Five Ways to Increase Your Brand's Visual Impact

People always ask me how to create fabulous displays...
but the truth is, your visual impact as a business
starts BEFORE you ever put products in your store.

When I work with clients to design their retail environments and displays,

I start with this principle: ‘Tell Your Own Story’ in all visual communications.

Make your brand a consistent expression of your business’ individual mission, purpose, style, and products or services – and then leverage that brand by using it in every visual medium at your disposal. This is the main opportunity for you to show your potential customers why YOU are different than others – be proud of your individuality and build on it.

Let me explain that concept this way: Have you ever tasted a Cabernet wine?

If you were to taste one each from Walla Walla, Yakima, Horse Heaven Hills, Indian Wells – all regions in the Eastern half of Washington state – you’d find that not all Cabernets are created equally. The vineyards each have distinct variations in soil content, rainfall, sun exposure, and other conditions, which cause the vines to grow grapes that have vastly different sugar and acid levels, affecting their taste (‘palate’). When harvested and fermented, those variances result in wine that is unique to that grape varietal in that particular location – a Cabernet from Walla Walla is not like a Cabernet from Yakima, or Italy, or France, or Napa, or anywhere else. Your business is not like any other – no matter what you sell, you’re unique because of all of the distinct variations and characteristics that make up your business.

In the wine industry, this concept is called ’Terrior’ (Tehr WAH) – loosely translated, it means ‘Pride of Place’. Or, ‘I’m a proud product of where I come from’. Wineries utilize this concept in the marketing and positioning of their businesses within the industry and to the consumer, by capitalizing on the uniqueness of their terrior. They combine their location, history, resources, processes, mission, and ultimately their product, to create a brand identity that Tells Their Own Story. It’s much the same concept as selling designer jeans or mineral makeup or floral design services – your competition is selling the same basic thing, and it’s your brand image that talks. Be a proud product of ‘where you come from’!

continue reading for steps you can take to implement this information...

NEW 'Specialty Shop Retailing' Book

the 4th edition of the book Specialty Shop Retailing released last month,

with this revised and expanded edition offering an in-depth education for any retailer.

aimed at stores offering a specific product mix to a targeted niche demographic, 

the wealth of information within the pages will be of help to every retailer - 

from those who've grown up to take over a venerable family business 

to the entrepreneurial generation striking out to make their own mark.

whether you've been at it for years, or are just starting out, 

this book WILL help you - so get your hands on it and read it cover to cover!

I've spent a lifetime providing visual merchandising services to specialty retailers large and small - 

wineries, hotel gift shops, scrapbooking stores, local yarn shops, and finally,

the highly niche-dependent Walt Disney Corporation.

as i have learned through hands-on experience and through success and failure,

this kind of retail is not the same as 'we offer it all' department or big box stores, 

and this book provides an educational resource for attaining success in your specialty niche.

I highly recommend it!

author Carol Schroeder and I have been speakers at the same retail industry events for decades.

we have concurrently contributed to many of the same retail resources, 

including a killer visual merchandising Pinterest board ;) 

I am honored that she asked for a contribution from me for this book...

Carol included this photo of one of my displays for a winery on page 171,

in the 'Visual Merchandising: Displays That Sell' chapter:

I agree with Carol that this display works well as an example of cross-merchandising,

from the juxtaposition of products, textures, and shapes to the 'lifestyle' presentation style.

a 'vignette' of furniture and decorative accessories - linens, pottery, and floral elements - 

adds visual interest to the massed shelving of product (wine) accessible to shoppers,

and inspires customers to buy more than just wine...

which is the main reason to use this style of display:

offer more than expected to entice customers to increase their purchases.

click to see more of my winery displays in my portfolio

the book is available through major retailers - but let's go with the spirit of it,

and order/purchase from small specialty retailers!
Carol sells the book at her own store, Orange Tree Imports, 

and online at IndieBound.org and SpecialtyShopRetailing.com 

Hey, Vendors - What's Your Sign?

I have a pet peeve when it comes to the vintage world...
It affects me when I am photographing a show.

It affects me when I am looking for a particular booth.
I see it affecting customers as they shop, and I wonder how many vendors / curators DON'T see it.

But then.... my pet peeve is something that ISN'T seen:

It's missing signage.

Sadly, the lack of a sign in a booth is a very common mistake.

At every show I attend (and that's a LOT), I see several booths without signage.
In photos shared on social media - by shows and even the vendors themselves! - I see it every day.
There have been times I'd love to have contacted the vendor who created such a lovely display, 

but I have no idea who it IS  - because they didn't make a sign with their name on it for their booth.

