, DDI Magazine presents one outstanding industry professional with the prestigious Markopoulos Award, an honor named after the late visual merchandising legend Andrew Markopoulos. This year, the peer-awarded honor goes to Denny Gerdeman, principal and cofounder of Chute Gerdeman Retail. Gerdeman began his career working at an architectural firm in 1971. From there he went on to hold various roles across multiple companies, including The Limited, The Doody Co., Nexus and Richardson Smith Fitch, before finally cofounding Chute Gerdeman Retail in 1989. At Chute Gerdeman Retail, he shared in the creation of iconic retail designs across the globe like M&M’s World in New York and Barbie Shanghai. More recently, Gerdeman’s firm created unique designs for The Flagship Powered by Reebok The Flagship Store Powered by Reebok | March 2011 Q A Q A Q A Photo: Mark Steele Photography http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - March 2011

DDi - March 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Greentailing
Editor's Choice
Design Snapshot: Kusmi
Design Snapshot: Avril
Channel Focus: Toy Store
Longo’s
Brown Thomas
11 Retail Trends for 2011
Bloomingdale’s
The Exchange
Lola
White Castle
Design Leaders 2011
GlobalShop
Show Coverage
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Classifieds
Calendar
Advertisers
Shopping With Paco

DDi - March 2011