I don’t know what’s going in your Area, but in my city of London, it’s been a bittersweet and fascinating couple of years for brick and mortar stores. Long time local shops are closing their doors while exciting new ventures are popping up in tiny alleyways, catching major local buzz( Brixton Village). I want to say that I deeply admire and envy you shop-keepers, and I imagine that nothing beats the feeling of walking into the physical space of your business every day and making it your own. I also know from experience, however, that because you are in there, everyday, it can be hard to see the space with fresh eyes and give your displays the wow factor they need. Here are some tips I find helpful when working with designers on displays for shops big and small
Brainstorming:
Inspiration: You probably keep on top of finding inspiration that will drive your products or services, but look at those sources for your displays as well. Art books, awesome design blogs (um yeah THIS one!), and magazines are useful. But don’t rule out travel magazines, movies, cookbooks (good styling inspiration!), and stores (hardware stores are great – pick up some paint swatches and play with color stories). If you plan to include new merchandise in your display, gather a little family of products that create a cohesive narrative. Who owns these products and where do they live? What color unites my new line of products? What season are we celebrating? These are all great jumping off points for a display idea.
ou may run a business with a storefront where you wouldn’t consider putting display: hair/nail salons, restaurants, massage therapists, etc. But challenge yourself to look at your window as a customer would and think about what they see when they look in…is it compelling? Consider investing in a beautiful hand painted sign or sandwich board, or placing an unusual or amusing display in your window that relates to your services. There are two mom-and-pop stores in my neighborhood – a grocery store and a hardware store – that manage to thrive against their big box competitors – Safeway and Home Depot – which reside almost next door. I’m convinced it comes in no small part from the fact that they both have a rotating monochromatic display of mundane, everyday products that creates a strong graphic impact and charms the customer. Crowds gather to see these windows…at a grocery store! Don’t underestimate the power of visual impact on the average passer-by.
Think outside the box You may run a business with a storefront where you wouldn’t consider putting display: hair/nail salons, Photography studio , etc. But challenge yourself to look at your window as a customer would and think about what they see when they look in…is it compelling? Consider investing in a beautiful hand painted sign or sandwich board, or placing an unusual or amusing display in your window that relates to your services
Make Lists: Sometimes the ideas just don’t come, and that’s when I like to pull out some of my handy lists to help spark my imagination. Create lists of materials that you like to work with (or that you know are cheap!) and materials that work with your store’s identity. Is your aesthetic modern ? Vintage? Sophisticated? Whimsical? Write down materials that fit your aesthetic (canvas, light bulbs, ornate picture frames, etc.). Create another list of objects, themes, ideas that appeal to you and compliment your store vision If you feel stumped, try putting items from the list together and see what you get…Stay true to your store’s vision to maintain a unified feel; you don’t want customers to expect one thing from your display and enter to find something completely different.
Identify your viewer: The “viewer” in this case is the crowd that passes by your space and needs to be lured in. Is your shop on a busy street with lots of meandering walk-by traffic? Are you on a street with lots of cars passing bay? This will help determine what kind of displays you want. Drive-by customers need immediate impact; they won’t see a tiny bow in the hair of a mannequin . Bright color, high contrast, and something easy to see from a distance will make the most impact on drivers. Street customers can spend more time studying the displays up close, and marvel over vignettes and little details. If you have both types of viewers, employ both in your design. Also consider whether your space gets a lot of after-hours viewing; are there bars or restaurants on your street? If so, add light to your display or leave your window lights on at night to delight the night crowd and make your space stand out.
Composition: There are some simple rules to design that I use when planning a composition. Asymmetry (placing the focus off center) and the rule of odds (grouping objects in odd numbers) will usually make your display more interesting and dynamic (although symmetry can be beautiful in displays as well). The wikipedia page on composition in visual arts is actually quite a useful summary of visual elements. When it doubt, sketch it out!
These are just a few tip to get you started but the main thing is to have fun and please experiment ....
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