To quote Nancy Kerrigan, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???
Why on Earth would anyone go to all of the trouble of having a booth in a show

and then NOT put their name on a sign in that booth?!

It defies logic. 

Especially when there are more easy ways to create a sign than I can count.

There are difficult ways, too, and that's fine... just make one, for heavens' sake!
Put that baby on your booth wall, hang it from your pop up, stick it on the front of your cash stand!

Here are some incredibly amazing signs that I saw on my recent trip to 

The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair,

where some of the best vendors / curators in the vintage biz show off their stuff.
Yes, there are still people there who didn't have signs....

but THIS is how the PROs do it: 

Though all of the signs above are neutral in color, they have incredible visual impact.
From scale and lighting, to unique materials and simple construction,

you NOTICE the name of the vendor/curator in the booth as soon as you look at it.

Details:
Lisa Souers gathered up all kinds of letters and mounted them to old boards.
Junk Hunks revived marquee letters and lit them with patio lights.
Farm Salvation and FOUND painted on old glass windows.
Storehouse Goods painted on a rusty old windmill part.
Home Sweet Home painted on simple chalkboard panels.
Atelier de Campagne had a scrap of metal laser-cut.

The signs in this image all have color in common, running the gamut of the rainbow

while also presenting the brand of the business in visual form. 
As individual as the people who made them, they speak before customers are even IN the booth.

Details:
The Urban Gardener simply painted her biz name over a thrifted framed painting.
American Country Charm ironed letters onto children's denim overalls.
Marigold Vintage used a children's chalkboard.
Apron Strings used a cabinet door. Unexpected Necessities used a headboard.

This Old House painted on old wood planks.
Tailfeathers used blocks painted with letters, topped with birds.

This is basic marketing, folks... just like biz cards and social media accounts,

you need signage in your booth at a show, and in a store. 

Help customers find & remember you!
Help show hosts, photographers, writers promote you through sharing!

So.... to recap, you can use these items to make a sign:

framed paintings . chalkboards . children's clothing items . cutout wood letters . old wood boards

headboards . cabinet doors . old windows . old window screens . an old windmill tail

laser-cut metal scraps . salvaged sign lettering . salvaged marquee letters . salvaged ANYTHING

fabric . paper . posterboard . cardboard . paint . stickers . felt pens . pencils . crayons

here's some of the signage I created for my past vintage business:

 small signs on the cash counter and on the register    .   a flag flying over the booth

 a headboard made into a sign, attached to the fence outside my barn where my shows were held

decals applied to canvas panels that created sides of the booth

a painted kitchen cabinet door that hung from the tent frame

It wasn't hard to make those signs, and I used them for years.

Do YOU have a clever, creative sign for your vintage business?
Share a photo of it on my facebook page!

5 Business Tips for Creatives

Let's Talk Shop@, shall we?

I usually give you advice about the visual aspects 

of your store, show booth, showroom, studio, and displays.

But National Small Business Week is coming up, 

and I'd like to look at the 'business side' of retailing for a moment

as I share a few tips that I've learned along this crazy 'self employed' road.
These won't be the typical ones that you read in magazines, 

because I'm not a typical business person.

I'm a creative person - and that's how my business has grown: Creatively. Organically. 

And while my growth has always been focused on the central aspect of 

educating & inspiring people to think creatively when it comes to their stores, 

it hasn't all gone 'according to plan'.  Mine or anyone else's.

I spent my teen years and early adulthood as a retail visual merchandising employee,
where most of my employers saw my potential and gave me carte blanche with displays.
(One clothing chain even hired me to dress windows in three mall stores - when I was 17.)
With a lot of initiative and energy, I pitched more and more projects,

and eventually ended up handling the visuals and holiday decor for some major Seattle retailers,
along with holiday decor for executive residences.
Independent retailers contacted me to style their store displays,
and help plan their move into new locales or expansions of their existing spaces.
I blogged here, sharing my tips, tricks, and ideas with retailers looking for ideas.
And I was perfectly happy doing that. Until....

.

Out of the blue, I stumbled across the opportunity to speak at a wholesale gift show, 

then that grew into speaking at other shows across the country.

Which turned into requests for written content for publications in the retail industry

and invitations to speak at other kinds of shows and conventions,
and a contract to produce a video series.
Eventually, opportunity led me to become an employee again, for a time - 

for the ONE giant retailer that I built my own visual philosophy around

and had used as a benchmark of successful retail practices throughout my career.

I didn't see most of that coming, to be honest, but I am thrilled that it all happened!

Which leads me to my first point: 

You can't plan for everything that will happen. And that's GOOD!

