When students Jake Still and Grace McCormick began brainstorming designs for a project in their Applied Design studio class at Appalachian State University last spring, they were able to dream big, and work collaboratively with a national retailer-The Container Store.
Together Jake and Grace designed a prototype, 10 x 10 pop-up shop that packages key essentials college students can use to organize their living space. Seeing their award-winning design--and their dreams--come to life through the support of the Planning and Visual Education (PAVE) GlobalShop design project this summer at Retail X in Chicago was a surreal experience. Retail X is the world's largest annual event for shopper-facing retail design.
“It was awesome to see our design come to life in Chicago,” said Jake. “We worked closely with The Container Store to incorporate their feedback to create their first ever pop-up shop which is designed to appeal to college students. Being a student in Applied Design has given me the chance to work on behalf of real clients and get real feedback, all before I graduate next year.”
The profile, and reputation of the programs in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, continues to grow. Appalachian was one of just four design programs in the nation invited to participate in the 2019 GlobalShop design project. The interior design program in Applied Design was ranked 17th in the nation last year among more than 160 accredited institutions.
The pop up shop Appalachian students designed for The Container Store
