Pretty in paint
By Corrina Stellitano, Contributor
Tuesday, July 1 2003
Tuesday, July 1 2003
Published on AllBusiness.com
For consumers, choosing the perfect paint color from thousands of tiny square samples can be overwhelming, especially if that tiny square does not accurately represent the color that will soon coat an entire wall of their home.
To address that problem, Portland, Ore.-based Devine Color now offers a paint center designed to ease the angst of painting and color selection, and to contribute to the retailers' bottom line.
As a color consultant disappointed with the available color spectrum, Devine Color founder Gretchen Schauffler first designed the Devine Color paint line to brighten the lives of sunlight-starved Northwesterners. Today, her 11 color palettes are produced and distributed by Portland paint manufacturer Miller Paint Co. to more than 200 paint and home improvement stores. Devine Color's paint lines and marketing messages are often geared toward the female consumer, inspired by the knowledge that women are responsible for most of the paint selection and application in the home.
Schauffler wanted a retail paint display that could simplify the color selection process like today's cosmetic counters. "Color needed to be presented in a different way than it is at a paint store," she says. "We wanted the display to represent a really approachable, visually understood way to work with color." Schauffler took her ideas and the graphic design elements of designer Pam Ward to Tualatin, Ore.-based Commercial Design Systems (CDS). There, Schauffler worked with President and Creative Director Rick Graap and the CDS team, to create a paint display that is "a cross between a china hutch and a cosmetic counter."
The 8-ft. by 2-ft. cherry cabinet looks like a contemporary furniture element. Wire racks at the left and the right display Schauffler's innovative paint pouches. Her 11 color palettes on white wheels visually explode from the black background at the center of the hutch. Above, the Devine Color logo is computer-routed into the cherry wood and then painted black. Soft light accents the entire display.
This display sharply contrasts with the more industrial plastic or metal displays of many paint distributors, says Graap. "A lot of paint displays are really fashioned to a male perspective. They wanted something that looked like a piece of furniture, like it was in your living room or a makeup counter."
Rather than carrying home dozens of tiny paint squares, Devine customers can purchase a more workable solution—2-ounce samples of Devine hues in transparent Mini Paint Pouches. The paint samples can be painted directly on a home wall or a 2 ft. by 2 ft. square of white cardboard. The Mini Paint Pouches are displayed on the wire racks on each side of the hutch.
These products turn the paint display into profits for retailers, Schauffler says. "Now you have retailers who are using 8 ft. of retail space, but 4 ft. of that is a profit center in the form of these paint packets."
The display is popular with retailers for another reason. Delivered in three pieces crated together, the Devine display can be assembled in under two hours by one salesperson. "You slide the pieces together, unpackage the samples and put them in the racks, and plug it in," he says.
Details that simplify the paint process for all involved are the trademark of Devine Color, says Graap. "They've come up with a really simple concept—bringing color therapy to the masses," Schauffler says. "This cabinet is the final piece of the puzzle, but what they do on the front end really makes a difference."
To address that problem, Portland, Ore.-based Devine Color now offers a paint center designed to ease the angst of painting and color selection, and to contribute to the retailers' bottom line.
As a color consultant disappointed with the available color spectrum, Devine Color founder Gretchen Schauffler first designed the Devine Color paint line to brighten the lives of sunlight-starved Northwesterners. Today, her 11 color palettes are produced and distributed by Portland paint manufacturer Miller Paint Co. to more than 200 paint and home improvement stores. Devine Color's paint lines and marketing messages are often geared toward the female consumer, inspired by the knowledge that women are responsible for most of the paint selection and application in the home.
Schauffler wanted a retail paint display that could simplify the color selection process like today's cosmetic counters. "Color needed to be presented in a different way than it is at a paint store," she says. "We wanted the display to represent a really approachable, visually understood way to work with color." Schauffler took her ideas and the graphic design elements of designer Pam Ward to Tualatin, Ore.-based Commercial Design Systems (CDS). There, Schauffler worked with President and Creative Director Rick Graap and the CDS team, to create a paint display that is "a cross between a china hutch and a cosmetic counter."
The 8-ft. by 2-ft. cherry cabinet looks like a contemporary furniture element. Wire racks at the left and the right display Schauffler's innovative paint pouches. Her 11 color palettes on white wheels visually explode from the black background at the center of the hutch. Above, the Devine Color logo is computer-routed into the cherry wood and then painted black. Soft light accents the entire display.
This display sharply contrasts with the more industrial plastic or metal displays of many paint distributors, says Graap. "A lot of paint displays are really fashioned to a male perspective. They wanted something that looked like a piece of furniture, like it was in your living room or a makeup counter."
Rather than carrying home dozens of tiny paint squares, Devine customers can purchase a more workable solution—2-ounce samples of Devine hues in transparent Mini Paint Pouches. The paint samples can be painted directly on a home wall or a 2 ft. by 2 ft. square of white cardboard. The Mini Paint Pouches are displayed on the wire racks on each side of the hutch.
These products turn the paint display into profits for retailers, Schauffler says. "Now you have retailers who are using 8 ft. of retail space, but 4 ft. of that is a profit center in the form of these paint packets."
The display is popular with retailers for another reason. Delivered in three pieces crated together, the Devine display can be assembled in under two hours by one salesperson. "You slide the pieces together, unpackage the samples and put them in the racks, and plug it in," he says.
Details that simplify the paint process for all involved are the trademark of Devine Color, says Graap. "They've come up with a really simple concept—bringing color therapy to the masses," Schauffler says. "This cabinet is the final piece of the puzzle, but what they do on the front end really makes a difference."