1.
Say Yes - whenever you can, try something new.

Unexpected opportunities may appear that are something you didn't plan for - SAY YES to them.
I was perfectly content to provide hands-on display styling services to my local clients,
when an opportunity to design a new floor plan for a client's shop came along. I said yes.
Then the speaking engagements appeared, and I said yes.
Then the requests for magazine and online content came in, and I said yes.
Then a company approached me about creating a video series, and I said yes.
I made time, I made an effort, I rearranged some other things, 

and I followed the path of adventure and risk.
And it paid off  - 

by making me a better designer, a stronger business owner, and a less risk-averse person.
Dare I say it makes me a more creative-thinking person, as well? ;)

... and in regard to that 'becoming an employee again' situation:

2.
Don't Be Afraid to Circle Back - because you can't step in the same river twice.

(Yes, there's a pun in there. If you've read my blog for any length of time, 

you know that I am an unabashed Disney fan. That line is from Pocahontas.)

My point is that even if you shift into reverse and go back to doing something that you did before,

downsize your biz to focus on the basics, or even stop for a while and become an employee again
(as I did when I became a Retail Visual Specialist employee/ Cast Member at Disneyland),

you're going to learn something new. 

Even if you're in an old place. Because everything changes:

YOU. Business. Technology. The world.
And what you learn looking back might just be the thing that propels you forward.

One of the hardest things about business is adding new clients & customers.
Help yourself in that area by showing them how to become one:

3.

Tell Prospective Clients HOW to Hire You - explain your process and give them a formula to follow.

Communication is hard. It shouldn't be, but it is.
It takes guts for a potential client to contact you, so make it as easy as possible for them to do so.
Tell them where to contact you, and give them an outline of the information you need at the get-go, 

somewhere very visible & accessible on your website, blog, and social media.

I created a page on my design blog and website in the form of an email 'example', 

showing prospective clients exactly how they could jump-start my work on their project

by giving me pertinent information about their biz, their challenges, 

along with how & when they need me to help them... in their very first email to me.
I call it 'How to Hire Me #101'. See it here.

I've received  40% more inquiries and requests for work since adding that information,

telling me that spelling it out really does add up.

Next up... realize that you're gonna' need help.

Not one single person who's ever opened a business knew EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING

at the start. You don't even know what you don't know yet. 

4.

Never Stop Learning - because you don't know what you don't know yet.

Many artisans create beautiful wares, but have no idea how to best display them to sell.
Many retailers open stores to sell merchandise - but have no idea how to market themselves.
Get online and find information about marketing and merchandising and store planning
(or whatever it is that you don't know much about) and learn what you can.
As a matter of fact, assign yourself homework -
pick up / download books on business - all kinds of business, not just yours -
and keep reading. Keep learning. Keep stretching yourself.

You can also hire a consultant for an hour, to answer your most nagging questions. 

I do this all the time - you don't have to hire me to completely design your space. 

Hire me for an hour and then ask me questions like "Where do I put the register?".

I'll not only show you where, I'll tell you WHY. ;)

... and along that same thought, don't do everything the hard way!

5.

Know Your Strengths - and get tools to help you overcome your weaknesses.

. 

No one is good at everything... and there are solutions for that.
Sometimes, the solution is to LET IT GO and let someone else handle it for you.
(that's not a Disney reference, it just sounds like one)

Is your weakness negotiating a lease? Call a realtor and ask a few questions to clarify,
or pay a paralegal for an hour to review the lease before you sign.
Do you feel out of touch when it comes to social marketing? Ask your employees - 

especially the Gen X and Y crowd, because they GET IT - and hand over the task.
Is your challenge presenting your merchandise in stunning displays THAT SELL?
Well, you know who to ask - and now you know HOW to hire me!
,
I'm a creative-brain person, and numbers put me in a tailspin. I accept this.
You can't run a business without accounting,
and there's no better resource for that than Quickbooks from Intuit.
It's the software equivalent to being a Mensa society member,
and it's saved my sanity - and TONS of time - for many years.
_________________________

Disclosure: I've partnered with Intuit to share this information
in return for inclusion of one of my tips in their site's NSBW post.

Update: May 5
I just received the link and graphic from them. Their post published today.
It's the last day of NSBW AND they got my name wrong. Not thrilled.
__________________________

Owning your own business is a continual learning experience.

As a matter of fact, self-owned businesses are often referred to as a 'baby', 

and it is indeed a LOT like parenthood: a learn-on-the-job undertaking.
And just like parenthood, it requires that you get advice, 

read all you can and sift through what 'fits', 

understand that it requires sacrifice and sustained effort with little sleep,

taking chances & risks, trusting your gut, and focusing on growth - YOURS included!

Visit the SBA website for helpful tools + information about National Small Business Week