Behind the scenes The new color scheme for 4WCircle of Art & Enterprise

The new color scheme for 4WCircle of Art & Enterprise
By Cynthia Dennard, Inside Design

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4 W Circle of Art & Enterprise has long maintained a reputation as being an incubator for fledging businesses by designers of color. The products carried by the store have the distinction of being crafted / hand made by the artists who sell the product. From home décor furniture and decorative items to jewelry using natural, earthy stones with beaten metal accents to bath/body products that smell of grandma's home to greeting cards with specific African American images and sayings – all reflect a sense of culture and authenticity.

In order to modernize a store such as 4W Circle, you must consider the history behind the store; the neighborhood in which the store is located and the type of clientele that consistently shops at the store – your core market. My thinking was that the store needed to be updated and modernized in a way which celebrates its history, the consumer market it serves and the designers who are featured. For example, the design of the Prada store - stainless steel, black polished stone, glass and muted cool paint colors - is appropriate for that label: distinctly modern, (almost) sculptural clothes with a one of a kind appearance designed by a quietly contemporary, cutting edge designer located in an extremely high-end historically fashionable neighborhood which is known for individualism while being on the forefront of modernity surrounded by consumers who expect as much.

This type commercial design would not work for 4W Circle due to its crisp, almost cool, concept and feel. The design sense which is prevalent throughout the store (4W Circle) is one of an intimate, ethnically rich, creatively diverse environment. The key phrases for me during the re-design were "black design style", "warm", "nurturing environment", "diverse, artistic neighborhood" which referenced colors which were warm, rich and contemporary: muted, rich reds; deeply hued golden yellows; muted, soft browns. In addition, the store had not experienced any change in color for the past 15 years and the founder was smiling through gritted teeth. For one used to "shades of white", I did not want to be the cause of her early demise. It was also important that I provided a design that not only provided a rich backdrop for the merchandise in the store, but could withstand the test of time and was an environment the designers and founder could enjoy on a daily basis.

Please understand that change is difficult for those who are business owners, for those who are participants in that business and for those who are consumers of that business. But, one needs to live and breathe a redesign before coming to appreciate and understand the necessity for change.