LOOKING THROUGH

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Right now we are in-between eclipses, this is a powerful time to cleanse everything. Release belongings and emotional patterns that no longer support the true you.

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Mannequins

Mannequins are often referred to as silent salespeople, but just how effective and effortlessly they can generate those sales depends on many factors.

There are several types of mannequins: Realistic, Semi-Realistic, Abstract, Semi-Abstract, Cartoon/Caricature and Headless.

I personally prefer the abstract mannequins, I think they look good at any situation and store and they’re glamorous!

They create an overall effect rather than reproduce natural lines and proportions, can be used for casul wear to formal wear, usually white or black and egg shaped head, no sculptural definition and have varied price ranges.

An example of retail that uses this type of mannequin is Zara, an store who has a large target public and needs to attract all of them.

We can also find this type of mannequins at SCAD buildings and facilities, an amazing way to show the alumni’s beautiful works.

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Morris Hall Display Reflection

Our first thought for the window display project was to represent fashion as art. After we decided that this was the idea that we wanted to convey, we started thinking about how we would do it.

We decided to represent a huge sketch book at the window, and the dress being created and "getting out” of it. But unfortunately, we couldn’t find the garment to put on the window and we’d have to create it by ourselves. So we had to think about a plan B because we wouldn’t have time to create the window and a new dress. We change everything about the window, but always trying to keep the concept from the beginning. After all, we ended up finding a garment of a SCAD alumni and came up with a whole new interpretation for this “Art over Apparel” concept.

Read the final concept below:

"Art over Apparel transcends beyond its intended purpose, yet retains its beauty despite its lack of functionality. With the removal of mass consumer appeal, apparel becomes more ambiguous and the space between art and fashion becomes minimal, if non-existent.

It was developed with the purpose to showcase the connection between art and fashion. We wanted to use the art as inspiration to the garment and vice versa. Showing the process of creating a piece of clothe in an abstract way.

During the process of concept to creation we faced many challenges. First one was how to represent our concept with apparel and finding a dress that would fit with the idea. As a result, we had to change our first concept completely including the art and the dress. Another challenge was to fit the budget in our concept. For the final result the group decided to showcase a dress from a SCAD alumni Alexis Pitts and make the representation of the stripes that the dress has in the background.

However, when the dress came the zipper was broken when we had to substitute for another piece from the same collection. Also we faced problems with the finishing of the painting on the background that was fixed with silver tape, making the final result more interesting. All this challenges were good to learn how to deal with different situations and come out with a good idea to fix the problems.”

by Luísa Soares, Rute Harada and Annastasha Willis.

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Urban Outfitters' lifestyle

Urban Outfitters knows its consumer really well, and know exactly what it takes to catch their attention and win their hearts.

Unfortunately, part of the window of the store was being renewed while our field trip, but since I am  one of their customers and every time that I have the chance I get into the store even if is just to look of the new things, I think I can talk a little bit about their visual communication strategy.

Urban Outfitters’ store is not only a store, but also a place to live. They created a brand that represents a lifestyle and everything that their customer (young adults, “metropolitan hipsters”) looks for.

Their goal is to create a store that exceeds people’s expectations, original and experience-enriched. That way, knowing exactly what their customer is looking for, they created a comfortable and nice atmosphere to attract them.

Moreover, they use really well the sensory merchandising, which is a retail environment that stimulates all five senses to encourage curiosity, wonder, excitement and confidence for long-term loyalty and increased sales. The lightning, price tickets, music, posters and graphics scattered throughout the store provide the customers a good feeling, making them wanting to buy and stay longer in that place.

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How has store fixture design evolved in the last 20 years?

I think it’s possible to affirm that EVERY store has fixtures, from a supermarket to a designer store.

Without the fixture a store wouldn’t be possible to hold, accept, show and stock merchandise. A fixtureless store is and unfinished store. The fixture is part of the store’s ambience, and even apparently “hidden” before all the products, directly or indirectly the consumer is going to notice its presence and it will affect the environment of the store.

