Crafting a Love Letter to Mom: Reimagining Macy's Mother's Day Experience
INDUSTRY:
FASHION
CORPORATE WORK@
COACH
DURATION:
1 MONTH
MY ROLE:
3D EXPERIENTIAL DESIGNER
YEAR:
2019
Overview
In a rapid, one-month collaboration, I partnered with a Senior Experiential Designer to reinvent the Mother's Day floral campaign for Macy's iconic Herald Square flagship store's window display. The challenge was to cut through the noise of New York City's busy streets and create a compelling reason for visitors to engage with the brand.
TEAM
SVP Global Visual Experience
Sr. 3D Experiential Designer
3D Experiential Designer (me)
Graphic Designer
Production Partner
Crafting a Love Letter to Mom: Reimagining Macy's Mother's Day Experience
INDUSTRY:
FASHION
CORPORATE WORK@
COACH
DURATION:
1 MONTH
MY ROLE:
3D EXPERIENTIAL DESIGNER
YEAR:
2019
Overview
In a rapid, one-month collaboration, I partnered with a Senior Experiential Designer to reinvent the Mother's Day floral campaign for Macy's iconic Herald Square flagship store's window display. The challenge was to cut through the noise of New York City's busy streets and create a compelling reason for visitors to engage with the brand.
TEAM
SVP Global Visual Experience
Sr. 3D Experiential Designer
3D Experiential Designer (me)
Graphic Designer
Production Partner
Crafting a Love Letter to Mom: Reimagining Macy's Mother's Day Experience
INDUSTRY:
FASHION
CORPORATE WORK@
COACH
DURATION:
1 MONTH
MY ROLE:
3D EXPERIENTIAL DESIGNER
YEAR:
2019
Overview
In a rapid, one-month collaboration, I partnered with a Senior Experiential Designer to reinvent the Mother's Day floral campaign for Macy's iconic Herald Square flagship store's window display. The challenge was to cut through the noise of New York City's busy streets and create a compelling reason for visitors to engage with the brand.
TEAM
SVP Global Visual Experience
Sr. 3D Experiential Designer
3D Experiential Designer (me)
Graphic Designer
Production Partner
Problem
The Mother's Day prototype felt flat—literally
Our physical pop-up shop prototype was too costly and invisible from street view. We needed a solution that was cost-effective, instantly recognizable, and invited interaction.
Problem
The Mother's Day prototype felt flat—literally
Our physical pop-up shop prototype was too costly and invisible from street view. We needed a solution that was cost-effective, instantly recognizable, and invited interaction.
Problem
The Mother's Day prototype felt flat—literally
Our physical pop-up shop prototype was too costly and invisible from street view. We needed a solution that was cost-effective, instantly recognizable, and invited interaction.
My ROLE & APPROACH
Creating an immersive physical experience
As a collaborator with the Senior Experiential Designer, I contributed to a human-centered design process focused on creating an immersive physical experience.
Concept Refinement: Worked to distill the core Mother's Day message into a simple, powerful theme.
Experience Mapping: Ideated on the customer journey from sidewalk attraction to interactive engagement.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Bridged the gap between initial creative vision (Coach's design team) and practical execution (Macy's fabrication team) to ensure feasibility and impact.
My ROLE & APPROACH
Creating an immersive physical experience
As a collaborator with the Senior Experiential Designer, I contributed to a human-centered design process focused on creating an immersive physical experience.
Concept Refinement: Worked to distill the core Mother's Day message into a simple, powerful theme.
Experience Mapping: Ideated on the customer journey from sidewalk attraction to interactive engagement.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Bridged the gap between initial creative vision (Coach's design team) and practical execution (Macy's fabrication team) to ensure feasibility and impact.
My ROLE & APPROACH
Creating an immersive physical experience
As a collaborator with the Senior Experiential Designer, I contributed to a human-centered design process focused on creating an immersive physical experience.
Concept Refinement: Worked to distill the core Mother's Day message into a simple, powerful theme.
