Harley Davidson Experimental Store Design
An interactive space to get new customers interested and comfortable with motorcycles
Prompt
Can E.G.D. and the showroom experience welcome younger,
millennial, and more female consumers into Harley Davidson’s
rough and tumble brand?
The Team
The Project
This project was done in a enviromental design workshop lead by Peter Stocker from the studio MG2. We were tasked with designing a store space intended to help Harley Davidson reach new customers and highlight their new line of electric bikes and motorcycles. We took an abstract experiential direction to help reach young, urban-dwelling youth.
Problem
There are dominant lifestyle associations with Harley Davidson(HD) that do not resonate with younger audiences. HD's image of a rebel doesn't resenate with the rebel of today. Nowadays, rebellion is often understood as a synonym for empowerment. On top of this, biking hobbyists arn't as common amongst a younger generation who often uses their hobbys as a side hustle due to a lack of expendable income. Finally, the rough and tough patriot isn't an image new customers are connecting with. This leaves Harley in an awkward space culturally. The brand wants to stay commited to its loyal customer base, but the company needs to evolve with the demand of new consumers to stay afloat.
Mission
Our rebels are visionaries shifting communities and culture
toward a better future, your Harley allows you to be light, agile
and cut through all the noise—what’s left is for you to decide:
where are you going?
Program
The Space
Our space empowers our customers. Whether you are on your
way home, to work, a first date, a community meeting, or a
protest—we want to help you make a change for the better
The Consumer
Our consumer is the younger generation that understands
rebellion as a synonym for empowerment. This space breaks
them out of their day to day and reminds them of their purpose.
The Journey
The space welcomes the consumer with two paths. An elevator
that takes them straight to the retail floor and a ramp that
guides the user through self-reflection within an immersive and
interactive experience.
An ephemeral showroom experience connecting new customers with Harley's legacy brand
When it comes to activities like motorcycles, snowboarding, and skateboarding—there is this energy you feel when moving through the world so fast that all you see is a blur. We wanted to capture that experience, while creating a space for the customer to get comfortable with a bike.
Commonly, bike shops are wide open boxes filled with aisles of bikes. There isn't any privacy to get comfortable with a bike. While this may still work with their loyal fanbase, new customers are not coming in. On top of that, younger generations are more weary of bikes. This space is meant to tackle these problems by being a calming space to learn and engage with Harley Bikes.
Setting up shop in Portland, Oregon
For our drastic reimaging of Harley Davidson to be successful, we wanted to pick a city that would be interested in a redesigned Harley. A city filled with bikers and young people who would be interested in electric bikes.
Our building shell is located at 2800 SE Division St. This property is located in the heart of a growing commercial district in Portland. Portland is a city with an artistic culture and a large workforce that commutes by bike.
Store Sketches
A space that draws you in
View entering front door. Features wayfinding made of raised steel letters, enticing lighting, and lively greenery. An ascending hallway directs you towards the showroom on your right. There is a elevator straight ahead, merchandise in the back, and a help desk on your left.
To the left of the elevator—which takes you to the showroom floor—is a merchandise shop. The shop features racks of clothes and bending containers that hang from the ceiling and hold merchandise.
Heading up the ramp, you will find an ascending tunnel lit up with a warming gradient. You pass through silk sheets with introspective messages written on them. There are 4 sheets, which read together as: “Where am I going?, Who will join me?, Will it be difficult?, How will I get there?”
When you reach the end of the ramp, you will come to the greenhouse space on the top floor of the building. This is the showroom floor where main products will be showcased.
This is an example of a pod that showcased the Harley Livewire 2020 model. The pods give customers privacy to interact with and learn about the bikes
Building The Space
To get personal with our unique store architecture, I created a 3D reconstruction of the store. Our illustrator also used these as a reference. The 3D model allowed us to actually step inside the building and style it like it was a real space.
Our Hope
The next generation of Harley are visionaries that adapt
and evolve to the problems in their path and can pave the way
for a better future
FIN
