Public Typography in Retail Stores

Behind the Tag

The Tag Line

Section 37 Boutique

Sister Moses Boutique

Standard Style Boutique

Background of Boutiques

46

64

28

10

04

The Baldwin Story

Scarfs

True Religion Brand

58

18

38

Background of Boutiques

passionA passion for an idea can turn into a true idea if the

person works hard to achieve their goal. Locally

owned boutiques are created to be a representation

of the owners passion of clothing and retail stores.

The passion continues in selling entities of certain

kinds to customers who are passionate about the

owners same style type and design. 5

styleEach boutique is unique in its style and appearance

because of how the owner chooses to express their

passion through the store. Like any small company,

the boutiques have to be unique to their industry

to survive on their own in the corporate world. In

becoming a successful business, the owner has to

first select a prime location for their selected de-

mographic of the store. In an article written by Jeff

boutiques choose to display

their merchandise in many

different ways and try to re-

flect the feeling of the store

through their displays.

Displays

Parissi, to start a successful business the

owner needs to fi rst pick their selected

demographic with the store and survey

the competitor stores of the area. Then

they will select the best location for the customer 77

to have easy access to their store. Many of the bou-

tiques consist of a cohesive style that is refl ected

in the design of the store, interior and exterior, if

possible.

The design is also refl ected into the clothing sold

inside of the store along with the branding system

that appears in as many places as the owner would

like it to appear. A successful boutique needs to

also have a cohesive look that could be recogniz-

able apart from any other store. The look should be

design incorporated throughout the store with the brand,

which should refl ect the atmosphere of the space.

Some boutiques, in particular Section 37, Sister

Moses, and Standard Style Boutique, refl ect well

the owner’s passion behind the store and their

presence as a whole. From the brand to the product

inside, these boutiques are cohesive in color, im-

age and design.9

Section 37 Boutique

Chapter 2

Located in Wichita, KS on the north-

east side of town, Section 37 creates

a unique atmosphere for young, high

-fashion shoppers. The brand refl ects

the inside of the store and attracts

the younger generation by the way it

is stylized and designed.

Location

is everything with an

individual, locally owned

boutique. The photo is

a panoramic view of

the whole store. There

are many extra design

elements and additions to

the space that make this

boutique different from

the rest. Lighting is a big

part of the store’s design

and stage lights help set

the ambience of important

clothing that is on display.

Atmosphere

A sleek, hip design both for the male and

female cliental is what Section 37 is all

about. Section 37 is a boutique in Wichita,

KS and is a branch off of Johnstons which

is a larger boutique for the older, fash-

ion inclined generation. From the outside

design to the interior of the space and de-

sign elements, the direction of Section 37

pulls young, modern day fashion lovers

into the store.

history

1515

Section 37 chooses to market their store with a clean-

cut, typograpic-only brand that consists of white

and black color with a pop of red. The brand is seen

throughout the store on tags placed on the apparel

as well as on each hanger of the apparel. The brand

is what sets this boutique apart and it is important as

said in a article about branding boutiques

logo

Posters

The article said that the brand needs to allow the

clothing to connect with the target audience.1616

Graphic posters are

placed into the interior

space to add to the

ambience of the store

and feel of a boutique.

Posters

rue Religion is one of many brand name jeans

sold at Section 37. True religion style is known for

their way of marketing and uniqueness compared

to other competitor jean companies. Their clothing

and marketing techniques stands out from the rest.

Their apparel line is easily depicted and recogniz-

able by their signature upside down “U” that is

displayed on all the pockets of the jean line. They

are also known for their brand illustrations to be

depicted with a Buddha cultural symbol and each

jean style has its own name displaying one differ-

ent from the other. Their are many different kinds

of True Religion Jeans, all of which still refl ect back

to the upside down U form placed in different ways

on the pockets. Throughout the years the brand has

been refl ected onto hats and shirts to represent a

whole clothing line instead of just a jean line.

T

18whole clothing line instead of just a jean line.

18whole clothing line instead of just a jean line.

In this case the sleek sophistication of the brand

directs specifi cally back to the young, classy audi-

ence in which the store is trying get the attention

of. Section 37 sells a wide range of merchandise

mainly apparel consisting of shirts, pants, and

shoes in both male and female styles.

merchandise

19

The boutique has a sleek and so-

phisticated way in which they

display their clothing. It carries a

wide selection of many of the top

name brand apparel lines. Each

brand’s name tag and mark is re-

fl ected on to their clothing and

the way in which the competitors’

clothing apparel lines interact with

each other is cohesive within the

store.

The labels are supposed to be easy

quick links to more information

about the product to which the la-

bel is attached.

bra

nd

nam

es

In an article about clothing labels the main reason for a label is to con-nect the label back to the large brand it refl ects.

2020

This boutique is also know for selling a wide se-

lection of jeans and having its employees well

rehearsed in what types of jeans goes with what

outfi ts and occasions. The jeans are all marked

This boutique is also know for selling a

of jeans and having its employees

in what types of jeans goes with what

This boutique is also know for selling a

lection of jeans and having its employees

rehearsed

outfi ts and occasions. The jeans are all marked

with a strong, type-infl uenced tag and stickers that

are relating back to the brand. The store is all about

the atmosphere and the experience that each client

will have when they come into the store.

jeans

23

Brand of items are refl ected into

advertisements and logos through-

out the store. Many advertisements

show a consumer wearing the

product to put into picture what the

product would be worn with.

Brand Continuation

The numbers 37 that goes along

with the brand is found many places

including carved in the floor as you

enter the space.

Floor

Section 37 is designed to leave a lasting impres-

sion from the moment the customer leaves the

store. They would be able to recognize what the

clothing was they saw in the store and be able to

remember the experience while shopping to later

share with others. The impression of the store

should leave a lasting impression on the custom-

er and the funky style of the fl oor is unique and

draws leaves a lasting impression of the client. exp

erie

nce

27

Sister Moses Boutique

Chapter 3

Pazas and spunk are two words to describe Sis-

ter Moses boutique in Wichita, KS. The boutique

started with a group of women having a desire to

run their own clothing store together. There dream

came true with the birth of Sister Moses boutique.

history

31

The brand refl ects off of the Biblical character Mo-

ses and the burning bush, however has a gestural

feel of organic curly shapes that create the bush.

The inside refl ects the heart behind the owner’s as

well as refl ects the brand throughout the store.

style

32

Psprint was giving tips on how to make a boutique cohesive, there advice was to take a brand and re-fl ect that same style and feel throughout with color scheme, identity packaging and overall design of your boutique.

“

”

Many different clothing brands

and collection lines are sold in

Sister Moses. But all have the

same style and feel and similar

color tone to help keep the

store cohesive with clothing

and merchandise.

Many Brands

3434

Sister Moses does just that. They take their dream

of four women owning a store with a passion for

design as well as a passion of clothing and start a

store that gives a customer with the same passion

for clothing and design to be able to purchase hip,

fun clothes of the time. The passion refl ects back to

the apparel and merchandise that is sold through-

out the store. This is refl ected into the customers

and becomes a representation of the store.

passion

36

ccessories are a large part of Sister Moses

boutique. The way the store is divided their is a

large quarter of the store just for extra accessary

articles, one of which is a scarf. Sister Moses car-

ries many scarfs in many different colors and de-

signs. They range from solid color pallets to full

arrays of multi-colored and patterned designs.

They also do a great job of displaying these scarfs

throughout the store in many of their clothing

and merchandise displays. The scarfs in the store

act not only as an item to be wrapped around the

neck but also as a decoration for a table or place

setting. The way they are set up, like the display

featured in the photo, allows for the costumer to

get a good sense for how to wear this particular

scarf in the way it is best designed. The positive

thing about also placing the scarfs with the ap-

parel is that the customer may like the outfi t as

a whole and end up purchasing more because of

the one scarf that drew the customers eye in the

fi rst place.

A

The organic style of the logo is refl ect-

ed into the way the elements inside the

space are designed. The target audience

of Sister Moses are female women from

a wide age range from eighteen to sev-

enty. Many different elements of foliage

is incorporated with the store design and

the clothing apparel also refl ects back to

a very organic style through the way the

store is designed.

clothing

39

The owner has a passion for women to fully ex-

press art through what they wear and how they

design their spaces. The passion is refl ected in

how she presents the store to the costumer. The

clothing is a majority of the store, however there

are many house furnishings that are available for

purchase as well.

design

41

own brandFrom decorations to clothing styles, there is a strong cohesive

bond in which both can be displayed side by side and still in-

corporate the coherent underlying theme. The store also sells

multiple clothing brand lines, one of which, is designed by the

owner and is sold only out of this only store. These pieces of

clothing are labeled with Sister Moses just like the store and

refl ect back to the style of the store itself.

Sister Moses has their logo

on many of the products be-

ing sold not just their clothing

line. Their logo is also placed

multiple places around the

outside of the building help-

ing draw costumers inside.

Many Items

43refl ect back to the style of the store itself. 43refl ect back to the style of the store itself.

The ambience of the store seen through the ex-

travagant displays are directed at customers and

are designed for them to enjoy there shopping

ambience experience. The store strives to be different in its

style and design as well as how it displays the ap-

parel to keep its self separate from the rest of the

boutique and clothing industries, and allows for

growth of the store and the expansion of clients.45 of the store and the expansion of clients.45 of the store and the expansion of clients.

Standard Style Boutique

Chapter 4

The Standard Style

makes a point to make sure

each brand of clothing

contains their tag as well as

the tag of the brand.

Tags

locationHigh fashion and sophistication are refl ected in the

brand and design of the Standard Style Boutique.

The Standard Style Boutique is located out of

Kansas, City, Kansas and was created by a young

couple to share with the mid west the culture of

fashion from the east and west coast styles.

49

The brand of Standard Style Boutique uses typog-

raphy to become very recognizable. The back-word

“S” is signature to the store and their identity of

brandmint green with a chocolate brown color are easy

to recognizes among many stores. The way the font

selection of the name is so unique the “S” itself can

stand alone and when seen without the context of

the store or the name it can easily be placed back

to the store. 50

The backwards “S”is for branding and allows

the “s” to stand alone and still be able to

recognize in relation to the store.

The S

Decorations

The ambience of class

is replicated throughout

the store in the clothing

but also through the extra

decoration items that are

placed throughout.

Decorations

atmosphereThe store is classy and simple in its design

and focuses all of the attention on the apparel

it sells. The inside look reverts back to the look

of their brand which is refl ected on each cloth-

ing tag and product purchased in the store. 53

optionsStandard Style Boutique sells many high-end

clothing brands and has a large part in providing

the midwest with the brand names of the large

New York and Las Angeles stores. Sarah Mahoney of the Media Post mentioned that the pop-ulation in the fashion industry has increased 27% more in favor of the brand name apparel then the non brand name apparel.54

options

The Jean Wall placed on the

male side of the store displays

many brand name jean lines all

arranged by size to accommo-

date the clients needs.

Jean Wall

bal

dw

in The Standard Style Boutique has also created

a brand on their own in refl ection to the apparel

trends of a jean and clothing line named Baldwin,

after the owner of the Standard Style Boutique.

This clothing line makes up the male section of the

Standard store and is connected to the Standard

Style Boutique. 57

att Baldwin, the owner of Standard Style

Boutique, started his only clothing line that is

a new and upcoming line for the high fash-

ion industry. His dream as a Boutique owner

expanded drastically when he got the oppor-

tunity to design his own clothing line. Along

with his line came the brand. His vision of

sleek and sophisticated style from the Stan-

dard Style Boutique carried over into brand-

ing his clothing line after his name Baldwin.

