Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Dear ppeck123,

As with interior design, visual merchandising relies on:

1. signatures: unique and bold elements or pieces of furniture at odd angles;

2. accents: gold trim on the rims of Champagne flutes or fine China;

3. contexts: Louis XIV or French country kitchen;

4. and juxtapositions: new with old, or large with small, or spiky against smooth.

The other key elements are shadows and lit areas, layers, vistas, and portals.

A. Shadows create mystery and intrigue, lit areas create focus;

B. layers create elements to be peeled away and viewed through;

C. vistas give direction and focus,

D. while portals suggest spaces beyond the current space, much like a glimpse through an arched doorway into a hidden courtyard or garden.

Colours that suggest luxury include gold, burgundy, eggplant, sumptuous deep shades of amber, deep reds, dark greens, blues, and purples (think of the colours worn by a cardinal or a bishop).

Then there are smells, textures, and sound: cinnamon, apple, lemon. Smooth, soft, rough, sparkling, the sound of flowing water, chanting, bird song and so on and making spaces appear larger or smaller with mirrors, draped fabric, and lighting.

Think where you want to focus people's attention, where you want to direct them, and the feelings or impressions you want to impress upon them.

Wander around in stores similar (or completely different) to the one you'll be working in and make mental notes about what works and what doesn't.

Think what you want people to see and what you want to make invisible. One trick I've used to achieve the letter is to use pieces of mirrored Plexi glass (shatterproof) to make the bottoms (or the tops) of walls vanish, thereby giving the impression that a wall is floating above the floor, or that it stops shy of the ceiling. It's a movie and theatre trick. It works like magic.

Colour resources:

blog.devinecolor.com/article/5/the-color-of-luxury -

https://www.avivadirectory.com/color/

Color symbolism and psychology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_symbolism_and_psychology

For on-line classes to improve your ability try these resources:

www.worldwidelearn.com/.../fashion-visual-merchandising.html

www.design-schools-directory.com/visual-merchandiser-training.htm -

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA