Vmjournal by Jeni Carmichael

Visual Communications Trend Journal

By: Jeni Carmichael

9.16.13

How wonderful yellow is.

It stands for the sun. -Van Gogh

When consumers are walking down a street lined with shops, it is each stores job to grab the consumers attention. Color is a key component that can influence a consumers choice on whether to go in or not. In this case, Salvatore Ferragamoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s window display is all white and yellow. When I think of yellow, I think of the sunshine, the summer, lemonade and being happy. His choice in using this color may brighten someones gloomy day. He also used white as a contrasting color which also draws attention to his shop. Beyond his ability to command attention, he has also able to create an emotional affect on his customers and portray a meaning about the goods his store offers. Yellow is a color used to evoke feelings of excitement! It is important to create a visual display that not only draws attention and creates emotion, but that is also visually appealing and interesting to look at. Using one color can be extremely difficult when considering balance and harmony with other objects. I think Salvatore used the right products and the right backdrops to make each object pop out. It is very difficult to put a yellow pair of shoes in front of a backdrop of the same color and still make them contrast, but in this case the background textile has texture. The texture behind the smooth shoe makes your eye differentiate them. Another thing he did right was put the light camo dress against a white background. Although the dress has white and blends in a bit, your eye is really attracted to the pattern on the dress. If the dress were a solid color then it would be the focal point. This display is easy to follow and creatively presented using the simplicity of 2 colors. The balance between the 2 walls and the gap between help your eyes flow through every aspect. It is clear that Salvatore wants you to feel like the sun is in his store.

In visual perception a color is almost never seen as it really is - as it physically is. This fact makes color the most relative medium in art.-Josef Albers 2

9.23.13

Living Mannequins. We often surpass the mannequins wearing the clothes we are drawn to. Mannequins are art, they are statues, and although they are covered up most of the time, their pose, their movement and their content are just as important as the fashion they wear. We look at a dress on a hanger and they don’t affect us like the window display outside or the body they are on. This London Fashion Week, Liberty London in collaboration with make-up artist, Isamaya French created a window display from the concept “fashion monster.” She created unusual textured skins and organic shapes to evoke these characters. The mannequins are displayed in dynamic poses. I think Liberty London did a fantastic job not only displaying their concept, but also creating a piece of art. People stop to look at interesting window displays, things they have never seen before. The cement colored background draws all of the attention to the clothing before the consumers eye reaches the marbled mannequin. The poses and colors used create a visual story. If the mannequins were any other color then the clothes would not look right. The mannequins colors are reflected in the apparel creating an emotion for each character. 4

9.30.13

LACOSTE 80th Anniversary Interactive Window Display during NY Fashion Week 5th Ave flagship windows that showcases the French brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s authentic sporting roots as well as its timeless style and constant innovation. This display is a series of eight snapshots that capture the spirit of each decade of LACOSTEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich heritage and history. The interactive tennis display makes people stop and watch it while absorbing the history of the brand. It shows that the brand is looking into what the future has in store and is constantly looking ahead for new ways to advertise. I think Lacoste did a very smart thing with this display. Lacoste is often a brand that is overlooked by non-fashionistas because they think it is always the same polo. Little do they know the history of Lacoste and how it has developed through the decades. This marketing strategy hit spot on using iconic pieces from the archives set against a backdrop of sports equipment and cultural objects that recall the life and times of each period. On top of the history lesson this display offers, it also has an interactive tennis ball display. It catches the attention of passersby using an infra-red sensor to detect viewers left and right movements. The tennis balls that are suspended over a tennis net, mimic the actions of anyone standing in front of the window. It is really important to engage consumers so they feel welcomed into the store. There is also a polo of the future which is a film clip showcasing the graphic spin on the classic polo. This shows consumers the change and where technology has no limits. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fibers are now intelligent and its sleeves lengthen and shorten at the whim of its owner. The polo of the future reinforces the timeless nature of both the polo and the Lacoste brand.

10.7.13

Molto Missoni: Urquiola Dresses Up Milan Flagship

Patricia Urquiola recently undertook the renovation of the 3,100 square-foot Missoni Flagship in Milan. She joined forces with the creative director, Angela Missoni to develop a bold and innovative interior concept. The women worked wonders together with excellent creative synergy. Urquiola was familiar with the brands trademark multicolor knits and made a memorable use of the signature patterned fabrics in “Big Bags.” Given that the men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and accessories are colorful, it was sure to make a great display. They decided not to make the interior a cool, neutral backdrop against the hot, vivid merchandise in order to make it pop. But instead, they took advantage of the Missoni zigzag striped, and patchwork patterns on its walls, floors, ceilings and fittings. The Missoni language is eclectic and versatile enough to be translated in this manner. This visual direction begins at the windows where vertically folding perforated aluminum panels conjure the zigzag pattern in three dimensions. You enter the store through a box of yellow glass, and columns and partitions are faced in brilliant red, pale blue, or soft gray back-painted glass. This interior provides a lively environment in which the merchandise remains the main event. This masterpiece handles the contrast between the glossy and matte surfaces. The customers eye is drawn to the clothing and accessories although they are not emphasized. Missoni was able to capture exactly what they needed in order to get people in their store and want to stay in the store. The store is like a museum of color and never stops your eye from moving. The warm colors welcome the consumers and invite them to explore. Displayed in an organized, innovative fashion, this is a store that customers won’t forget.

