How Nature Inspired Line Art For Target

Blending biophilic design with local culture, Target's La Cantera, Texas store now features Loooop’s line artworks. This project captures the natural beauty of local flora while maintaining Target's modern aesthetic, creating a vibrant and inviting space that reflects the community's rich character.

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During a recent trip to Iceland, I was struck by the abundance of lupine flowers growing everywhere. For some reason, these tall purple flowers seemed very familiar to me.

Upon returning to France, I suddenly remembered why: these were the flowers I had extensively studied and drawn for Target in 2022.

Landscape with a river and flowers bluebonnet — *Lupine flowers in Iceland*

Target Corporation, a leading American retail company known for its distinctive red logo and affordable yet stylish products, approached us with an exciting challenge.

They wanted to create store art that would highlight the natural landscape and plant life native to the La Cantera, Texas area.

Exterior panels showing line artworks at Target's store in Texas — *Exterior artworks at Target's store created by Loooop*

As part of their commitment to localizing their stores to reflect the character and aesthetic of the neighborhoods they serve, Target envisioned a mural and various design elements that would bring the local flora to life.

In other words, we were going to draw flowers—lots of flowers. Challenge accepted.

Creative Process

First, finding the art line style that best suited the brand and the project was crucial. The challenge was to strike a balance between creating something impactful for the public (beautiful, understandable, memorable) and staying true to Target’s strong visual identity.

We explored various artistic styles, from highly abstract to more realistic interpretations. After several trials and proposals, we found the right direction that harmonized with Target's aesthetic.

All in all, we experimented with over thousands line art techniques, colors, textures and compositions to ensure the design was not only visually appealing but also functional for various applications.

At every stage, the precious feedback from Target's team allowed us to ensure our ideas aligned with their expectations and brand guidelines.

Next, we conceptualized the design of each flower and the mural compositions. The creative challenge was to balance realism, for better understanding, with enough abstraction to add a poetic touch. We also had to consider the placement and scale of the elements.

The three star flowers were Esperanza, Rock Rose, and Bluebonnet (aka lupines). Each flower was meticulously studied and drawn in line art. We ensured we captured their essence while integrating them seamlessly into the overall design.

*Flowers Esperanza, Rock Rose and Bluebonnet*

To visualize how these flowers would look on the large exterior wall, floor stencils, and other applications, we created multiple sketches and digital renderings.

This iterative process involved refining the shapes, lines, and compositions until we achieved a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing design.

Line art drawings of flowers by Loooop Studio — *Line art style chosen*

Challenges Overcome

Throughout the project, we encountered several creative and technical challenges that tested our ingenuity and problem-solving skills.

flower bluebonnet in line art — *Bluebonnet line art reinterpretation*

Creative Challenge

Wonder why I never forgot the Bluebonnet? 🪻

Well… It gave us a really hard time! The main difficulty was maintaining consistency with the simplicity of the other flowers while acknowledging it contained much more elements.

We had to simplify its intricate structure without losing its recognizable features, ensuring it remained visually consistent with the overall line art composition.

Technical Challenge

We aimed to create a continuous line story across three exterior panels, but the distance between each panel was too large for it to work.

Instead, we viewed each panel as its own composition, which provided a great opportunity to celebrate the famous Bluebonnet (yes, still that one).

Each panel had to be impactful on its own while contributing to the overall narrative, and we also had to consider the practical aspects of installation.

Panels composition for the line art project Target by Loooop — *Three panels composition*

Choosing Colors

Target’s branding is instantly recognizable with its characteristic red. After testing broader (and somewhat a bit eccentric) color palettes, we settled on subtle shades of red.

This choice made the compositions more comprehensible through shading and lighting effects while staying true to Target’s visual identity. The use of red also helped tie the designs back to the Target brand, creating a strong visual connection.

Adding Texture

The lines of our designs were cut out in large metal panels, allowing us to add dots and hatching texture to create rhythms and breathing spaces in the compositions. This not only provides visual interest but also helps create a dynamic interaction between the viewer and the artwork.

texture of the line artworks Target — *Textures (above) and video of the artworks at night (below)*

These cutouts also have a visual impact as the panels are backlit at night. The interplay of light and shadow adds depth and dimension to the artwork, making it come alive in different lighting conditions.

Blossoming of the project

With the creative vision clearly defined and thoroughly conceptualized, it was time to bring the designs to life. The journey from initial sketches to final artwork was both meticulous and rewarding, as we worked hand in hand with Target's team.

After delivering all final elements in vector files, we worked closely with them to ensure that all graphic elements could be faithfully reproduced across the different mediums.

And voila! Altogether we delivered line art compositions for the exterior building wall panels, a seamless pattern for interior wall coverings, and individual elements for floor stencils. The vector files were created to be scalable and adaptable, making them suitable for various applications within the store.

final line art design in store at Target — *Final artworks installed in store*

To this day, I cherish excellent memories of this collaboration, largely due to the exceptional qualities of the Target team. We look forward to more opportunities to blend art, nature, and brand identity in future projects.

Oh, and now that I am an expert, feel free to drop us a line if you want to learn more about wildflowers.