Commercial Projects : Designing Viral Spaces
Written by Juniper Yang (Head of Strategic Planning, JDEA STUDIO)
In today’s retail and F&B environment, success is not defined by a single visit. The real metric is how often customers return—and how many others they bring with them.
At JDEA STUDIO, we design commercial spaces as Viral Loops: environments that create memorable moments, trigger organic sharing, and naturally encourage repeat visits.
This is not decoration.
This is a spatial strategy.
1. Signature Point → Photo Spot → Viral Trigger
A Signature Point is a deliberately designed brand moment inside the space. It is visually striking, emotionally resonant, and instantly recognizable.
Seoul Stop — Space as Content
At Seoul Stop, the Signature Ramen Wall, Apgujeong station(압구정역), and subway-inspired wall design were created to make the environment itself the focal experience.
The result:
The interior becomes a social backdrop.
The brand becomes embedded in user-generated content.
Visitors are drawn in by what they have already seen online.
The space doesn’t just serve customers. It calls them in.
2. Localized Identity Within Brand Consistency
Viral impact increases when customers feel that each visit offers something distinctive—while still being unmistakably on-brand.
Silverlake Ramen — Controlled Variation Strategy
Manhattan Beach → Surf-inspired mural
Irvine → More upscale atmosphere
The strategy:
Maintain brand DNA while embedding local personality.
Customers recognize the brand, yet feel motivated to explore different locations.
That curiosity drives repeat visitation across markets.
Old Ferry Donut — Controlled Consistency
The strategy:
Strict adherence to HQ guidelines
Adaptation based on store layout and spatial conditions
Key colors and material tone remain consistent
No matter which store customers enter, they receive a coherent and reliable brand experience.
3. Brand Storytelling → memorable experience
Repeat visits are rarely accidental. They are psychologically structured. A memorable brand is not built through logos alone. It is built through story, character, and spatial consistency.
GOM — Designing a Story Customers Remember
The brand “GOM (곰)” (meaning bear in Korean) begins with a simple narrative. A bear who loves shaved ice. But the storytelling does not stop at naming.
It extends through:
Character design
Logo development
Visual branding
Interior materials and spatial cues
The bear is not just a mascot. It becomes a recurring emotional symbol inside the space. Customers encounter the story visually, physically, and atmospherically. The space reinforces the narrative at every touchpoint.
Designing Spaces People Want to Come Back To
A successful commercial space today is not measured by foot traffic alone. It is measured by memory.
When a space creates a moment worth sharing, when that moment turns into a story worth remembering,
and when that story becomes a reason to return.
The space evolves beyond retail. It becomes a living brand platform.
At JDEA STUDIO, we don’t simply design interiors.
We design viral moments.
We design memory anchors.
We design return triggers.
📍 301 S Harvard Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90020
📧 info@jdeastudio.com
