Page 215 - DMGT552_VISUAL_MERCHANDISING

Visual Merchandising

Notes Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
5. Location of Merchandise within departments can be done in various ways.
6. The front of a section is meant for old arrivals.

7. In floor fixturing light colours come in front, dark ones go behind.
8. Never follow the VIBGYOR.

11.3 Types of Setting

In the presentation of any display, there are some basic approaches that any visual merchandiser
will make to set the scene for the merchandise or the concept to be sold. These approaches can be
summed up as under:
1. Realistic Setting: A realistic setting is essentially the depiction of a room, area, or otherwise
recognisable locale, reinterpreted in the allotted display area, either in the windows or
inside the store. The realistic setting is best controlled and most effective in a fully enclosed
display window. Here, the display person can do a miniature stage setting. He or she can
simulate depth, dimension, use colour, and light with great effect-all viewed, as planned,
from the front, through a large plate-glass window.

!
Caution When realism is the thing, scale is of utmost importance. The display area should
not be weighted down with props or elements so large that the scale of the setting shrinks
by comparison.

A realistic setting requires the careful blending of colour, textures, shapes, and the proper
lighting to keep the background at a proper distance.
At certain times and in certain stores, however, a realistic setting can be most effective.
Some holidays are just right for a true-to life presentation.

Example: On a New Year’s Eve, a gala party is the perfect setting for gala clothes, on
Christmas morning, mannequins wearing assorted ropes and lounge wear might be busily
engaged in unwrapping more of the merchandise.
2. Environmental Setting: This is a merchandise presentation that shows an assortment of
various related items in a setting depicting how and where they may eventually be used.
In this form of realistic setting, the “background” is actually the “foreground” because the
details that make up the realistic set are actually the merchandise being promoted in the
display. Everything on display in this setting is for sale in the store.

Example: A display depicting a corner of a room with a bed, made up with matching
sheets, pillow cases, and comforter; a window with coordinated curtains and drapes; and an area
rug of the appropriate colour and design. A chair near the bed has a robe casually tossed over it,
and there is a pair of slippers on the floor. The setting also includes a bedside table, on which is
an arrangement of frames, boxes, a lamp, and a clock. Everything on display in this setting is for
sale in the store.

3. Semi-Realistic/Vignette Setting: When space and budget do not allow the time or effort
for a fully realistic presentation, the display person may opt for the very popular,

210 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY