COBBLER SHOP STOREFRONT REDESIGN
Category
Local business / Craftsmanship
Services
Facade design | Production | Signage design | Custom lettering | Storefront design | Environmental graphics | Retail advertising | Community relations | Social activation | Messaging + Narrative | Social media | Photography
REACHING OUT TO A NEIGHBOUR IN NEED
In the wake of the pandemic, with the economy coming to a halt, many business owners saw their livelihood crumble. Luckily, in many cases the local community was one step ahead of the disaster, supporting their local craftsmen in any way they could. A cobbler shop in one of Gdańsk’s residential districts is one of the beneficiaries of these grassroots initiatives. We were contacted by a group of the shop’s clients concerned with how unwelcoming and easy to overlook the shopfront was. As the case grew viral on social media, we set out to transform its appearance.
The area was a challenging one — the workshop was hidden between blocks of flats, in a neglected industrial building, far from well-maintained city centre streets. We had to act fast to save the business and, the whole affair being a pro-bono case, we had a limited budget. The temperatures plunging below zero were making it difficult to execute the project, but one of our dedicated team members worked tirelessly for days to create and implement the hand painted design.
It was no place for fancy lettering, so the block letterforms were designed to match the industrial character of the building. To make the shop really stand out during business hours large orange numbers (signifying the date of the workshop’s establishment) were painted on the inside of the door shutter. A contrasting, simple, but funky shoe icon served as a contrast. We fixed up and repainted the facade to complete the transformation.
Despite the relatively small scale of the project, our redesign was met with great enthusiasm by the owner, his local community, as well as national media who shared the heartwarming story of people coming together to help a neighbor in need.
