7 minute read
Technological University Dublin, Student profiles
Student: Sarah Geraghty
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Tell us what attracted you to VM and why you decided to enrol in a VM course? I think there’s something about the challenge of drawing a customer in, can I make this person buy this product? Even if its hideous? I was initially drawn towards fine art but after researching courses in VM, I immediately fell in love. Although they are very different fields of study, I am focused on finding a way to incorporate aspects of both and I’d like to think my work stands out by doing so. I love styling myself, so I thought why not make a career out of styling a brands product!
Digital marketing can be seen as being increasingly more important than traditional visual merchandising. Do you find VM to be still relevant to the future of retail? Online shopping is becoming increasingly more convenient, but it doesn’t compare to the experience of shopping in real life. The atmosphere of shopping in store is so important, we don’t get that same experience online. This is what we as VMs have to consider, especially during these strange times where consumers have opted to online shopping as the go to. The future of retail is in our hands more so now than ever.
Now that your coming to the end of your studies, what did you find the most valuable to learn regarding VM? Something you will always remember and want to share with others. As I’m only finishing my first year of my Visual Merchandising degree, I still have a whole lot to learn. I definitely gained a better relationship regarding group work though this year. Being in a “I only work well alone” mentality as a VM doesn’t work well. Working in a team has so many benefits and sharing different ideas and creative mindsets can make something so beautiful. I think bouncing ideas off each other and adding touches to someone else’s idea works better than being intransigent in these situations.
What are your plans after graduating and how would you like to use your VM skills? I’m so excited for my journey after college but really think I’m going to miss it. I’d love to be a photo shoot stylist or work in designing exhibitions. I have so much ahead of me that I’m excited for.
Please tell us a bit about a project What was the brief for this project? ‘You will research current and coming colour trends for Spring/Summer 2020 using trend forecasting websites WGSN and Pantone. Using this research and further research on lighting you will design and make a light/lamp. This 3D piece will be showcased in a homeware window, using complimentary homeware products. The target market is a young couple starting out in their first apartment. They like contemporary styling and are very image conscious.’
What was your thought process behind your solution? I wanted to make something original, and I wanted to use mesh as I had a lot of that material lying around. I went with the idea of creating lights that looked like pillows and hung them as if they were falling onto a bed. I also really wanted to design a room that showed transparency. What young couple’s bedroom looks perfect? This window was fun as I really let my imagination run wild, messy, frisky visuals that will definitely catch your eye.
What did you enjoy most about the project? The whole idea of creating a window that was intended to look a bit messy and imperfect was scary to me, but exciting. I really stepped out of my comfort zone as this course has thought me to be a bit of a perfectionist.
What was the most challenging part of the project? I kept thinking the window didn’t look professional, who wants to look at a messy bedroom, is this a bit out there? Yes it was a bit out there but isn’t that a good thing in VM? We want to catch someone’s eye, we don’t want to see the same recycled windows and we might as-well have some fun! I think this project thought me to believe in my ideas and not compare my ideas/designs to others.
Student: Hao Xin
Tell us what attracted you to VM and why you decided to enrol in a VM course? I have studied interior design courses before, and I think VM courses and interior design are similar in some aspects. I wanted to put my knowledge of interior design into use, so I chose the VM course. Digital marketing can be seen as a being increasingly more important than traditional visual merchandising.
Do you find VM to be still relevant to the future of retail? With the advancement of technology, people may be more inclined to online shopping in the future. I think our future VM design should tend to build a network display platform for retailers.
Now that you are coming to the end of your studies, what did you find most valuable to learn regarding VM? Something you will always remember and want to share with others. Through the VM course, I think the most valuable knowledge is how to work with team members, use limited space reasonably to show the best side of the product and before designing, we must first understand the needs of the user group.
What are your plans after graduating and how would you like to use your VM skills? After graduating, I hope to engage in the construction of some user interaction platforms in online stores. I will use the VM skills I have learned to integrate with VR technology so that customers can enjoy the process of shopping without going out. Just like I want to try to port some stores’ VMs to online stores. Of course, it is just a hypothesis.
We are proud to publish your work in the BDS VM Spotlight. Please tell us a bit about a project. This is the final homework of my second year of undergraduate. Due to the epidemic, I can only present it in the form of concept pictures.
What was the brief for the project? This is a showcase I made for a retail store. Most of the materials are recycled materials. Its outer and inner gift box structure will be made of recycled cardboard. The semi-circle inlaid on the wall will use recycled foam balls.
What was your thought process behind your solution? My plan is mainly based on the pictures that some designers post on social media. Of course, not all of them are window designs. For example, the external gift box-like scheme comes from the inspiration of a gift box pavilion. The semicircle inlaid on the wall comes from a design that is a regular combination of semicircles in different colors. These are some of my main sources of inspiration. As for the inner gift box around the mannequin, I want to use an innovation in the form of an inner and outer gift box, and also to echo the structure of the outer gift box.
What did you enjoy most about the project? My favorite is the semicircle inlaid on the wall in this scheme. Because, I was here to test the effect of this arrangement. I drew a two-dimensional painting similar to the current wall. In the process, I tried various circles of different sizes, and also tried combinations of circles of different colors. In the end, I chose a scheme I was more satisfied with and presented it in my window design. This process of constantly trying, exploring, and researching became my favorite reason for this part.
What was the most challenging part of the project? I think the most challenging part is still in the initial exploration stage of the project, such as how to choose recyclable materials, how to find these materials smoothly, and how to ensure the quality of these materials. These processes of exploration are often more difficult than the process of thinking about solutions. Moreover, once in the process some key materials are of poor quality. I will be forced to think about other feasible options. In this process, it will bring me a certain sense of frustration. I think it is my biggest challenge to overcome all this and work hard to complete the project.
