ABSTRACT
While the practices of retail design have been discussed and illustrated in some detail, the theoretical perspectives of retail design deserve fuller consideration. The effi ciency and functionality of modernism in retailing have been challenged by postmodernist design, and both continue to make distinctive contributions to the industry, consumers and society. In addition they are moderated and adapted as other infl uences, notably sustainable and participatory design practices, become more prominent. This chapter discusses how retail design refl ects the time or decade in which it is created. In particular, the authors focus on the importance of context as a driver for the development of retail design.
