Six Six

Six Six is a new concept in optometry and eyewear retail.  New concepts are a great design brief because they invite first principles thinking which can lead to innovation and visual freshness.  Our first conversations with clients Nat and Emma centred around their ideas for Six Six – premium products and personal service paired with best-practice technology and customisation on site.

For us, we focussed on how a unique proposition in this sector could be visually distinguished from competitors, how the store could signal that something different, and better, was on offer.  Optometry and eyewear is often presented in a setting reminiscent of clinical environments, or alternatively of fashion retail.  Common to both approaches, the stores present banks of product, signalling that a task of forensic browsing is required.  We wanted to disrupt this initial impression.  Our approach was to limit views to product and encourage slower discovery, indeed the first encounter is with a table and a welcoming person. 

Most of the product faces away from the front of the store, displayed in a zig-zagging wall which presents a series of narrow mirrors to the street with the spectacles facing the back of the store. There is a self-consciousness that goes with trying on spectacles – glasses are such an intimate item – so the ability to find a literal niche as you try the product feels like a comfortable way to navigate this experience.

In order to focus on the visual task of choosing eyewear, the other senses need to be de-stimulated, so we were conscious of providing a soft and quiet acoustic.  This was achieved through thick carpet, voluminous drapes lining the walls and spectacles display made from Acoufelt – a felt-like product which is both sound absorbent but also perfect for maintaining the product scratch free.

All of these elements come together in what feels like a very simple space, but a space that feels gentle and nurturing, theatrical and elevated and technically assured and innovative – a true reflection of how Six Six want their customers to feel.