Display Design Research
In class, we learned that display design is a vast category and combines a lot of different design skills. I think it is interesting when different specialized designers can work together to create a beautiful piece of work, in this case some type of display.
At my new job as a graphic designer at a marketing firm, I feel like a lot of the things I am learning there are seen in the world of display design. At my firm, we are really adamant about telling a story that our intended audience can relate to and interact with.
Essentially display design is another form of storytelling but with the intention of probably selling a product or giving out information.
The purpose of display design:
· To sell
· To inform
Display Design goes by many names:
· Exhibit Design
· Exhibition Design
· Visual Merchandising
· Retail Design
· Kiosk Design
· Booth Design
· Point of Sale Design
· Point of Purchase Design
I want to try and break down the different forms of display design with at least some imagery so that I can easily determine if there are any significant design differences or perhaps they all play off of one another.
Exhibit / Exhibition Design
When researching about exhibit and exhibition design got a lot of information on how to arrange exhibitions and tips on how to make an exhibition successful. From that, I figured that a lot of the ways to make an exhibition successful would correlate to the promotional aspects of that exhibition. Keeping that in mind, one of the key concepts of exhibition and promotional design is that it is content driven. You are supposed to tell a story with your promotional pieces so that individuals will actually want to experience that story at the museum. Another tip is to create a linear flow, you want your graphics to connect just like the exhibition itself does. Using key elements throughout the signage and brochures is an easy to create this flow and also aids with the storytelling aspect. Another key aspect of exhibition design that can be brought to the promotional side is the idea of keeping a central audience in mind. The promotional pieces for an exhibit for kids would be completely different designs than for an exhibition on a serial killer or something along those lines.
Visual Merchandising / Retail Design
From a Shopify blog about visual merchandising I learned about different elements that make visual merchandising and retail design successful. The blog started off with beginning with your target customer in mind. To be successful, not only should you keep demographic data in mind, but you should look into psychology and behaviors of your audience so that you can understand their lifestyles. This helps to figure out how to layout the store.
They then started to mention sensory branding and how it is the secret to an immersive shopping experience. You have to remember that people have more than one sense to appeal to.
For sight: Using colors for psychological triggers, utilizing lighting, symmetry, balance, and contrast for focus where a customer looks and for how long.
For sound: Apparently, the music you play in your store has an effect on how your customers behave in your store. You can slow people down by playing more mellow music to have people browse.
For touch:Retailers should remember to give customers the ability to try out whatever they are looking to sell.
For smell: Smell is a fast way to the brain’s system that controls emotion and memory so if stores utilize “scent marketing” it will help two prominent factors behind why one brand is chosen over another.
For taste: Obviously this only works if what you are selling can be consumed. Allowing people to sample products before they buy them is very effective because they can decide in that moment if it fit for them or not.
The article has a section about showing but not telling, which kind of relates to the idea of knowing your target audience. You basically want to have product displays that allow individuals to envision the product in their home or wearing it, obviously depending on the product. The example they use is how furniture stores have sales floors where they set up little rooms so that people can see the products in their home. Another example is how retailers require their staff to wear clothes that they’re selling so people can see what they look like in action.
So, on to the next. The rule of thirds is used in a lot in design and photography as a way to make interesting compositions. In visual merchandising, they have the rule of three where they try to work in sets of three when arranging products. This rule helps the eyes moving by creating asymmetry.
I think my favorite part of this article was when they talked about the use of lighting to create mood and to highlight important products or aspects in the store. I enjoyed this because I find it crazy that something as simple as lighting can create a new mood. As I began to think about elements for this project, lighting was on my mind, and because of this article I can use that element in a different and more meaningful way.
Window Displays
Importance
Basically. window displays are the first point of visual contact a customer has with a store so it is a direct way to attract said customers.
Here are some different types of window displays:
Open Window Displays
Closed Window Displays
Island Window Displays
Corner Window Display
Elevated Window Displays
Shadowbox Window Displays
What I notice about all these window displays is that the product is the main focus and is surrounded by supporting elements to cause the consumer to want to learn more (in this case by entering the store).
