The developed tendency of window display for bookstore

Nowadays,  fashion window display is very prosperous in UK. The typical example is Harrods and Selfridges’ window. In Christmas every years, those department stores’ window are decorated colorful and attractive to attract people eyes, and various forms display give visitors a great visual experience. I have a trip in this year Christmas in London,  I went to Selfridges to see window display, scene, digital, machine used in window displays are so fantasy and wonderful. (see below pictures)

Cynthia Shong is a visual merchandiser in China. She has mentioned a theory in her article. A great window display should has four conditions, they are the Visual Effect, Commercial Value,  Aesthetic Value and Brand Culture Value. and each value depends on store’s character and require to decide which value should express first. As we know, in window dressing,  except for Visual Effect in window display, most of branding put Commercial Value in the first. But some famous department stores, like Harrods and Selfridges in UK, their store window display trend to present Aesthetic and Brand Culture Value, in other world, they create a wonderful environment or atmosphere to engage passer-by’s experience and attract people go into store.

According to previous research, I think the window display should has three forms to present, first one is direct to display products to sale them, so the Commercial Value is primary. Like below example, this bookshop, Bookwise in Southwell, puts books in window to give visitors clear message to choose product.

Second is scene display, it emphasizes Aesthetic Value, whilst Commercial Value.  this form use different art techniques to provides an environment to talk a story, which will use in festival, season, culture etc.. through putting products in scene to achieve sale purpose. And it is still main form to display products in stores’ window in recently.     

And last one, I call it is decorated or conceptive display, the product just as decoration or there is no products in window. This form firstly comes from Salvador Dali’s Surrealism window display in 18^th century, it is a new visual statement from inspire to display in a window(Lattaeay, K., 2006). In general, just fashion stores’ window will use this way to dispaly at present. It based on Brand Culture Value and Aesthetic Value as main way to build long relationship with consumers. the example of es Galeries Lafayette Department Store is the one of typical store to use drama method to decorate window, we can see below picture,

And other wonderful example is the window display of Issey Miyake. the concept of Issey Miyake is simple and freedom, unconstrained by any preexisting rules or framework. This store’s window display use sheer fabric to hover over fans, the fabric drift with wind to create a moving experience. it do not display real products, rather than using art methods to create atmosphere to express branding concept and build brand loyalty. 

a creature-like moving window display featuring an undulating sheer fabric that hovers over eight computer controlled fans at Issey Miyake's ELTTOB TEP retail store. By WOW

this is other one in Issey Miyake

So for the bookshops, the form of window display is not diversified more than fashion stores. In traditional bookshops, the window is direct display and scene display, It can achieve Commercial Value and Aesthetic Value. Nowadays, changing bookstores’ appearance or interior is main form to engage people to go into store (see below)

Based on my research, I can see just few decorated or conceptive display are used in bookstores’ window. (see below) 

In general, nowadays, many bookshops take aim at commerce, but the problem is most bookstores have involved difficult position when faced threaten from new technologies. In my opinion, bookshops can use window dressing as reference to create a new way to change the traditional vision in window display. Meanwhile, book’s character as be a media to spread culture is different with fashion. So even we can not stop digital development, the window display still can bring the value for few survival bookstores in the future.

reference:

Cynthia Shong, 2012, Meaningful window design, [http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_7dd5ee42010146zx.html]

Katherine Lattaway, 2006, Is the art of retail window display being lost through the use of technologhy? Nottingham trend unversity BA(HONS) Gra[hic Design.