Top 5 Retail Design Trends for 2009: Authenticity (& the Story)

Christmas is just a week away and we've reached the fourth trend in our "Top 5 Design Trends for 2009" list. The first three trends we wrote about focused on flexibility and sustainability. Now we move onto another important -ity word for the New Year: authenticity.

#2: Authenticity (& the Story)
Consumers have become skeptics -especially as of late with reports of "greenwashing," food and product recalls, and executive greed among other things. In the coming year, people will be looking for brands they can trust and connect with.

One of the strongest ways to connect with consumers is through their emotions, and one of the best ways to invoke emotion is through storytelling. Hollywood and novelists know this. Even marketers have caught on. Now it's retail's turn. Look for environments and displays to tell a brand's story. It'll be found in the colors and materials, the graphics and merchandising vignettes -little touches to make a brand believable.

Be sure to tune in Monday when The Dadson Diaries unveils its final trend pick for 2009...