Goal matrix developed for briefing the project's design objectives

3D visualization of the studios, custom-developed for realtime stakeholder walkthroughs and treatment decisions of the 70,000 sq ft space while it was under construction

Upon entering the studio you're greeted with a powerful brand statement, the company's signature "yellow tag" icon, presented with a surprising twist...

... the Yellow Tag artwork is made entirely out of recycled vintage technology, painted electric yellow, and accented with a photo lens forming the black pinhole of the Best Buy logo.

Detail of the built Yellow Tag artwork's hardware components

Once you're past the reception area and enter the studio proper, you'll enter the atrium and terrace seating area, with an impressive feature wall for video presentations

Past the terrace's video feature wall, you'll find work stations and a monumental sculpture of a tornado, symbolically championing the incredible origin story of Best Buy

These two newspapers, featured next to the sculpture, document how a tornado forever changed the course of electronic retail history.

August 1981: In the aftermath of a devastating tornado, an upstart audio equipment retailer's owner, Dick Schulze, rallied his employees to sell all his damaged goods in the parking lot. Widely-advertised with "best buy" prices, after two days the unique sale ushered in the company's largest profits of the year. Having learned a valuable new approach to accessible shopping, with every product on display and able to be handled, the company's board opened their very first superstore and changed their name from "The Sound of Music" to "Best Buy".

With this newfound direction, Best Buy would go from nine local locations to over a thousand superstores spanning across the world — all because of the incredible ingenuity shown in the wreckage of that fateful tornado.

Tornado 3D concept visualization vs. photographed final installation

Detail photograph of the speaker tornado sculpture installation

Brand-colored duotone poster placements, recoloring photograpy of classic retro technology in correspondence to the room function in which the artwork hangs

Wayfinding studio number supergraphics and room directions

Custom room signs, a nod to the classic and foundational tech that Best Buy has sold through the years