There is obviously no one definition for creativity in VM; it is as wide as a blank canvas of an artist. Nuno Rosa, Head of Visual Merchandising & E-Commerce Styling Manager for JACK & Jones India, breaks down some important elements of VM to define creativity. Read on as he shares his perspectives. 

The store as a white canvas 

Creativity in VM is a very rich term. Let’s imagine that we have a white canvas that has to be painted and the white canvas is your store. You can freely use any visual elements on this canvas to express your brand DNA. 

The store facades are the first elements through which your customers can access your brand DNA and its business. So it’s important to dress up the store canvas and make sure that all the strategic elements are planned and designed to attract your customer. End of the day, VM is about selling to the customers coming to your stores- whether it’s an exclusive physical store, a franchise store or an online store. 

Now coming to the store canvas, every brand across the global, whether it’s an emerging brand or a well known one, has a strategy in place, and unique techniques they use to immerse and attract their customer to their retail spaces and these are the same elements used in their VM. 

No one size fits all 

But the approaches vary across brands and there is no one right way to define creativity in VM. For instance, many brands today take the minimalist approach due to various reasons, including the changing post-Covid retail dynamics, the greater pressure on the cost of materials, on budgets, etc. They accordingly use lesser elements, focusing on specific messages, signage and visual elements that translate the brand DNA for their customers. But some brands think differently. Ralph Lauren, for example, don’t believe that less is more. They actually do the opposite. They dress up their windows with a lot of props and glamour and create scenarios and ambience to ignite aspirations and desires in their customers. They make their customers want to be the mannequin displayed on their store window. So it’s a wide canvas that we work on and it’s an open field with diverse elements that drive a visual proposition, making the customer navigate through that store space and purchase.

The process of creativity 

When it comes to the process of creativity in VM itself, there can be multiple approaches - a facade with just mannequins or groups portraying a collection or a dress, going minimalist as already mentioned, or using a lot of props and design elements that can add value to the brand DNA, to the store and to the brand presentation. There are also brands who focus only on the messaging or on conveying a certain emotion to the customers passing by and don’t feel the need to showcase merchandise. These are mostly high street store brands with big facades and store entrances. So while the facade of the store is an invitation by itself, the entrance itself acts as a big display element that is in sync with what is portrayed on the window. So there are several possibilities , and propositions that can be created, depending on the market, the brand, the niche, and the target audience. 

As we all know, today everything is possible, but it all depends on the brand DNA and its goals. It’s important that the brand, the marketing and the VM/design teams work together in alignment with the retail calendar and plan the VM and activation accordingly, as per the seasons and special occasions. 

At the end of the day, let’s remember that VM is not just about a window display, a store facade or any other element, but a mix of many elements that can drive desire in a customer. Like I said, VM itself is a wide canvas allowing for many possibilities, but whatever one does, it’s important to respect the brand DNA and be in sync with the brand objectives. 

Pictures Courtesy: Nuno Rosa