Art Show Booth Concept Design

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I recently had the joy of assisting Leah Nadeau, a contemporary artist based in Portland, Oregon, in making a huge leap forward in her career by helping her to design and set up her booth display at the renowned Palm Springs Modernism Show. 

(Yes, I AM still retired! The fact that I am not publicly marketing my services any longer doesn't keep me from stepping up occasionally to assist creatives and small business owners by using the skills that I have honed over more than half a century.)  When this talented artist posted on Instagram that she was in need of help at this show in my area, I volunteered. She graciously accepted - enthusiastically! And together, we created a concept and a plan, then put that plan into action as we met at the Palm Springs Convention Center on setup day before the show opened.

Let me share the design-to-installation process with you, along with some 'adventures' that were had along the way...

Design always begins with a goal.
While any activity involving the purchase of goods has an obvious goal (sales), in this case the main goal was to present the artist's artwork in the best way possible - in a way that reflected not just the style of her art, but what inspires her, what she communicates via her art, and how she wants the viewer to experience her art.  

In addition, this artist did this show to expand the exposure of her art, reaching new clients for the art on display in the booth and to reach more clients who desire custom commissioned work. This meant that her art displayed in her booth had to communicate in various ways to various groups of people... and this show attracts more than 15 thousand people over three days every February, and her efforts would be seen by all of them!

For those who came to purchase art during the show, there needed to be a variety of sizes, color palettes, and types of art available - from canvas & framing options to pricing levels, there had to be choices that would appeal to a span of potential buyers.

For those who came to the show to discover new artists with the goal of having custom commissioned work done later, her display needed to show some variety to grab their interest - and she prepared a GORGEOUS catalog with imagery and information about her commission process. It was one of the best pieces of marketing material that I have EVER seen. One of her friends helped her create it - and that's why we say 'It takes a tribe' to succeed. 

Another aspect of her presence at the show was to gather new contacts for her mailing list and to lead people to her website - where she sells more than just original paintings. She offers glassware, textiles, home & gift goods, and seasonal decor elements featuring her art online, but those weren't allowed to be sold at this show. She brought a few of those items and we used them as 'props' on the table in her booth.

You can see how multi-faceted the design for the booth needed to be to meet these criteria. With those parameters and goals in place, the design process began...

Use Pantone's 2025 Color of the Year 'Mocha Mousse' in Winter Displays

Is the holiday season wearing you out?

Have you got the Winter Woes?

These photos show one effective way to move forward

after the holiday shopping rush has slowed:

incorporate the 'it' color of the new year into your displays. 

The new 'color of the year' for 2025 from Pantone,

'The Color Authority' - is 'Mocha Mousse'. 

Adding this hue to a few displays isn't hard at all - 

and no, you don't have to have NEW product in this color!

continue reading for easy steps you can take...

Vintage Fall Display Inspiration

from 2012 to 2017, i worked with and for Rita Reade,

the proprietor of the creative vintage business Mammabellarte 

and co-founder, along with her sister-in-love, artist Christie Repasy, 
of The Vintage Marketplace vintage show in Southern California.

Rita hired me as her visual designer and stylist

to style all of her beautiful creations into an inspiring booth setting for each show,
as well as doing the same for the entrance to the show as a photo backdrop.

you'll find that many of the techniques & tips used here
are just in time for vendors doing fall shows,
as well as fall store window displays!

continue reading for all of the usable details...

A Blooming Spring Display

One of my former clients was a local vintage / antique show.
Every three months - once per season - this event took over a local park,

filling up with 60+ vendors of vintage and vintage-inspired goods in beautiful booths, 

and drawing crowds of thousands of people over two days.

And lucky me, not only did I get to SHOP the show each season, 

but I was let loose to create a fun, fanciful, and enticing entry display!

The goal was to create an area that welcomes guests / shoppers, 

reflects the seasonal theme of the show,

and provides an opportunity for guests to snap photos of themselves & friends

as souvenirs of their happy day.
They also happen to share those photos on social media, which helps to promote the event!

In January, the spring show planning began. In February, the show producer and I 

spent a day creating huge flowers from paper for the display at the entrance to the show.

continue reading to see more...

Back To School Windows

The calendar (and the weather!) may still be saying 'summer', 

but fall is on the way....

bringing hordes of 'back to school' shoppers out of the pool and into stores.

It's time to catch their eye with some FUN window displays!

At the resale store where I created visuals with a dynamo named Debby, 

we created two distinct stories in the two front windows:

One geared toward kids, and the other toward teens.

continue reading to see the details and learn why they work...

Going Green in 2017

Your Color of the Year for 2017:
Pantone 15-0343 'Greenery', 

described as a “yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring"

by Pantone Color Institute Director Leatrice Eiseman.

Pantone calls Greenery “Nature’s neutral”—

a hue more prominently worn during spring and summer, 

but one they encourage people to wear and use in decor as a statement color year round.

Greenery calls to mind the ‘re-’ words: 

refresh, revive, restore, renew, replenish, regenerate, rejuvenate, reinvigorate. 

It's reflective of nature, the environment, and living healthy lives.

It's fresh and crisp, denoting cleanliness and energy.

And it's a color that pairs well with almost every other shade on the color spectrum.

I've often created displays around a green palette in the past...

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As shown in these photos,
I find that green can range from a neutral to a vibrant POP of color

dependent upon the way you use it in displays.

To draw in customers who have a yen for the newest trend,

create at least one window display in green hues.

To feature new merchandise inside your store, 

create a backdrop / 'set' in green tones that will draw the eye - 

and simply rotate new stock into that 'set' to make new displays simple.

find inspiration for window displays using the color green here

Sharyn's Artful Makeover

Over the summer I worked with professional artist Sharyn Sowell

to completely re-design her art studio.

It was a fun (and exhausting!) whirlwind week of work,

where I was able to teach Sharyn some tricks of space design

and organizational concepts that really freed up her space and time in the long run.

we started by emptying her studio and leaving only furniture & fixtures...

 we evaluated what worked, what didn't, and what was needed
for her studio to express her brand image and work more efficiently for her.
then we painted the walls new vibrant colors to warm up the space.

and then we went SHOPPING!

 we hit the local thrift shops, a friend's house, a local salvage yard, 
and even found a pile of old drawers on the side of the road! 

we went to a local vintage market and found the red paper rack, 
and found a galvanized metal cart at a local shop.

 after some painting and cleaning, the new furniture went into the studio
- along with some of the old furniture in new locations! -
and we created 'zones' for the different activities that Sharyn undertakes in her studio.

supplies were loaded into each zone -
some stored in an old locker, some in the drawers we found, some in crates, 
and then there's that killer stack of suitcases hiding all kinds of creative goodies!

THEN the really fun part started: the decorating!

my goal for Sharyn was to get her art OUT of those flat files and onto the walls!
she had years and years worth of beautiful work hidden away, 
so I pulled it out and put it all over the studio...

from little vignettes on windowsills and shelves

  to small wall collages above the flat files (featuring her art plus 3-D objects)

 to the HUGE collage mural that I created near her beloved printing press:

the background is made up of huge posters of Sharyn's art,
formerly used at gift & stationery trade shows.
over that, I layered some original pieces from her files,
along with cutouts and 3-D objects  like tissue paper flowers, vintage millinery & jewelry.

it's a visual reference of all of the many styles that Sharyn loves
and has brought to life over the many years of her professional career.

{ i did the large collage while she was in the house, and when she came back out, 
she literally gasped. i've never been so thrilled by a client's reaction! }

this 'phase one' of the project set into motion a creative flood of ideas

and Sharyn continued refining the space more and more after I left.
she's happy with the changes and the way her creative space functions now,

and I'm thrilled that I was able to help her see the possibilities!

Sharyn is sharing the process and her own photos over on her studio blog:
artful makeover part 1 and artful makeover part 2

photos by Debi Ward Kennedy + Sharyn Sowell

UPDATE:
Sharyn's studio makeover appeared in a story in the Winter issue of Where Women Create Magazine, in November, 2017!

click on this sentence to learn more about how I can help YOU re-create your space - 

from retail stores and show booths to art studios and classrooms! 

Brand Impact: Daisy*Shoppe

I discovered a charming little shop this weekend,

and it perfectly illustrates the concept of 'surround your customers with your brand':
Meet Daisy Shoppe!

 From the store logo on bags, signage, and even tee shirts

to the color palette threaded like ribbon through the store space,

this place is one of the best at telling their own story:
They are happy, and fun, and sweet, and pretty, and sparkly, and PINK.

(and black and white and gray and ivory and a few other pastels)

...and they can help YOU be happy, fun, sweet, pretty, sparkly, and pink, too!

The entry display is currently themed for Valentine's Day,

featuring large and small products from tableware to underwear

that would be a perfect gift for a girl you love... 

all in one very visible spot to make shopping easy.

 the centerpiece of the display is a vintage plastic typewriter painted soft pink,

with a graphic image that - once again - tells the story.

 Merchandise displays are clean, crisp, layered, inviting, and colorful:
They cross-merchandise product according to color and theme,
racks are filled in groups of color which all makes shopping for your faves easy.

The overall effect of this space is pleasing to the eye and the spirit...

the store was busy and yet everyone was calm, enjoying the environment, 

browsing, and filling their arms with items to purchase.

The cashwrap is simply a fab piece of furniture cabinetry, 

painted hot pink so as to be impossible to miss no matter where you are in the store.

