Design Bridge and Partners looked to fairytales for inspiration when creating the identity and brand concept for China Duty Free’s shopping destination in Haikou, the capital city of China’s island province of Hainan.

The project comes after the agency worked on China Duty Free’s ‘surreal island’ concept in Macau, which launched last year.

Haikou’s island surroundings informed the design concept but through a dreamlike lens inspired by another island: Neverland, the fictional setting in Disney’s Peter Pan.

The team, led by creative directors Jessica Tan and Tim Brown (based in Singapore and Hong Kong respectively), created fantasy interpretations of flora, fauna, and floating lands to produce the ‘ultimate dream island’.

The visuals were designed to resemble a “living island floating between heaven and the ocean, connecting the present and the future, reality imagination”, according to the agency.

The visuals appear in the form of digital assets as well as part of the physical design of the shopping complex.

The concept responds to the agency’s findings that people in China are looking for more immersive experiences when shopping. The idea was to create a “content-led retail experience” that incorporates storytelling, immersion, and interactivity.

designbridge.com