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Jennifer Nemec, founder and chief creative officer“Design is a powerful tool to transform businesses and craft meaningful experiences for customers,” says Jennifer Nemec, founder and chief creative officer of Ideation Studio.
Ideation Studio is a multidisciplinary design firm that creates innovative solutions through analysis and creativity to help clients improve business performance and customer experience. With three key skills—an understanding of the complexities of retail design and planning paired with world-class design skills and in-depth knowledge of branding—it ensures a high return on investment and increased traffic for retailers.
By paying close attention to the intricate details and complexities of retail, Ideation Studio delivers bespoke solutions that cater to the individual needs of each retailer.
“Compelling customers into brick-and-mortar spaces is part of the challenge of retail store design,” says Nemec. “As brand storytellers, our multidisciplinary skillset creates all kinds of branded spaces, focusing on bringing architecture alive through a multi-layered solution that provides a sensory experience and engages customers in a meaningful way.”
As brand storytellers, our multidisciplinary skillset creates all kinds of branded spaces, focusing on bringing architecture alive through a multi-layered solution that provides a sensory experience and engages customers in a meaningful way
Ideation Studio begins its problem-solving process by generating multiple ideas based on a client's pain points, with the ultimate goal of identifying the best solution. These solutions consist of two main components. The first component is the operational side, which combines architecture and business operations to ensure smooth sales and production processes within the space. The second component is focused on customer engagement and brand communication. Ideation Studio strives to make brands approachable, inclusive, and engaging to customers. To this end, it has developed a comprehensive five-step methodology, i-process, which guides all its design projects from concept to completion. The five steps of this methodology include investigation, innovation, ideation, implementation, and inspection.
Another instance, Ideation Studio completely transformed the brand identity of a quick, casual restaurant client by developing an immersive branded experience, resulting in a line forming outside the door as soon as it opened. This transformation led to a three-fold increase in revenue at the location and allowed the restaurant to expand to 12 additional locations within the region. This remarkable success story caught the attention of venture capitalists, who invested in the restaurant’s expansion to 150 locations throughout the country. In addition, Ideation Studio helped a garden center in southern California during the 2008 recession by creating a new prototype that revamped the interior while leaving the outer shell untouched. The client saw an impressive 50 percent increase in business despite the challenging economic climate.
The company understands the immense potential of design and its impact on business transformation. It focuses on both macro and micro levels of business transformation, from procuring materials to enhancing merchandise presence to help clients accelerate their timelines and increase visibility and sales. In one instance, for Hy-Vee’s Health Department, Ideation Studio could find another vendor at half the cost when compared to what their original vendor had quoted.
The competitive advantage of Ideation Studio is that it offers creative and cohesive multidisciplinary solutions, which are a merger of interior, architectural, graphic, and industrial design.
“We are a creative organization; our solutions are one-of-a-kind, defined by the brand, and touch on all aspects of the customer journey,” says Nemec. “We deliver a comprehensive package from concept to completion. Everything comes together in a seamless package.”
