Commerce Design Montréal

The Commerce Design Montréal contest was launched in 1995, with the goal of convincing Montréal businesses of the benefits of investing in the design quality of their premises with the help of qualified professionals. The whole purpose of this annual event was to develop the commercial design market in Montréal, so as to:

• improve the quality of urban life and make the metropolis more attractive,
• make businesses more competitive,
• boost local demand for professional commercial design services.

 

The initial idea was to create a "ripple effect" among neighbouring businesses, so as to convince other businesses of the benefits of design for their bottom line, and exert a strategic influence on the revitalization of commercial streets.

Public-sector and parapublic teams worked unflaggingly for ten years to make local merchants more conscious of good design. The impact study shows that Commerce Design Montréal led to real development in the commercial design market and produced the desired ripple effect. The program was a tremendous public success and was hailed in the media; the concept was exported and requests for expertise came flooding in. Finally, the commercial design quality promoted by the program proved a very powerful communication tool for positioning Montréal as a design city.

Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois, 2004 Grand Prix du Jury Design: Luc Laporte, architecte Photo: ©ODCPhoto.com

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