What the professionals look for when they're composing a successful window
By now, you realize the vast investment retailers make on their visual merchandising teams. Corporate retailers from H&M all the way up to Gucci use the skills of Visual Merchandisers to ensure their stores are looking their best, but also setup to maximize sales. So what do these teams of people do? And why are there so many of them? One major thing all VM’s are trained to look at while working in stores are the windows, and here’s what they look at —
Balance & composition - Is your color and print balanced on each side of the window? Are the mannequins centered to the window or the display behind? Does the display look evenly placed? All these things relate back to the composition of the window. If looking at your window like a canvas and the window frame like the picture frame, does it read beautifully? Does it look balanced and compositionally pleasing? If not, it might need some adjustments.
Lighting - What good is a great composition if you can’t actually see it? You need to have great overall lighting but also directed lighting on the product to really highlight it. Additionally, on many sunny days (hello Southern California), the glare can make it nearly impossible to see the window so invest in some awnings whenever possible, or really great lighting.
Mannequin positioning - The way mannequins are placed together in the window is always intentional. Whether they’re all straight on like a mannequin army, or facing one another like they’re involved in a conversation, it will always be planned. Typically the mannequin poses dictate the positioning, as mannequins all in the same position really can’t look engaged.
Corresponding outfits - When we select outfits for the mannequins to wear, we want them to look like they’re “heading to the same party.” In other words, we want them to look like they are outfitted in looks that are all of the same dressiness. We wouldn’t want to have one mannequin in a ball gown and the other in a pair of jeans, so pick looks that tie together accordingly and decide where they’re heading, whether its a weekend brunch or a black tie gala, choosing an event will make it much easier to choose the outfits.
Print & pattern - Print and pattern is so helpful for drawing the eye in. You’ll definitely want to use it throughout your window to add interest and ensure people notice your windows.
Color - You want to make sure that the mannequin outfits all correspond together in a color palette to ensure they create a nice balance and composition. You’ll also want to pay attention to the other elements of your window when selecting colors. You don't want a mannequin dressed in head to toe red in front of a red background, and you wouldn’t want a white dress on a white mannequin. Make sure you pay attention to all the color in the window to ensure it all ties together nicely.
Accessories & accessory placement - Don’t forget your accessories! Accessories can be one of the easiest ways to add-on to a sale and its so important to make sure you are placing yours in your window in a place where they can be seen. Add them on to your mannequin outfits to make them look strong and make sure you’re using them appropriately (see point 4).