Gill & Firkin;

 

America's Popcorn Bar

After the success of the popcorn Indiana stores in Times Square and Manhattan's Upper West Side, the Popcorn team asked KLAD to begin to develop ideas and concepts for their franchises, eventually called Gill & Firkin; America's Popcorn bar. You'll note that some of these sketches show other names from various points in the development process.

Our initial sketch moved the country and all natural theming from the barn and field metaphor used on Broadway to a more country store or soda fountain approach. Later that idea was merged with an abstraction of a bushel basket which allowed for an interesting ceiling line, places to hide lighting equipment and different ceiling heights for different functions.

Among the ideas we brought to the table;

  1. A faux finish look to age the woodwork, possibly real, possibly as a wallpaper or laminate.
  2. The classic fountain menu board with neon signage.
  3. A flexible display system for display and storage of gift products and popcorn tins.
  4. Illustrative and evocative wall murals printed on canvas.
  5. A warm color palette.
  6. Theatrical lighting.
  7. The header over the counter defined the work area and helps the staff and guests communicate clearly in a quite area.
  8. The open deck behind the header allows the sound from the many machines to escape up and away from the visitors area.
  9. The counter and counter stools allow the guests to watch the 'theatre' of the food preparation.
  10. The large chunks of popcorn in the front of the store add a touch of whimsy and additional signage to the street traffic. These sculptural elements would not be attached to the glass and would allow expansion of allowable signage.
  11. The awning is irregular and evocative of a torn popcorn bag.

We also sketched out some ideas for a mall kiosk (the project was for an urban storefront) and staff uniforms.