GUAM, Jun 7, 1997 / FW/ — A store window’s background is probably the most visible part of the window, and occupies the biggest space, more often than not.
That is the reason why, creating the background or backdrop is very important, unless you are doing an open back window, wherein you want the customer to see inside the store.
But most store windows are ‘closed’ especially the outside windows. Even in a retail store, a wall cannot be ‘blank.’ It has to have something on it, and as a rule, it also becomes a background for a display.
A good example of using an excellent background is the Mark Cross store window featuring leather goods. It is very seldom that a window featuring bags and purses catches one’s eyes. Leather is traditionally unexciting.
The woven background made of veneer; the pedestals, which were covered with the same material, pulled this window together very nicely, yet the focus remains on the merchandise because of the contrast.
The merchandise that was dark brown contrasted with the natural beige of the wood veneer.
In another setting, the furniture area used mannequins to announce the new collection for dinner tables. Using a table as the ‘floor’ the background was literally the wall, with just a sign publicizing the new merchandise.
And yet, among these examples, the murals on the wall in a retail store actually emphasize the importance of making every space count on the retail floor. The murals are ‘permanent,’ i.e., until the store goes under a renovation or retrofit.
Creating displays that are unobtrusive, yet attractive becomes a challenge. Done properly, it adds to the general atmosphere of the store.
[MARI DAVIS]