Store Design - Getting It Right

There are numerous contending theories about how in-store design should work. In a country where people study fashion at university you are bound to have many opposing opinions, not only about the actual designing of a store or house or clothing, but on a deeper level as well. Students and professors spend countless hours discussing and debating the meaning of art and beauty. They wrestle with topics that have been discussed by philosophers and thinkers of the highest caliber for centuries..

The debate over the meaning and relevance of art and creativity will go on, perhaps forever. But for people in the industry this is not just ideal speculation, it's how we make a living. After many years working for fashion shows, clothing stores (what I write most often about,) and interior design, I will share a few points that are relevant across the board in the sense that you can apply their principles to anything in your life that has to do with design and perhaps even more.

I will discuss three mistakes that I have seen in my career, one for each of the three categories I mentioned above, and walk you through the problems and more importantly the solutions.

1) I'll call this example from a fashion show in New York; "too much contrast" there was a designer at the show who had his modals were his new line of swimsuits. They walked down the aisle hips rolling and all, and I thought his style intruding. The problem was that at the entrance were the modals would come out to go to the catwalk; there were six or seven mannequins. They were wearing massive fur coats. I understand that the designer was aiming at contrast buy it was overkill. If he wasted to bring contrast he should have had the mannequins wearing vintage bathing suites which would highlight the modernity of the modern swimsuits the he was showing.

2) Regarding clothing stores, the situation is simpler. Your store display mannequins have to look like the people who you are trying to sell too. If you have seductively posed mannequins in a children's store... I'm sure you get the point.

3) Regarding interior design; it's not about specific pieces of furniture it's about how they go together. You have to maintain a theme in order for specific furniture pieces not to "poke you in the eye"

The conclusion and what I hope you walk away with from this article is that you have to see the full picture of any project that you are going to do before you do it. Don't get distracted with particular thing if it through the whole picture out of focus.

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