Just as the fashion that is currently changing and adapting, the store fixture design is also going through transformations. We could say that 20 years ago, maybe fixtures were only seen as frames, stands, easels etc., made of basic materials as acrylic, metal or wood. But today fixtures can be many things, even things that usually are not made to “be seen” inside a store.

Because of this currently change it’s important to have fixtures that are flexible, adaptable and moveable. The shopper wants to be a part of the store, to move the fixture and interact with them, touching, pressing, pulling and tasting every single inch of the store.

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How can window displays drives sales traffic in brick and mortar locations?

"A picture is worth a thousand words”.

The window is the first impact between the customer and the brand, that’s why it is so important to disclosure it in the right way. We should always remember that strong colors like red and pink help to catch the customer’s attention.

We have to pay attention to the window because it affects directly the sale and has full responsibility for building and maintaining brand or the image of the store.

A good window should awaken curiosity and desire to enter the store. It has to convince the viewer of the value of the object, the store promoting the object or the organization behind the concept.

Basically the window works as a meeting point between the customer and their willingness to buy.

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Store lightning

Light is an important and necessary element in our lives. That’s why it is seen so natural and familiar, causing humans to ignore the real need to know it and understand it.

Lightning affects deeply the human reactions to the environment, and they can range from the obvious sight, but also the dramatic beauty of some scenery.

Vision is responsible for about 80% of informations that we perceive through the senses. Of course that without light we can’t see, but it’s also true that thanks to the vision ability to adapt to insufficient light conditions, people sometimes don’t take care of lightning conditions.

A good lightning system should ensure levels of lighting that keep the visual comfort. Lightning, contrast, shadows, glare and chromatic environment are crucial for visual perception of objects.

One of the main factors for a store success is lightning. It will set the environment, the highlights, the colors and the points of interest. 

The marketing of products targeted to the female audience requires sensitivity, creativity and lots of information.

Lighting is essential in environment creation, transmitting balance and comfort, being now one of the most important elements in a store. It makes the environment alive. A good lightning remarkably enhances the beauty of the space.

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Visual Merchandising and retailer’s success

We know that consumption is the result of consumer's emotional identification with a product and that there is a psychological involvement in purchase that makes the consumer develop a desire for the brand.

Factors involving consumer environments are relevant to the actual sale, because they affect the consumer’s mind.

Good visual merchandising can bring better results to the brand because it improves the relationship between the customer and the store.

A store can offer an unique environment that can influence the buying decision of a customer. Elements inside the store like illumination, style, color and music, can affect immediately the customer decision because of the connection between the store environment, the quality and the image of the product.

The characteristics of the environment influence the customer’s decision, since consumption is the impulse related to the symbolic value of the product.

Stores should be welcoming places to enable the best impact between the customer and the product. The window can be consider the most important visual element to stores, but strategies should be built to enable an interaction between the window and the internal environment of the store, creating concepts that helps the understanding of the brand’s image for consumers.

Windows awake sensibility, providing the consumer's sense of pleasure, encouraging him to buy and causing him to reflect about the values presented.

Click here to watch a video by Nike.

Every brand or store should invest and work its concept according to the company policies, but without forgetting that the best customer’s memories are emotional. That’s why is necessary to make the product, brand and store accessible to them, to make it an experience marked in their memory.

images source: Pinterest

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Luísa by Luísa

Brazilian, Rio de Janeiro, 20 years old and not very good with self descriptions.

I’m a Fashion Design student, but what few people know is that it wasn’t really planned. I’ve always liked the idea of producing concerts, runaway shows and big events, but I didn’t know which path would take me there.

I thought about doing Marketing as a major. Actually, I applied for this in some colleges in Rio, but I also decided to risk with Fashion. And that’s what happened, in 2013 I got into college and this has given me so many good things today that I do not picture myself in anywhere else.

Since high school I plan to study abroad. Knowing the world, new people, cultures and places has always been very exciting for me. There is something really breathtaking in knowing a place at the same time that it knows you.

Coming to SCAD was literally seeing a dream coming true. Living this new phase of my life is a new surprise every day. It is an entirely new experience for my personal and professional life and I feel that this experience is making me find out a little bit more about myself.