Brand Culture Value for Waterstones

How Waterstone's killed bookselling 

"When it started, Waterstone's was a breath of fresh air. But as it got ever bigger, many say it lost its soul. What effect has that had on publishing?... is that a problem? After all, I am the one who brings sentiment and culture to the book-buying experience. Spice's thought, though, is that Waterstone's has lost its literary soul in stooping to compete with supermarkets and stationery retailers WH Smith. "A big retail business will inevitably move to the lowest common denominator position. Their commitment to book quality has to wane." Why? "Because once companies get big they draw in business management that doesn't have any sensitivity to the product. "

by Stuart Jeffries

article link:  http://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/nov/10/waterstones-high-street-bookselling

this article can be as a reference to support the idea, Brand Culture Value, for bookstore window display. As a bigger bookstore company, expect for commerce, Waterstones can create brand culture in window. because window like face, it can give passer-by a good impression to built good relationship easily with costumers.  

Fashion window display VS. Bookstore

Fashion window display is very prosperous in UK, the famous example of Harrods and Selfridges have various and colourful window displays in UK. I chosen bookstore as my project object, the reason is book belong to culture, bookstore can represent the level of culture in a country. but in the 21st century, electronic book is creating the biggest upheaval in publishing, a amount of book shops are closing. Bookstores are under threat online shop.
so I have compared the window display of fashion with book, to find out their general and specific character. as a reference to relieve this situation from design aspect, even though the power is small.

As we know, the function of shop window is displaying product, in Fashion shops window shows new season clothes and Bookstores recommend books.

But I think there is a little different between cloth and book shop. when people see the window of fashion shops, watching and decision happen at same time. But to bookshops, most of the time, when book cover catch pepople’s eyes, they need to read book, then they will decide whether go to the store buy it. So people can decide instantly when they watch cloth, but to the bookshop, just a few people know they need this book when they glimps window. 

And I have researched ordinary bookstores in high street, the window display often put recommend books and set print advertising in window.

bookstores in different country

But it has a problem is sometimes, a shop displays various products, for example, relative to cloth shops, it is easy to see when people pass by window quikely. But to bookshop, those books are small, it is hard to pay attention on them.

In summary, we can see, actually, this frame, like cloth shop, to display products in window is not more effective for bookshop. Meanwhile,  with the development of digital product, fashion window display not only trying to create a beautiful scene to display produce for commerce, but designer also create funny display to bring some fun in our life.

like Studio xag create future map store for Selfridges, it didn't show the cloth, all the things made by paper.

other one is BAOBAO ISSEY MIYAKE window display, it is so lovely and interesting, even though people don't buy it, but people can remember this brand rapidly.

                                                           ELTTOB TEP Bag Installation 

so I think putting recommend books in window is not a useful way to engage people’s experience.

Creating Brand Culture Value

I found this in Boots library, this dissertation was written by Katherine Lattaway, she was BA Graphic design student in 2006. this dissertation discussed how art and commerce use in design by retail window display. she chosen fashion field to investigate different designers and artists how to arrange and use their artwork in windows.

in window dressing trade, Katherine has mentioned Dali's. "Dali's intentions to make a new visual statement from within a window continued to inspire those who understood the potential power in display design" so she think although dominate window display design is under threat new technologies, with the development of technology development, expect some retailers go back to use previous methods of window styling, retail window display still can change and evolving. she give a example is Harvey Nichols Christmas window display "outer space" 2005.

this window use the other way to create Christmas scene, to image how alien spend Christmas day in space, rather than use traditional method to express this theme.  

and she also got point is "... Ultimately this dissertation will prove that even in the 21st Century, traditional window display serves as both a valuable artistic and commercial commodity."

based on those and my research, in my opinion, expect valuable artistic and commercial commodity used in window display. in this situation which digital product develop rapidly,  window display also serve as brand culture value. in doing so, the window of bookstore not only affording vision effect for commercial commodity, but also paying attention brand identity to building relationship with costumers.

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.

The situation of Window display for bookstore

The purpose of such Visual merchandising is to attract and engage people’s experience and sale production. In other words, Window display combines the areas of art with commerce, as store face to provoke people to go into store. As early as the eighteenth century, small stores began display their products to the public place, and which is popular in 19^th century. With the industrial revolution occurred,  the large amounts of iron and glass used in construction, which provided display spaces for the department store. Nowadays, the window dressing is very prosperous, the typical emporium is Selfridges window display in London. There are various forms to present product, dynamic, fantasy, drama etc. Every year, store will attract many visitors go to there to see  wonderful windows. 