The “b” is lower case like the Standard

however a new addition are the three rows of

dashed lines that allow the logo to be a more

rectangle style. The rectangle of the brand

horizontally is then placed on a large verti-

cal rectangle with the tags that appear on the

clothing line. The simplistic black and white

color scheme allows for the brand to stick

out against all the bold high color-designed

elements of the competitor . The line is then

refl ected from the brand with simple, yet

high-quality, fabric choice and use of design

elements throughout the brand. This simple,

yet high quality, line does very well competing

with the high-end fashion industry brands of

today because of its logo that stays consistent

and the simplicity that pulls away from the

high designed advertisement and logo brands

of today. The Baldwin line is growing and

expanded in clothing materials and the dream

for one man to grow a line of his own as only

begun. The Baldwin line is up-and-coming

in many new fashion boutiques and runways

across the United States. This brand goes to

show how one man can make a successful line

of clothing with the will power to work hard.

The clothing industry is struggling today but

still has a large group of costumers that are

looking for the hit line and baldwin is one of

those lines, that is very trendy with the young

fashion population.

M

58

experienceBoth the female and male side of Standard Style

Boutique reflect back to the logo and give a unique

experience of shopping for high-end clothing lines

at a sophisticated store would be like. Their are

rows of options and choices to choose from. How-

ever the store design is set up to where it allows

for the employee to make personal interaction

with every client in helping them chose what is

right for that customer. Some boutiques think they

overwhelm their costumers with laying out many

options and allowing many options to be chosen.

The Standard Style chooses to display many op-

tions to show their wide range and inventory with

many brands to allow for the customer to get the

most needed and best piece of clothing they de-

sire. Another benefi t to placing multiple styles and

options for the costumer is that it urges them to

have more than one option of choice and trying to

boost sales for the store. 61

assi

stan

ce

From the moment the cus-

tomer enters the boutique

an employee is there to give

excellent advice and allow

the customer to have an easy

shopping experience. They

are well trained in the prod-

ucts and fashion trends of the

season and are able to easily

assist any costumer with any

question they may have.63

The Tag Line

Chapter 5

realizeUnique boutiques add life and personality to such

a largely populated high industry culture. We as

customers of these stores, need to realize the pride

and passion that each individual owner has placed

into their store. 65

When focusing on the ambience, logo

and brand designs also remember that

type is found through stores an is usu-

ally what draws your attention from the

“extras” of the store that can be sold as

well and also sets the mood,

Typography

lookRemember to look next time you are in a

boutique, possibly one of these and rec-

ognize if the boutique is successful in its

collaboration of brand to design to apparel

sold inside. Pay attention to what draws

you in to look further at what is being said.

Realize the name brand tags on the apparel

are not designed because they have to be

designed. But are designed to draw you,

the customer to look at them further and

develop a love for their clothing line. 67

rememberBut really pay attention to the way the public typog-

raphy is used and incorporated in apparel as well

as boutiques. Attention getters are everywhere in

this society today, many boutique owners make an

extra effort to allow the customer to remember the

experience as a unique one that you as the custom-

er will go and tell others about as well as revisit the

store to have that same experience the next time

they enter the store 68

creditsAnonymous. (2011). Clothing label: a small tag big ar-ticle. Billow Industrial. Retrieved from http://www.

shinegem.com/html_news/Clothing-label-30.html

Fashion Boutique Marketing: Branding. Retrieved from http://www.psprint.com/resources/ business-

marketing-plans/fashion-boutiques/fashion-bou-tique-marketing-branding.asp

Mahoney, Sarah. (2010). In Apparel, The Brand Makes A Comeback. Media Post News, Market-

ing Daily. Retrieved from http://www.mediapost.com/ publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_

aid=126136

Parissi, Jeff. (2008). Opening A Retail Store? Demo-graphics - And How They Can Guarantee Success!. EZine Articles. Retrieved from http://EzineArticles.

com/1791457

Camera: Cannon Rebel xtiFont Selection:

Thank You to Matt Baldwin for personal information and to the owners of Section 37 and Sister Moses for

allowing me to take photos and write a book about their boutiques

Designer as AuthorPatrick Dooley

Fall 2011 The University of Kansas