Point of Sale / Point of Purchase Design
Point of sale design versus point of purchase design
- The goal of both POS and POP is to encourage your customers to impulse buy through specific merchandising.
Point of Sale Displays are located where the customer will pay for their items. They promote products at the exact space where purchases are being made.
Point of Purchase Displays are where customers are educated about the benefits of a product, learn about any special promotions going on, and can view the product at eye level instead of just stacked on shelves. This article I was reading referred to POP displays as cardboard salesmen and I thought that was an effective way to remember its purpose.
Benefits of Effective Point of Purchase Displays
- Catch the customer’s eye
- Supplement your packaging
- Strategically locate your products
- Target impulse buyers
- Making your brand stand out
POP displays are especially helpful to newer brands or companies so that they can educate their possible consumers about their product or overall brand.
Best POP Practices
- Be eye catching and creative
- Use catchy slogans or sayings
- Use unconventional shapes
- Include pictures of the product
- Use bright colors
Kiosk / Booth Design
Elements of successful kiosk design
Simplicity — the best kiosk designs are simple while being engaging and attractive to customers. If the kiosk is too complex, the customer will not want to deal with the hassle.
Consistent graphics, font styles, and layouts — keeping consistency helps to aid the simple factor.
Engage multiple senses of the user — using things like sounds when buttons are clicked engages the user more (similar to the retail design).
Have a clear call to action — as someone who is learning marketing, I am hearing this a lot when I design things. You need something for users to do at the end of retaining information.
Have a specific focus — without this specific focus customers have the protentional to be lost and confused.
Trade Show Booth Design
The main focus on the booth’s design is to have an impact on the person walking down the aisle. It then has to have a compelling experience to the consumer like that of a sales floor. This experience is meant to strengthen the relationship the company has with a consumer entering the booth.
Takeaways from Display Design
What I learned from my research in the world of display design is that you have to always keep the targeted consumer in mind and have to look beyond the basic demographics and look deeper into behavior and psychology. You also should tell a story to your consumer while maintaining simplicity, interactivity, and engagement. I feel like the most valuable thing I learned is the idea of using all five of our senses. With design I typically only think about a visual aspect, but with display design I can branch into how someone can react to sound or smell. Display design is interesting to me because it plays a lot into the marketing I am working in now. It has the same concepts and goals.
21st Century Design
Being that 21stcentury design is happening as we speak, or I guess read, it was hard to find a lot of information on it. So, I decided to look into different trends that have been happening.
Some trends I found are:
3D design and typography
I find this trend fun because 3D is not something I was automatically taught; it is something that I just see often and would love to try myself.
Asymmetrical Layouts
Don’t get me wrong I love the grid, but the use of asymmetry is so much fun, and in the world of display design is a great way to get that eye moving.
Duotones and gradients
I feel like because of the evolution of gradients and gradient tools, like freeform gradient, has allowed for this trend to prosper.
Open Compositions
Basically, these are comps that embrace white space and don’t have a clear hierarchy. The elements are loosely tethered but are not random in placement.
Research of the brand
Brand: Visual Communication Design Program
Goal: To highlight the VCD program while enticing new students to apply to the program or to be excited to start in the program.
Philosophy: Design thinking and research. Creating a style.
Visual Identity:
For VCD, I really want to bring in functionality and slight interaction into our design because I want to highlight how design is not meant to just be there and be pretty. It has a purpose and has extended meaning, which leads into ideas of story-telling.
My group overall has a pretty good sense of what we want to do to embody the VCD program. We all agree on the same ideas that you will see when we present our concepts.
Resources:
https://www.shopify.com/blog/visual-merchandising
https://www.unibox.co.uk/news-inspiration/types-importance-of-window-displays
https://www.creativedisplaysnow.com/whats-difference-point-sale-point-purchase-displays/
https://www.pinterest.com/alexandersut/pop-and-pos-displays/?lp=true
https://99designs.com/blog/trends/graphic-design-trends-2019/
https://www.kioskmarketplace.com/blogs/the-art-and-science-of-successful-kiosk-design/