Behind it, a gallery wall of art and quotes shares the philosophy and style

of a store that is unabashedly feminine.
Merchandise is tucked into side shelves and on the counter,

making impulse buys nearly impossible to resist.

The window displays are what initially caught my eye...

Simple paper hearts hang from lace ribbons. Mannequins in pink, white, and red apparel.
Nothing gimmicky, nothing expensive - but they caught my attention and made me go in!

I applaud the owner & staff of these three stores 

for the excellence in presentation they have achieved!

These are all very simple 'do-able' ideas that any store can use to improve their visual impact.

It doesn't matter what you sell or what your brand is, or what color palette you use...

just know what story you want to tell your customers  

and tell it well through every choice you make.

Though the staff was very kind in letting me take a few pics,

I was trying not to annoy them by snapping a ton of photos.
There are a few resources online so that you can see MORE

of what I find to be perfect branding, visual impact, and retail store appeal.
 
Visit Daisy*Shoppe online

View a video tour of a Daisy*Shoppe store here

and hear a little about their history and philosophy.

View more photos of displays inside Daisy*Shoppe stores:
parenting OC magazine
(scroll down to see the 2015 retail awards 'best boutique for mom' winner)
cute & yummy blog
images on google

...and after you look at all that, ask yourself
'How can I make MY store look that pulled together?'
If you can't answer that, send me an email. I can help you!

On Display: Regional Style

 My current article in the Winter Issue of Gift Shop Magazine

is titled 'Let California Inspire Your Retail Displays', 

and focuses on how to bring a regional influence into your store...

even if you're not in California.

That photo above is an example of this principle in action.
Taking elements of the outdoors found in National Parks,

this shop has created a display that immediately translates that theme.

The large canoe hanging overhead is your first clue :)
and then you take in the rustic woodsy-ness of the ceiling and shelving.
The green tone of the legs on the nested tables plays into the forest, as well.

Stepping closer, you can see the elements that bring more regional flavor:
a small faux pine tree, packaged seedling sequoia trees for sale
(those are the tan cylinders in the rear left-side cabinet),
keychains with national park logos (in the front left-side cabinet)
and small blue cans that hold poppy seeds... the California State flower.

Apparel products include a fun felt 'ranger hat' and tee shirts (both short and long sleeved)
and sweatshirts - all with Smokey the Bear and California logos.

This is enough to flesh out the theme... but there's more to this display.
Click 'Read More' to find out what it is and WHY it works!
 

Picture That!

Yesterday I snapped photos of a few displays at the Rogers Gardens Gallery shop,

 because this idea is a really simple and inexpensive way to elevate your displays...

remove the 'stock photo' insert in the frames you are selling, 

and replace that piece of paper with another!

More Ideas after the Jump...

Displaying Jewelry

This Cartier window display is an exercise in restrained elegance....

it is simple, crisp, clear, clean, and precise.

And, forgive me, but it's also BORING.

If you are viewing it from precisely the distance and angle that this photographer was,

it's not so bad.
But back up a foot or two on the sidewalk.
Better yet, get into a car and drive past it.

The product disappears and you are left with whiteness.
Except for the stunning red jeweled neck piece, everything is too small to be seen.

How do you overcome this in displays?


Find out, after the jump...

Forward-Thinking Design

I stumbled across this image that I snapped at the Seattle Gift Show back in 2009...
it's the Lollia booth, located on the Skybridge between the North and South halls of the Washington State Convention Center.

I love everything about this booth design and displays. Everything.

It perfectly fits the feminine nature of the product line and the brand image. It reflects the burgeoning (even in 2009) style of using reclaimed materials in displays. The tight color palette is crisp and clear and does not distract from the products. The curvy table legs and chandeliers and wallpaper motif again reflect the brand's feminine aspect. And chandeliers? HELLO? In 2009, they were just about the hottest design motif in Christendom. There's light to draw you in. There's a spaciousness that allows everything to be seen at a glance - but enough detail to draw you closer. Nothing is jarring or distracting - your eye goes EXACTLY where they want it to go: dead center.

Perfection. And forward-thinking, because this tradeshow booth display would work just as well today as it did five years ago. And it could be replicated in every store that carries these products. That's good design.

Deb In Print: Entrepreneur Magazine online

I was recently interviewed by writer Jane Porter 

for an article in Entrepreneur Magazine 

'Five Retail Design Myths Debunked'  

also includes input from other retail design experts - and it's great advice!

The article released today on the Entrepreneur.com website - 

click here to read

Included in Jane's article is Sarah Parker, 

owner of 'Wild Fibers' yarn shop in Mount Vernon, Washington.

I met dynamic young business owner Sarah at the Yarn Market News Conference in 2010, 

when I presented a seminar on retail store design and visual merchandising. 

