Nerolac
A showcase for endless possibilities
2019
Experience Design
About
Nerolac is a large paints and finishes manufacturer based in India. Over decades, Nerolac has become ingrained in Indian culture. But over time, the company faced stiff competition from international brands, and led to a drop in market share, and an eventual buy-out by a larger Japanese paint brand.
In 2020, Nerolac would be celebrating it’s 100th anniversary, and sought to revamp its image, and trusted Interbrand Mumbai with the same. One part of the rebrand included the development of a new Experience Center, to showcase the brand’s offerings, as well as new developments, technology and initiatives. The brand’s offerings ranged from finishes for the home to industrial paints and finishes and everything in between.
The experience center had to cater to a range of different customer profiles. These included painters (for training camps), investors, customers, and staff. The space had to accommodate a range of different activities, grow and evolve as the company entered its second century, but still showcase the heart of the brand.
Pointing North Workshop
The design process started with a Pointing North workshop, to co-create an experience that captured the brand’s essence, and would engage and communicate that essence to a range of different stakeholders. The team at Interbrand facilitated the workshop, which featured people from across Nerolac, who had a deep understanding of the brand, their customers and their offerings. The group was divided into 4 teams, each of which explored one “cardinal direction” from the Pointing North framework:
North: Client Driven
Solutions inspired by and in direct alignment of the client design brief
East: Insight Driven
Solutions inspired by Brand, Consumer, and industry research
South: Blue Sky Driven
Solutions that push the limits of the creative brief to uncover ground breaking innovation
West: Operationally Driven
Solutions that leverage operational or technology improvements
The ideas and insights from this workshop helped define the goals for the space, as well as the kinds of contents and interactions that would live within the space. These were divided into 4 themes:
Behind the Scenes (North)
Experiences Beyond Color (East)
The Health of Space (West)
An Infinite Palette (South)
This zone is a gallery showcasing what goes on behind the scenes. From research to the lab, to final production, video installations showcase how the entire process is driven by a strong understanding of the customer.
" Customers need to be taken behind the scenes, to understand and experience the entire process of paint creation, from the lab, to the final product, to mass production; to understand how every step can have an impact on their daily lives"
This zone is a series of interactions to showcase how the experience is more than color. Product benefits are illustrated through a series of rooms, each with an interactive physical experience.
"Products need to showcase the impact they have on the overall experience. Nerolac, as an expert in the space, can explain to customers all the factors that go into the experience, including, but not limited to colors."
This zone becomes an architectural library, which educates customers on the importance of their spaces to their health, as well as the best practices to help improve the “health” of their homes. Architectural models, sample layouts, and material samples showcase new ways that spaces can be made healthier.
" Our homes and environments affect us in more ways than we can imagine. Colors, lighting, to the design of the space, and the materials we use, all affect our mental and physical health in ways we don’t always consider. "
This zone combines used tech to transport customers into new realms, and engage in experiences they couldn’t previously imagine. They can also experiment with their own spaces and projects in the virtual world, allowing them to explore and experiment.
" Once the choice of colors and textures available was limited, but today customers have an endless choice in the range of colors, finishes, textures and options, to create any possible experience. "
Complete Modularity
In order to keep the space flexible and adaptable, every aspect of the space was made modular and customizable. The entire space is built around a single curved “wall unit”. All the functional elements of the space, such as HVAC, lighting and electrical are designed into the ceiling, allowing the wall units to be moved around to change the space as required. The units themselves are customizable, and can be changed to adapt to what needs to be shown and presented
History Wall
Our People Wall
Entrance to the Space
"Little Bit of Nerolac" Wall
Paint Manufacturing Process Wall
Paint Innovations Wall
Paint Can Displays
360º Home Simulator
Discussion Space
Training Area