1. W I L L I A M F E R R I S A I A
Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.
Jamie Paolinetti
PORTFOLIO

2. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
Henry David Thoreau
Portfolio Index Target: 2004 Prototype Reinvention
Target: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Target: Seattle, Washington
Target: Change Process
Mervyn’s: Prototype Reinvention
SuperAmerica: Prototype Design Strategies
Photography
Graphic Design
PORTFOLIO

3. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPES
In 2000 I assumed responsibility for managing Target’s Store
Design Prototype team and in 2002 I led the team in the
re-branding of Target’s prototypical store designs. The de-
velopment of the 2004 prototype designs was a collaborative
effort that involved my team, internal corporate design staff
and various levels of input from several of Target’s external
architectural consultants. The image at the bottom of the page
shows the prototype store design prior to the re-branding ini-
tiative.
As a key leader of the development team, I generated sev-
eral new design schemes, including an early concept shown
above. This concept intended to convey a modern, contem-
porary image to help align the store’s exterior design more
closely with Target’s Marketing strategies. As part of the de-
sign exploration, a number of plan changes were also con-
sidered including a concept for separate store entry and exit
functions as shown on the plan sketches to the left.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Collaboration
• Conceptual Design
• Planning
• Design Innovation
• CAD / Modeling
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPE REINVENTION

4. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPES
This is another store design concept that I developed based on
the forced entry / exit strategy we were exploring at the time.
One of the principle concerns of having a separate exit vesti-
bule was how well the customer would be able to distinguish
the store entrance from the exiting. SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Design Innovation
This particular concept sought to conceal the exit portal from • Conceptual Design
view when approaching the store and then highlighting the en- • Planning
try by the use of the tower, logo, canopy, and internal signing. • CAD / Modeling
• Presentation
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPE REINVENTION

5. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPES
Eventually, the concept of a separate entry / exit strategy was
dismissed and the team continued to explore architectural de-
sign options based on feedback from senior management and
several team charettes. The sketches shown here are some
of the concepts that I developed based on either my own de-
signs or derived from ideas generated by our group’s senior
leadership.
The re-branding team continued to develop concepts and
eventually a design direction was agreed upon by Target’s se-
nior leadership for the new prototypes. The new store design
shown on the following page is an amalgamation of numer-
ous studies and designs, such as these, that were developed
throughout the conceptual design phase.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Innovation
• Conceptual Design
• Planning
• Presentation Skills
• Sketching
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPE REINVENTION

6. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPES
These images illustrate the general design direction that was
approved for the 2004 prototypes. This is a digital model that
I created in Bentley Microstation and then eventually exported
to Google SketchUp for ease of further design study.
The finish materials and color composition were ideas that I
developed while the overall massing and entry design was ar-
rived at through the collaborative development process of the
re-branding team.
As one of the leaders of the team, I was recognized for the
team’s accomplishments and the successful re-branding of
Target’s store design.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Design Development
• CAD / Modeling
• Material / Color Selection
• Presentation Skills
• Marketing
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPE REINVENTION

7. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPES
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
The above images illustrate the final design, finishes and color composition for the 2004 prototypes. Most of the plan changes • Design Development
were focused on the “front of house” spaces along with some significant changes to the sales floor adjacencies. Ultimately the • Construction Documentation
entry and exit vestibules retained the previous plan configuration with the addition of sliding automatic doors in lieu of swing-type • Planning
automatic doors. Eventually, the piers along the building front were eliminated and the storage module adjacent to the entry • Building Systems Development
vestibule was converted to a red signature wall which is still being used today (shown on the plan above). • Design Implementation
2004 TARGET PROTOTYPE REINVENTION

8. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
TARGET | GAITHERSBURG, MD
As a Design Project Manager at Target, this project presented
challenges at several levels. This was Target’s first “ground-
up” multilevel store that required close collaboration with a
wide range of departments in order to develop a two level
prototype. This project was also part of a contentious develop-
ment that required building strong relationships with community
leaders, neighborhood groups and agencies having jurisdic-
tion. The City of Gaithersburg’s vision was to create a new
main street and city core with this development and the Target
store needed to fit within the context of a pedestrian-focused,
small-scale urban setting.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Team Leadership
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration
• Construction Document Management
• Project Management
• Design Innovation
TARGET PROJECT MANAGEMENT

9. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
TARGET | GAITHERSBURG, MD
The Developer (The Peterson Companies) retained RTKL
Architects as the Master Planner for the project. The initial
design concept developed by RTKL (shown in the sketch
on the previous page) was cost estimated at approximately
$1,000,000 over the IRR for the location.
As Design Manager for the project, I successfully collaborated
with RTKL and the City of Gaithersburg to simplify and reduce
the cost of the Target store design (shown on previous page).
The new design reduced the budget shortfall by approximately
60% and allowed the project to move forward.
These images show the completed development and the suc-
cessful integration of a large format retailer into the scaled
down fabric of a village main street.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Team Leadership
• Design Management
• Entitlements
• Project Management
• Cost Management
TARGET PROJECT MANAGEMENT

10. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
TARGET | SEATTLE, WA
Target at Northgate North Mall in Seattle was another
unique opportunity for Target. The location was one of
the first raised, multi-level stores in the chain. The project
consisted of two raised Target retail levels on the third
and fourth levels of the mall with a receiving / stock area
at street level.
In my role as Design Project Manager, I successfully coor-
dinated and managed Target’s oversight for the execution
of a very complex store design in a non-typical mall devel-
opment. The building shell was developer provided and
NBBJ’s Seattle office served as the developer’s architect
and overall design consultant. Over the course of several
months I worked with NBBJ and the developer to ensure
that Target’s brand image would be conveyed through pri-
mary signage, secondary signage, building materials and
graphics.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
In addition to the building design, the Target team devel- • Team Leadership
oped some innovative plan solutions to ensure that the • Design Management
store would operate intuitively and efficiently. • Entitlements
• Project Management
• Cost Management
TARGET PROJECT MANAGEMENT

11. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
TARGET | CHANGE MANAGEMENT
As the property expansion program at Target increased to over 100 new stores annually, there was a need to develop a more
efficient and effective process for managing corporate-driven store design changes. As the process leader of the change program,
I assembled and led a small management team in the development of a process improvement strategy that allowed change direc- SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
tives to be reviewed, approved and implemented quickly and accurately. The above business process flow illustrates the program • Business Process Development
model that the team developed and which I ultimately implemented and managed. The key to the process is the Expediting • Program Management
Committee shown in the red square box above. The following page details the process flow of change through the Expediting • Collaboration
Committee. • Team Leadership
• Innovation
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT

12. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
2000 MERVYN’S PROTOTYPE
As the Architecture Team Lead for the Mervyn’s chain, I was asked to develop a new Mervyn’s
prototype to help re-brand the chain’s image in 1999. The image in the upper left was the ex-
isting prototype design. The sketches to the left show some of the initial concepts and ideas I
generated. The two images above show the design sketches that were ultimately approved by
Mervyn’s Senior Management.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Design Leadership
• Innovation
• Presentation/Marketing Skills
• Collaboration
• Creative Design
2000 MERVYN”S PROTOTYPE REINVENTION

13. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
2000 MERVYN’S PROTOTYPE
The two renderings shown here illustrate the two versions of
the Mervyn’s prototype as they were approved. The left image
shows the base prototype model while the right image was a
version I developed for higher volume markets.
In addition, the design team completely updated the interior
store environment including an entirely new fixture package,
new interior finishes and a redesigned signage package.
Senior Management, as well as Mervyn’s guests were delight-
ed with the fresh and sophisticated brand image in the new
prototypes which gave the struggling business a lift prior to
the sale of the chain. The re-branding effort garnered several
internal corporate recognition awards.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Design Leadership
• Innovation
• Presentation/Marketing Skills
• Collaboration
• Creative Design
2000 MERVYN”S PROTOTYPE REINVENTION

14. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
SUPERAMERICA PROTOTYPE
As the Design Lead for the Midwest Division of SuperAmerica (Ashland, Inc.), I developed a new
prototype in response to increasing opposition from neighborhood and community groups. The
new design was created to architecturally respect the context of residential neighborhoods which
many of the company’s retail locations were part of.
The entire interior store environment was also redesigned to reflect new business strategies
such as pharmacies, video and grocery. The image to the right shows the design I developed SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
for video sales. • Design Leadership
• Innovation
The new design was built for a large number of new store locations and was recognized by both • Presentation/Marketing Skills
the communities they were built in and Ashland’s Senior Management group as a successful • Collaboration
re-branding of the corporate image. • Creative Design
SUPERAMERICA PROTOTYPE DESIGN

15. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
SUPERAMERICA STORE DESIGN
This SuperAmerica project was located in an older neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota near
Hamline University. The city required a design that respected the neighborhood’s history and
context. I developed this design by drawing inspiration from the nearby university buildings and
from historic photographs of the neighborhood.
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Design Leadership
• Innovation
• Presentation/Marketing Skills
• Entitlements
• Creative Design
SUPERAMERICA STORE DESIGN

16. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 2006
I have always been interested in photography. Ever since my
youth, when my father was a semi-professional photographer, I
have been fascinated by what makes some photographs stand
out from other images.
While I consider myself to be an amateur photographer, I try to
make some time for shooting, especially while traveling. The SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
following pages are a few examples of images I’ve taken in • Composition
recent years. The images on this page are of the Walt Disney • Architectural Imagery
Concert Hall in Los Angeles by Frank Gehry. • Use of Light
• Contrast and Color
• Perspective
PHOTOGRAPHY

17. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
RED ROCK CANYON, NEVADA 2006
These images were taken while on a brief trip to Las Vegas.
I was trying to capture the character and spirit of the place SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
through imagery. These particular photos express the wonder- • Composition
ful textures, colors and life forms found there. At the same • Light
time, I wanted to depict the harsh environment of the region. • Contrast and Color
• Texture
• Perspective
PHOTOGRAPHY

18. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
ST. MAARTEN, DUTCH WEST INDIES 2009
During a recent trip to St. Maarten, I captured these images to highlight the character and culture
of the island. The most striking impressions came from the cool ocean breezes and the bright
tropical colors of the culture. The island also has a long history that can be experienced at the
15th century Fort Amsterdam ruins. SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
• Composition
• Light
• Contrast and Color
• Texture
• Sense of Place
PHOTOGRAPHY

19. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
TARGET | FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I’ve also had the opportunity to develop some skills in the area of graphic design during my
career. The following pages illustrate some examples of pieces I’ve created. The document
on this page is a booklet that I conceived and designed during my time at Target. The 40 page SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
document was named the “First Impressions” Store Design marketing book. The intended • Graphic Design
audience was primarily for community groups and municipal agencies to help market Target’s • Innovation
prototypical store designs. The idea behind the piece was to sell the company’s model store • Desktop Publishing
designs to communities and avoid costly design upgrades by highlighting the level of aesthetic • Collaboration
value already designed into the prototypical models. • Marketing Management
GRAPHIC DESIGN

20. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE LOGO DESIGN
Several years ago I entered an open competition to design a new logo for the City of Cottage
Grove, Minnesota. My design was selected out of approximately 300 entries and is shown to the
left. The green “C” represents growth and the blue “G” represents the nearby river. The interior SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
negative space within the “C” and the “G” creates a “tree of life” symbol. • Graphic Design
• Innovation
Approximately 8 or 9 years after the logo was in use I felt the design needed to be updated and • Design Competition
created the design shown above. The new design was sent to the city and is on file there but • Creative Design
has not yet been published to date. • Marketing
GRAPHIC DESIGN

21. Wi l l i a m Fe r r i s AI A
Designers of Plastics, Inc.
Logo Usage Guidelines
CAC Logo Alternate - Regular
Adobe Caslon Pro - Regular
Grey: #838484
Blue: #2F6EB6
Graduated: From 25% to 60%
Single Color LogoType
Designers of Plastics, Inc. Manufacturer of Quality Fixtures
Standard LogoType Reverse LogoType - Any Color
Designers
of Designers of Plastics, Inc.
Plastics,
Inc.
Alternate LogoType
Designers of Plastics, Inc.
Alternate LogoType
DESIGNERS OF PLASTICS LOGO DESIGN
SKILLS | EXPERIENCE
I was approached by a small start up company to design a logo for their new business several years ago. The company manu- • Graphic Design
factured retail displays constructed of various types of plastics. The design incorporates a graduated square representing the • Innovation
sheets of plastic they worked with and the letter “d” represents the design aspect of their work. While the company is no longer • Brand Development
in business, the logo provided a quality brand identifier at a time when they were marketing new clients. • Creative Design
• Marketing
GRAPHIC DESIGN

22. Design is in everything we make, but it’s also between those things. It’s a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy.
Erik Adigard
W I L L I A M F E R R I S A I A
PORTFOLIO