Thursday, March 28

Window Displays or Works of Art?

People often base their first impression of a store on its window displays. Yet, they’re so commonplace that most people tend to just walk by them, failing to even notice the business’s window art or otherwise just blatantly ignoring the displays.

While some might take this as a sign to stop working on window displays all together, many stores are going the opposite direction and investing even more time and effort into their window art, which makes complete sense. After all, an eye-catching window can increase a store’s foot traffic, bring in more sales, and even attract some press for the company.

“Window displays and graphics are important, especially in the retail industry, for a variety of reasons. Before the customer enters the store, the first thing they typically see are the window displays – these displays set the tone and convey the style of the brand,” says Adam Sturm, President of Apple Visual Graphics. “If a window display is eye catching, a customer might be intrigued by what they see and feel compelled to explore the store further. In a city like New York where there are such a large number of people walking the streets daily, window displays can make or break the customer’s decision whether or not to enter.”


Due to the recent economic turmoil, people aren’t shopping as much, and spending less when they do, so stores have had to get creative if they wanted to pull p
eople in off the street. Many stores are trying to make their window displays more evocative, appealing to customers’ emotions, while others are trying more unique ways to connect with the people walking by.

Now, Triitme has put together a compilation of window displays from around the world, showcasing the creative efforts some brands have made.

Louis Vuitton is featured thrice in the compilation. The first of which features a massive, gold skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex artistically posed besides a mannequin dressed in Louis Vuitton fashion. The next entry is more subtle, showing a mannequin in a fine brown suit holding a Louis Vuitton bag besides a pedestal with another Louis Vuitton bag. A cloud of faux security cameras surround the mannequin, each one trained on the model’s ensemble. The last display shows a sculpture of an elephant balancing on a see saw with Louis Vuitton luggage, which is outweighing the elephant.

Perhaps the most interesting entrant into the compilation is Tiffany & Co.’s simultaneously overstated and understated display. The window itself is tiny, but the art surrounding the window is massive and dramatic. It’s made to look like the walls around the window are being pulled away like curtains to reveal the small window, making it look all the more dramatic.

While each of these displays are overtly and explicitly marketing ploys, their artistic quality should not be taken for granted.

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