Sarah hired me to help her with some details in her store...

and the girl did EVERYTHING I had suggested in my seminar

and my consultation with her. EVERYTHING!

I am really happy that Jane asked me for an example 
of how retailers can smash design myths successfully, 
and that Sarah received this 'nod' in print for all her hard work.

Read about what we did in Sarah's store in these posts in my blog archives.

Thanks for reading!

Q&A: Color 2

Margaret from the blog Eclectic Design Source commented on my "Q and A: Color" post with her question:

"I'm curious what you think about deep, rich tones for retail? I love dark, dramatic walls -like black, eggplant, deep navy, espresso- but I'm not sure how it would translate into selling space.
Thoughts?"

To be honest, Margaret, it's not about what I think. ;0)
It's about the science of selling.

In his groundbreaking book 'Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping', self-titled 'Retail Anthropologist' Paco Underhill discusses his research and findings on what creates the greatest impetus for a shopper to to enter, browse, choose, and purchase from a store. Many factors are presented, and color is one of them. It is not a choice to be taken lightly or made simply by personal preference, as it is a tool used to project an image, a brand, a mood, and tell a story to the customer. As an interior designer, I'm sure you practice a similar philosophy when helping your residential clients choose colors for their rooms. However, while a personal preference tends to weigh heavily in a residential color decision, it is a very different situation with retail spaces.

Generally speaking, dark colors depress people and they suck up all of the light in a space. {Meaning it takes more light fixtures, bulbs, and electricity costs to recapture the light that you lose}. Using them in large quantity can defeat your purpose of selling. Light colors are not only uplifting to mood & spirit, affecting your customers in a positive way, but they also allow the colors and details of products to be shown more effectively. Obviously this is of importance when selling: Pink t shirts need to look pink, not some bizarre shade of peuse because they are surrounded by eggplant walls.

Dark, dramatic colors are excellent when used as 'punctuation marks' in retail settings - whether as part of the permanent decor or in product displays. A very neutral store setting benefits from judicious use of black accents, and a crisp clean modern all-white space would be energized by the use of navy blue. We've all seen the fresh contemporary pairing of espresso with pale robins-egg blue grow in popularity over the past few years - a perfect example of how dark and light compliment one another and create a mood. And eggplant is a wonderful accent to a palette of warm old world hues in a winery or gourmet food store. Much as in fashion, jolts of dramatic color like this add vitality and personality to a palette. The point is to use them thoughtfully and deliberately. 

We have all seen the 'chalkboard wall' done to great effect. Ditto the 'focal wall' of color in many design shows. If you are going to use a dark or very vibrant color on a large wall in your retail space, you have to do two things:

1. Make sure it is a high quality paint and an excellent paint job. 
Nothing ruins the effect like a shoddy thin streaky wall. Use a primer, then two coats of color - and apply the paint in both up/down and left/right roller applications to cover every area completely.

2. Use the same color in other locations in your space, on a smaller scale. 
If a dark color is on the rear wall of your shop {the best place for it}, then paint the base of your cash wrap {located elsewhere} the same color. And paint a chair or table that color, to use in your entry zone or window display. Make it a 'signature color' as part of your brand palette, and use it purposefully.

I've only seen two stores in my lifetime that have broken the rules of color use and succeeded: one is the chain store 'Illuminations'. This purveyor of high-end candles and all related accessories painted their stores deep charcoal, and lit them only with burning candles and narrow-beam spotlights  on displays. You literally gasped when you walked past, and were inexplicably drawn into the store to investigate this anomaly of mall shops.  Yes, MALL shops. They outperformed every other store when it came to visual presentation of their brand and concept. {Illuminations is no longer in business, but I don't think it's due to the colors on their walls.}

The other store that breaks just about every rule in visual merchandising SUCCESSFULLY is 'Victoria Company' in Orange, California. This tiny, narrow shop competes with many other antique, vintage, and home decor stores on the famous 'Circle'. You are met with a riot of color before ever entering the store, because the sidewalk outside is loaded with a plethora of bright, happy vintage-style furniture & accessories. Cars literally screech to a stop!

Once you walk in, you feel like a kid in a candy store with brightly-colored merchandise piled ceiling-high. The walls are bright sunny yellow, the trim is white, and everything else is kaleidescopic overload. Dona, the owner, is just as bright and colorful in spirit. She's had this darling shop for years and is a very knowledgeable retailer. No one else - possibly not even Disney - could pull this look off successfully. Even Mary Engelbreit didn't do it this well in her colorful stores.

SO, though rules of design and selling psychology apply to color, there is always room to break them. It's just harder to succeed when you go out on that limb. 

Image Credit: Color Guides - see them for help with color choices for your business environment.