Ideas and Concepts

Here are some of my initial ideas for the shop. I decided early on that I wanted to make a potion shop, as it is an area of interest within the Harry Potter universe for me. I tried to expand on the idea by thinking about the kind of things a potion shop might need or contain, such as cauldrons, recipes, flasks etc.

The decision to go with dark purple and bronze/copper as my main colours came from some of the reference images I collected.

I really liked the texture and colours of this shopfront, and I think they fit well with the theme of my shop. I want to go with a dark, worn down look, something that implies a deeper history to the building.

The shape of these lamps also gave me an idea, to make lamps in the shape of potion flasks, perhaps containing a glowing mixture, which the shop could use as a light source.

After researching Victorian and Diagon Alley architecture, I noticed the pipes scaling the buildings, and had an idea about incorporating them into my design. I thought it might be interesting if my shop were to use pipes containing potion mixture, perhaps a glowing mixture like my idea for the lamps. This would give my shop a distinct visual identity and go well with the potion shop theme.

This idea led me to look at breweries, as I thought the pipe idea might make more sense if the shop was also a potion brewery and the mixture was being created and pumped through pipes to the bottom floor.

I collected some reference images from old Victorian breweries and also some more modern ones. I was interested in both the architectural features such as the towers and the machinery on the inside. This research informed areas of my designs below.

Here are some sketches I made as concept art for the shop. I'd already decided on the basic shape I wanted to go for after doing my research, so I used these drawings to iterate on the smaller details of the design. I tried to experiment and change something with each sketch. Overall, I think 2 is my favourite. I also like 3, but I'm worried that it looks too much like a factory and not a shop with the brewery tower added.

References:

Pinterest. (n.d.). Shop front design, Shop fronts, Shop window design. [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/477944579180930473/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2023].

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Brickwork (2019). Brickwork it’s not just about bricks Hook Norton Brewery_SM. [online] Brickwork. Available at: https://brickworkonline.com/hook-norton-brewery_sm/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2023].

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www.thebrewerybible.com. (n.d.). Brewhouse & Kitchen Nottingham | The Brewery Bible. [online] Available at: https://www.thebrewerybible.com/venues/brewhouse-kitchen-nottingham [Accessed 5 Nov. 2023].

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