Experience Mapping: Ideated on the customer journey from sidewalk attraction to interactive engagement.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Bridged the gap between initial creative vision (Coach's design team) and practical execution (Macy's fabrication team) to ensure feasibility and impact.
EXPLORATION
Two Roads Diverged
We pressure-tested TWO concepts:
1) LETTERING—inspired by Aakash Nihalani
Pros: Playful, 2D/3D ambiguity
Cons: Too abstract for close-up comprehension
2) Scaffolding System
Pros: Aligns with original concept elements
Cons: Visually heavy, higher material cost
EXPLORATION
Two Roads Diverged
We pressure-tested TWO concepts:
1) LETTERING—inspired by Aakash Nihalani
Pros: Playful, 2D/3D ambiguity
Cons: Too abstract for close-up comprehension
2) Scaffolding System
Pros: Aligns with original concept elements
Cons: Visually heavy, higher material cost
EXPLORATION
Two Roads Diverged
We pressure-tested TWO concepts:
1) LETTERING—inspired by Aakash Nihalani
Pros: Playful, 2D/3D ambiguity
Cons: Too abstract for close-up comprehension
2) Scaffolding System
Pros: Aligns with original concept elements
Cons: Visually heavy, higher material cost
EXPLORATION
How Might Visitors Interact?
We leveraged the heart windows to create "love in motion" through TWO interaction ideas:
A: Embrace Detection
Visitors hug to fill digital hearts
B: Kinetic Light play
Step-activated animations (revised to click a button for accessibility)
Why We Chose B
Safety—accessible touch points
Durability—weather-resistant tech
Impact—full-window animations
EXPLORATION
How Might Visitors Interact?
We leveraged the heart windows to create "love in motion" through TWO interaction ideas:
A: Embrace Detection
Visitors hug to fill digital hearts
B: Kinetic Light play
Step-activated animations (revised to click a button for accessibility)
Why We Chose B
Safety—accessible touch points
Durability—weather-resistant tech
Impact—full-window animations
EXPLORATION
How Might Visitors Interact?
We leveraged the heart windows to create "love in motion" through TWO interaction ideas:
A: Embrace Detection
Visitors hug to fill digital hearts
B: Kinetic Light play
Step-activated animations (revised to click a button for accessibility)
Why We Chose B
Safety—accessible touch points
Durability—weather-resistant tech
Impact—full-window animations
Solution
A Love Letter in Light
We turned six blank windows into an interactive landmark:
Glowing "I ♥ U M♥M" heart windows pulsed to life
Featured products became organic parts of the story
Created moments that made busy New Yorkers pause and connect
Solution
A Love Letter in Light
We turned six blank windows into an interactive landmark:
Glowing "I ♥ U M♥M" heart windows pulsed to life
Featured products became organic parts of the story
Created moments that made busy New Yorkers pause and connect
Solution
A Love Letter in Light
We turned six blank windows into an interactive landmark:
Glowing "I ♥ U M♥M" heart windows pulsed to life
Featured products became organic parts of the story
Created moments that made busy New Yorkers pause and connect
OUTCOME
Measurable Success & Brand Momentum
The campaign successfully met its core objectives, driving both foot traffic and brand engagement. The installation became a social media hotspot, generating organic buzz and positioning Macy's as a destination for Mother's Day. This collaboration between Coach's design and Macy's fabrication proved that a compelling experiential concept can deliver significant results, even on a compressed timeline.
OUTCOME
Measurable Success & Brand Momentum
The campaign successfully met its core objectives, driving both foot traffic and brand engagement. The installation became a social media hotspot, generating organic buzz and positioning Macy's as a destination for Mother's Day. This collaboration between Coach's design and Macy's fabrication proved that a compelling experiential concept can deliver significant results, even on a compressed timeline.
OUTCOME
Measurable Success & Brand Momentum
The campaign successfully met its core objectives, driving both foot traffic and brand engagement. The installation became a social media hotspot, generating organic buzz and positioning Macy's as a destination for Mother's Day. This collaboration between Coach's design and Macy's fabrication proved that a compelling experiential concept can deliver significant results, even on a compressed timeline.