The annual international competition is only open to college-level students involved in retail planning, design, visual merchandising, and branding programs. For the DIY new homeowner or even the seasoned Pro contractor, home improvement projects can be exciting and exhilarating. But getting the right tools, the right materials and the right know-how can make home improvement projects daunting as well. The 2018 PAVE Design Challenge invites you to rethink and reinvent how The Home Depot stores can give customers the know-how they need to tackle all their home improvement projects with confidence. As a company, we challenge ourselves to bring fresh thinking and customer-centric innovation every day.

DESIGN CHALLENGE

How might the visual environment of a Home Depot store be transformed to better provide home improvement  “know-how” for our DIY customers?

To fulfill the Design Challenge, you need to select and complete 2 to 3 “Mini-Challenges” from this curated list of options:

  1. New Product Demo Area – Design a space for customers to learn about and try new products and innovations in home improvement
  2. Services Connection Space – Design a space for customers to learn about installation services The Home Depot provides
  3. In-Aisle Self-Serve Learning – Design a way to insert learning directly into the aisles, allowing customers to learn about products before they even pull it off the shelf
  4. “Behind the Wall” Area – Design a space where customers can learn how to do more intensive home improvement projects like electrical and plumbing projects
  5. Pro Education Area – Design a space for our Pro contractors to keep up to date with the latest developments in their field, learn a new skill or even run their business better
  6. Backyard Oasis Area – Design a new space that leverages our indoor and outdoor garden, lumber, hardware and other departments and trains customers how to create their own Backyard Oasis
  7. Garden Creation Space – Design a new space that would enable DIY gardeners to create their own vegetable garden using materials from The Home Depot
  8. Bringing Decor to Life – Design a space in store to bring to life The Home Depot’s decor initiative and help customers top off their home improvements with the perfect decor

Challenges that include an area outside of the aisle should take up an area no more than 476 sq. ft., or an area 26′ x 18’3″.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Authenticity

We are Authentic, Real and Genuine. This is how we speak to our customers.

Localization

We source locally grown plants, local licensed contractors and products tailored to local climates. The Home Depot Foundation and our associate volunteers give back to our communities, through improving the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, training skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and supporting communities impacted by natural disasters.

Technology

The age of the Smart Home has arrived, and The Home Depot is leading the way with products and technologies to make homes more comfortable, efficient and secure, from thinking thermostats to video doorbells. This also includes our website, app and interconnected retail.

Brands

We carry leading brands that customers recognize and trust in every category and department. We are the exclusive carriers of several major brands including Behr, Martha Stewart Living, Ryobi, Ridgid, and Thomasville. We also have our own private-label brands: Husky, Workforce, HDX, Glacier Bay, Commercial Electric and Home Decorators Collection.

Authority

We demonstrate our product authority and know-how in everything we do.

Website: paveglobal.org