Home Personal Play About

EXPERIENTIAL DESIGN

Project Objective

To develop a completely new in-store experience including new paint plans and mural designs for the ambitious 3-year goal of two new stores and eight remodels per year at Goodwill Central Texas.

Creative Team

Diana Rose Smith (Creative Manager/Lead Designer)
Abigail Toon (Senior Designer)
Caleb Stafford (Junior Designer)

Before Photo

Where We Started

Historically, our store environments prioritized function over customer experience. However, the light gray walls quickly showed dirt and scuff marks and felt dingy only 5-7 years later. The lack of wayfinding signage caused confusion and turned shoppers away. The in-store messaging positioned the store as a discount retailer rather than a community asset. Wall murals featured distressed typography and focused on pricing and product descriptors. They highlighted statistics that became outdated over time and static imagery that could not evolve with the organization.

Testing Patterns

Scalable Design

The redesigned environment responds directly to these limitations. We used bold, saturated colors throughout the store rather than gray with isolated accent walls. We intended to energize the space with bright, engaging use of color, enhancing the overall store perception and elevating Goodwill as a desirable retail destination. The space we have created is one shoppers will want to spend time in, an essential driver of retail performance.

All wall murals were redesigned with modern typography and monoline iconography, replacing the distressed, outdated graphics with a clean and contemporary system that can grow with future brand evolution. The visual language we developed references themes of both shopping and Central Texas. With this we can reinforce local relevance while maintaining a polished appearance that is appropriate for the space.

The custom pattern appears throughout the store, particularly in larger corners such as the furniture area, to add visual interest and cohesion across the expansive floor plan. This system allows for consistent branding while remaining flexible enough to adapt to different layouts and formats.

Before

After