Inspiration Magazine

Useful tips and resources prepared by business, industry and design experts to help retailers grow their businesses!

Going “GREEN” in Stores

There is hardly a single home or business publication that one picks up today that doesn’t have an article or two about “greening and sustainability”. Those two words are ubiquitous: seen, heard and talked about everywhere. More American U.S. consumers are looking for “green” products and green products sold in green environments. For store designers, the goal is to create and…

Chicago – Inspiration by Architecture

Anyone who has been to Chicago will tell you that the Chicago architecture is the thing that grabs your attention. Take a stroll by foot or an architectural tour by boat along the Chicago River through downtown Chicago, and you’ll start to understand why architects and designers have chosen to make their mark in this city. Take the Aqua  skyscraper in the  Lakeshore East…

The Color Game

Michelle Hespe chats with Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute’s Executive Director, about her view on the cycles of color and how to decide on what is best for your business. It was once commonly said that fashion, and thus trends and colors, had a 10-year cycle, but in today’s world, that’s really no longer the case. As a global consciousness of the environment and…

Inspiring the Industry

Michelle Hespe chats with Wolfgang Gruschwitz about how and where he finds inspiration in the world around us. Wolfgang Gruschwitz is the owner and managing director of the Gruschwitz Corporation, which offers full-service retail store design and visual merchandising expertise to retailers. His company has high profile clients such as ZARA and Burberry, and he also lectures…

Staying Relevant

Pauline Herbst speaks to IHA’s lifestyle trend forecaster Tom Mirabile, Senior Vice President of Global Trend & Design, Lifetime Brands, Inc., about top consumer trends for 2013-2014 and what manufacturers and retailers alike must do to stay relevant. Mirabile says, “The big message is that sometimes we lose perspective on who the consumer really is and what is important…

Pantone Style and Substance

2014 Pantone Palettes Introducing the 2014 Pantone color palettes at the International Home + Housewares Show, Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute’s Executive Director, explained that although there are a lot of new trends in the 2014 Pantone palettes, there are also some familiar themes recurring. For example, consumers have an attachment to the “preppy” type of vintage…

Falling in Love With Life

I photograph design specialist Asko Ahokas standing in front of a giant projected pipe. The picture references Hitchcock, with Ahokas’ tall hound’s-tooth suited form silhouetted onscreen. The wooden pipe in the background is unsmokable, its bowl non-existent. These are all fitting elements for a presentation entitled “Romantic and Practical” although its working title of…

Introducing…Asko Ahokas

Asko Ahokas is a trend analyst from Finland who has led a New York-based agency and consulting firm for 17 years. He is one of our ongoing columnists, helping to ensure that you’re on the right wave, at the right time. It’s been a steady climb for Asko Ahokas to reach a point where he is analyzing and advising the retail world and beyond about trends from his New York-based…

Inside Discover Design: Joseph Joseph

Twin brothers Richard and Antony Joseph founded Joseph Joseph in 2003, combining their experience in product design and business. Specializing in contemporary kitchenware, Joseph Joseph is now internationally recognized for producing some of the most stylish and innovative products available. Their unique ability to match form and function has earned them global recognition for…