Like a favorite shopping emporium, The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping is a browser's paradise. This second installment of the Project on the City aims to investigate "a general urban condition undergoing virulent change." A big brick of a book with hundreds of photos and a bundle of essays by prominent designers, architects, and urban scholars, it traces the evolution of the marketplace and the environments we create for the purpose of getting and spending. From the great covered arcades of the 19th century to the museum displays of grand department stores to air-conditioned suburban malls, the book examines the ecology and life cycles of retail space the world over. Dip into the book anywhere for insights into acquisitive behavior. Newspaper clippings cite retail trends; a bar chart compares retail square footage by country (the U.S. tops them all). Some of the essays are already marked in yellow highlighter so you can scan for the main points. A 2,000-year timeline tracks major developments with theme concepts: Disney Space, Three-Ring Circus, Brand Zones, Shopping Landscapes. The book makes a wonderful reference for urban planners, but it's equally accessible to those who just want to shop 'til they drop. Price: $49.99
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Retail design is quickly learning new ways to entice the customer. To create a unique and captivating shopping experience, shops use interactive technology and commission stunning works of art; fashion brands team up with celebrity architects to create brand strategies and generate publicity; and irony, humor, and playful elements of surprise turn into mainstays of retail interiors. From the giant, breathing mannequins of Mandarina Duck in London to the high-tech dressing rooms of Prada in Los Angeles, Design for Shopping provides a detailed, behind-the-scenes examination of the sometimes jaw-dropping, sometimes whimsical, and always breathtakingly creative ways that today?s most exceptional shops appeal to the customer?s imagination.