Landini Associates

Landini Associates consistently rates in our top five global retail design agencies. Incredibly stylish and creative but also solidly intellectual and commercially astute.

Mark Landini is a genuine retail design genius; as a force majeure for creative design in London throughout the 80s and 90s, producing groundbreaking design at Fitch and Conran respectively, he moved to Sydney, quickly establishing Landini Associates as Australia’s foremost creative agency.

Landini’s work can be seen across Australia, with world leading projects for Aldi, Mc Donalds, Jones the Grocer, Glassons, Sass & Bide, Becasse, Jurlique and Coles.

However, their influence is truly global, as seen with their reinvention of Aldi in Shanghai as well as their work for Loblaws in Canada; the Maple Leaf Gardens Flagship in Toronto in particular, which we think is still the world’s best supermarket, as well as charming beauty projects for clients in South Korea, and their gorgeous designs for T2 Tea’s outposts in London and New York.

Their project ‘The Kitchens’ shows just why they are so highly regarded. Simply described as ‘A City of Food’ it brings together growers, chefs, artisans and manufacturers in a community space where customers can watch products being made, then buy them on the floor below. With numerous eateries and events it’s a bustling space with every element from the visioning, naming, branding, signage and packaging to the uniforms and interior design all created by Landini.

At Ned’s Bake, back of house is front of house, the concept shares the joy of making bread, where bakers work in clear visibility of the bakery’s customers, with a delicious aroma permeating the space. Customers can enjoy watching, eating and taking home a warm loaf. One instantly believes that the no-frills, stripped back interior is as honest and wholesome as the bread that they are selling.

Challenged by the space available at Sydney Airport T1, Landini took the unusual step of adding a floor to their mid-floor space, this houses McDonald’s kitchen and creates a beacon in the airport, customers can watch the hive of activity above before their order is dropped down to them via the vertical transportation system.

This concept saw the introduction of a simpler palette and graphic execution which has been adopted into the company’s high street restaurants around Asia and also on London’s bustling Oxford St. Called and experiment in Non-Design, the intention is to hero the food, the service and the people that come to enjoy it. The result is simple, stylish and quieter concept that uses a palette of concrete, glass, stainless steel and oak for its urban concept with the materials palette adapted for a more domestic setting. There’s ambient music and lighting and even table service at some points in the day, creating a new ambience for the brand.

Landini is an absolute specialist in food and hospitality interiors, but is equally at home in so many other categories, as can be seen in their concept for Burt’s Bees. Designed for the brand’s launch into Asia, they have created warm and welcoming store through the use of golden honeyed hues of timber and lighting, along with messaging and materials that extol the brand’s sustainable values. In their beautifully simple concept for gentSac, the pared-back palette of materials allows the product to remain the focus, while the sliding doors on the fascia open up the store attracting customers into the relaxed space, encouraging them to dwell and test out the grooming products on display.

Their beautiful store, graphics and packaging for natural skincare brand Primera in Seoul, showcases the brand’s ethical and eco values, with plenty of exquisite storytelling accompanying many of the products.

Their concept for Sarah & Sebastian adds great value to the brand experience, as it enables the jeweller’s to curate the customer journey. Firstly discussing the raw materials and processes at the jeweller’s bench then lighting up the showcases one by one to reveal their collections, giving customer’s a full appreciation of the brand’s ethos and the craftsmanship that goes into each piece.

Their real skill is in combining graphics and wayfinding into the overall concept in the most striking and stylish ways. This can be seen in many of their projects including their recent project for SSG Food Market, they designed all elements of the communication including the brand identity, for which they created a really clever design device which runs through the entire concept to help customers navigate with ease. The interior concept is great too, a vibrant space blending the food retailing with hospitality, whilst retaining the integrity of a traditional marketplace.

We always look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Photography Credit: The Kitchens/gentSac/Sarah & Sebastian: Ross Honeysett
Loblaws/McDonalds Sydney/Charlie & Co./Ned’s Bake: Trevor Mein
McDonalds London: Andrew Meredith. Primera: Courtesy of Primera. No Frills – Ben Rahn at Aframe