Neighborhood design: redesigning a fruit shop with a taste of tradition
Time passes for everyone and the clock stops for no one, but that shouldn’t discourage you when it comes to modernizing your business: like a good wine, we get better over the years. And if we combine the achievements of a business over the years with the advantages brought on by modern times, a brand can become the best version of itself without losing its essence.
The renovation behind Frutería Patricia is a clear example of how good design can revitalize a local business and reinforce its roots at the same time. Rafa Hijano, the celebrated designer who has participated in Neighborhood Design, has managed to unite tradition and novelty with the support of Freepik’s AI tools. Here’s how he has given a fresh and modern makeover to this half a century old store with deep roots in its neighborhood. Let us tell you more about this story!
Designing for the future
Behind every great change, there is a mind full of creativity. Rafa Hijano from Malaga saw the Neighborhood Design project as a real opportunity to express the power of his ideas and help the frutería Patricia to take a leap into the future: “This has been a great initiative for graduates to acquire skills in the field of branding, and a nice opportunity for businesses that want to update their look, but do not have enough knowledge to do so.”
The impact of the renovation has gone way beyond a new look of the store. From this experience, Rafa gains a good dose of maturity that will give his future works an even more professional touch.
An infusion of innovation for a very local fruit shop
“Small businesses are the best thing about a neighborhood, and when they fail, the neighborhood tends to disappear.” Manuel, the owner of the fruit shop, signed up for Freepik’s initiative knowing that his shop would not only gain in quality and style, but would also help to give his beloved neighborhood a more modern feel. This deep affection for his corner of Malaga has shaped his dream of change: Manuel was looking for an aesthetic transformation that was beautiful and elegant, but at the same time would respect his roots. Rafa, attentive to this, recycled elements that the business already had so that the premises would have an updated image that maintained the atmosphere of a local and familiar place.
To make Frutería Patricia shine as it does now, the key has been good communication and trust. Manuel has been delighted with Rafa’s work from the first moment he set foot in his shop: “The designer has been the backbone of the project. Thanks to his knowledge and know-how, my fruit shop has experienced the change I wanted.” And for his part, the designer has greatly valued the owner’s feedback and ideas:
“Being able to talk face-to-face with the owner has made me approach the project with more enthusiasm.”
The tools behind the change
The math is simple: with creativity, effort and a technological push, even the most traditional business can prosper and adapt to new times. Rafa has experienced first-hand how useful Freepik’s AI tools have been for this project: “AI tools have helped me explore new ideas. They have helped me speed up the project and give cohesion to my concepts.”
Starting from a watermelon pattern, the designer poured his ideas for the façade onto an image of the exterior of the store with Real time sketch, adding everything that was going through his head freehand. This made it easier for him to explore all the options he had in mind. In addition, with Reimagine, he didn’t need to spend extra hours to find the best version of the concept that the owner of the fruit shop liked the most.
Our project Neighborhood Design not only redesigns spaces where products are sold, but also rebuilds pillars of the community. Rafa has managed to give this fruit shop the momentum it needs to become timeless thanks to a redesign that will be talked about for a long time to come. As Manuel aptly sums it up: “With this change, the customers are happy, and the shop assistant is happy, and if we are all happy, everything is better.”
If you want to know more about business redesigns and the revitalization that Freepik has brought to neighborhoods, check out our blog section about Neighborhood Design and discover more stories like this one.