10.14.13

Anthropologie For the Love of Fall

This season, Anthropologie ventured into the woods for inspiration. Instead of looking at the common fall leaves and tress, they dove into the awful weeds we call mushrooms and designed a unique concept around the beauty and colors the humbles mushroom offers. We often overlook this plant however Anthropologie came upon the wide-canopied meadow mushroom, the golden proliferations of honey mushrooms that cover the logs and the black-rimmed ink caps sprouting from the hard wood floor. This inspiration offers a fresh, organic feel to their windows. And little does anyone know, the Mushroom capital of the world, Kennett Square, PA is neighboring Anthropologies home office. Anthropologie did so many great thinks with this conceptual display. They offer a unique piece of art for window shoppers, and an adventure for their loyal consumers. I believe it looks like an enchanted greenhouse which also offers a thought of sustainability. Upon this unique display, every store was different, but all equally as beautiful. The handcrafted quality of the displays reminds the consumer of the great quality of their products. I think by putting just two outfits in the big displays does a lot of the shopper. They grab the colors from the mushrooms and extract them into the outfits. This makes the consumer wonder what else could be in the store, and what other lovely fall colors they will offer. Anthropologie, who is known for their crafty, hipster consumer made the perfect decision to capture the essence of fall. They could have easily skipped to warm sweaters and boots but they embraced the fall weather and proved that all though the temperatures are cooling off, it is never too late for a walk through the woods.

10.21.13

Pedal to the Metal This Minneapolis-based Warehouse District bike shop allows customers to outfit bikes with customizable parts and hosts local community events. The shop decor features re-purposed materials, such as metal, barn wood, and a fence and benches from the schools in the community. This appeals to the individual millennial shoppers which is important to consumers these days. The interior of this shop has the urban, modern feel that draws people in. They have made it look like your workshop in your garage but with a inviting shoe wall and pipeline clothing racks. They really paid attention to detail when decorating and included printed felt sign-age which playful messages that alludes to how hardcore people from Minnesotans are. Previously this retail environment was used to display guitars, these functional metals tracks now display bike frame sets near a consultation desk where the shoppers specify what they want on their bike and are able to watch the bike assembly process take place. They really engage their consumers. The painted black ceiling lends a moody feel to the space and the track lighting highlights the displays. The did a great job with this shop and creating such a small space into a creative environment anyone would enjoy walking through.

10.30.13

John Lewis Zoo Christmas John Lewis has revealed a unique twist for its Christmas window display at its flagship Oxford Street and Peter Jones department stores. They created deer made of Dyson Vacuum cleaners to penguins made from kettles. Using over 7,000 products that are stocked in the store for the season, they created a total of 188 animals. There is a turkey made from a hand, face and bath towels, and a bear fashioned from furniture. They wanted their windows to do more then just inform, they wanted to create displays that would inspire and delight their customers over the holiday months. Without removing products from the innovative display, the incorporated a way to make it fun. The contemporary shapes and materials are central to the scheme and the wonderful animals were designed to appeal to new and existing customers. These displays will be sure to get people talking all the way up to Christmas, and children will love going into the store with their parents. This store will capture everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention and they will enjoy finding the conventional items in the different animals. They were really smart when choosing the products for the animals, because they look are very eye catching. The silverware birds are beautiful. It was also really smart of them to use a lot of red and white. Red and white scream Christmas without getting too gaudy.

11.4.13

Anthropologie Holiday The decor is created of corrugated cardboard in the shape of poinsettia petals in the colors red, green and gold. This is an extrmely innovative holiday display. The design and colors are festive and heartwarming without being overwhelming. The designs are reminiscent of snowflakes and ornaments. They look very intricated and complex which makes consumers want to look closer at the glitter snow and ornaments hanging. From afar the designs look wholesome and inviting. The warm colors and old wood continue the anthropologie aesthetic which is welcoming to new customers and old. The apparel chosen in the windows works well with the color and they blend in. Some of the clothing looks great on the contrasting background. I think these displays will be very benificial to the holiday season.