Ace & Tate.
Arts & Science
in Haarlem

Eyewear retailer Ace & Tate once started online but now has a large physical presence with over 84 stores in 10 countries. The brand knows very well how to combine the power of online and physical, in such a way that they reinforce each other.

Client

Ace & Tate

Category

Retail

Scale

100 m2

Location

Haarlem

Assignment

Ace & Tate uses the principle 'different look, same feel'.

The same basis via product presentations for each store and creating a different design for each location, with which the brand builds a bridge to the local environment.

Our assignment; Create a strong brandstore with a local feel in Haarlem

Result

Different look, same feel.
Recognisably Ace & Tate, yet unique.
Store interior adapted to fit in with the local culture.

Haarlem History
Haarlem is a city where, historically speaking, art and science came together.
The invention of the printing press, attributed to Laurens Janszoon Coster, is a great example of it. Despite the controversy where the title is disputed between Laurens and the German Johann Gutenberg, the fact is that this legend served the printers of Haarlem well, and is probably the reason why most notable Dutch history books from the Dutch Golden Age period were published in Haarlem.

Four inks
The technique used to print full-color images is referred to as four-color-process.
Four inks are used: three primary colors plus black. These ink colors, abbreviated as CMYK, are cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black). Where two such inks overlap on the paper due to sequential printing impressions, a secondary color is perceived.

The 3D process
For the design of Ace & Tate Haarlem store, the printing press process is brought forward by means of oversized ‘graphic bands’ of color, wrapping up the whole space and store fittings. The CMYK colors are re-interpreted and translated to fit the Ace & Tate brand image. As these graphic bands of color overlap, either on opaque or translucent materials, new colors emerge – it’s like experiencing the printing press process in the third dimension.