Abstract
Recently, there have been increasing attempts to pursue and express feelings such as sensibilities, emotions, and impressiveness in commercial spaces. One of such methods is to apply 'storytelling' to space designs. Applicability of storytelling to a space suggests that the contents of a space can be expressed through various mediums. Portraying events and situations through a single time continuity of a story is referred to as 'narrative'. The movement of users and sequence of contents are determined by a narrative. It provides different storytelling and a sense of place to each space through various roles, such as wide association, engraving, and image formation. A narrative can lead users to engage in different perceptions and behaviors even in spaces with the same content. Thus, this study is intended to examine the impact of space marketing in line with design narratives, assuming that narratives of commercial space designs will influence the formation of brand identity. The research methods are as follows. First, the definition of narratives in space design was established by examining narrative architectures. Second, design analysis tools for commercial spaces were established from the perspective of narratives through preceding studies. Third, the design narratives of different shops under the same brand were comparatively analyzed through a case study. To carry out a case study, a commercial space of 'O'sulloc' was selected, and its brand identity was studied from the narrative standpoint. The case study involved interior designs of 7 road shops of 'O'sulloc.' Among the 7 road shops, two of them with the biggest difference in design narratives were selected, and an observation survey was done on the users as a second analysis. Through the observation survey, actual design narrative experience was analyzed in 4 steps of introduction, development, turn, and conclusion. The findings are as follows. The design method of each shop varied, and different design elements were emphasized. Among various elements, the ones that reflect the brand identity of 'O'sulloc' the best were logo, product, and shape. During the process of narratives, the characteristics of each shop and user recognition and behavior varied depending on the degree of emphasis on a particular element. It suggests that space design narratives can influence the formation of brand identity. This study provides ideal directions of developing space designs necessary for forming brand identity from the standpoint of Korean traditional culture modernization. Future studies could discuss the economic feasibility of such designs.