In contrast, the bookstores, there is a different situation. Since the digital technology developed quickly in 21^st century. A new reading form, e-book, which occupy  most proportion in physical book,  whilst, book retailers have also faced threaten from online shop. BBC has reported: “ Last year, 50 new independent bookshops opened across the UK but 72 closed…”(2011). Many people have talked about this situation and try to relieve this problem.  According to my research, I have read many articles about this part, to try to know the influence of window display upon bookstore. Based on those articles, my viewpoint is bookstores still should existence, even though the situation of e-book and online shop can not change, of course, disappearing is essentially impossible, but fewer physical bookstores still can survive in the future. Maybe, it will be like museum to strength “sensory experience”. so window as the face or cover of bookstore , it can be not only to put recommended books in window, but also using other ways to express message.

Article link:

Sarah marie, 2008, A History of Visual Merchandising in Retail Stores. [http://sarahmarie1.hubpages.com/hub/A-History-of-Visual-Merchandising-in-Retail-Store]

BBC, 2011, Decline in High Street bookshops continues in 2011. 

[http:// www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15149546]

Roger Tagholm, 2012, Publishing Personalities Advise on Designing the Bookshop of the Future. [http://publishingperspectives.com/2012/12/publishing-personalities-advise-on-designing-the-bookshop-of-the-future/]

Visual Merchandising, History, Now and Future

Visual merchandising had started in nineteenth century, the propose is attracting more customers to purchase products.

this article will show window frames in different periods and think what's window displays look like in the future.
....

-  1915

Macy's Toy Window Display, New York

-  1920

Selfridges window display, London

- 1956

WTU Diamond Jubilee Window Display

- 1967

Regent Street Window Display, London 

    .....
this period, many stores and department stores have developed, the demonstration of window display gradually changed from a simple display goods to the use of visual design and mannequin to attract customers to see and buy stuffs.


- 1997

this project has made by Heatherwick Studio, Harvey Nichols, a renowned department store in Knightsbridge, London. this installation, named Autumn Intrusion in order to celebrate London Fashion Week 1997.

actually, I think Harvey's idea will bring a new opportunity in window display in the future. 
http://www.heatherwick.com/autumn-intrusion/

- 2005

  Macy's Herald Square by Paul Olszewsk, N.Y. 

not only using mannequin to present products, but designers add some props to make window displays more colorful than previous period, through telling a story or giving a people familiar scene to catch passerby's' eyes.


- 2007

Selfridge surrealism window display by Rolf Sachs |  Smythson, by Zoe Bradley in Lonndon
Apple Computer holiday window review | Holiday window display By Anne DiNardo 

to begin to use different materials and forms, like paper and light to demonstrate goods, and to add some drama and scene to make window frames more interesting.


- 2008

Selfridges windows  | Tiffany, fantastic fairy tale, by Zoe Bradley  |  Italian Fusion By Angelika Frank  |   Europe A Sneak Peek for Fall
Apifera in selfridges, by Matthew Plummer Fernandez  |  Bergdorf Goodman Post-It Art djjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjd

following last year creative ideas, paper arts has became a main trend. designers have begun to use new technologies to make window display to move and more aesthetic.



- 2009

Woman with a dream, by David Lynch  |   Lanvin's Paris   |  Bergdorf Goodman Windows
Sony Style, New York  |  Flights of Fancy, By Angelika Frank | The Artek '10-Unit System' by Shigeru Ban

during this period, designers have created a large number of drama presentations to make window display to look more fun and interesting, meanwhile some window frames not only using visual presentation but also creating sound. it can catch people's eye easily and make window frame become an art gallery through using different design techniques.


- 2010

Maison Hermès window display, by tokujin yoshioka, Japan | Spectacular window display, by Lernert & Sander | Paul Smith window display
Game, brabants kenniscentrum kunst en cultuur | Recycled To-Go Cups, by Indo Project | book store by senior bookseller Justin Rowe 

some window frames have more conceptualize, like Recycled To-Go Cups made by Indo Project, window just demonstrated an art form which maybe contact with product, but didn't put products in window. and using scale and transformation or other art methods, while becoming to think people's experience to create window display, such as Maison Hermes window display, Japanese designer, tokujin use people's behavior to stimulate people's interested.


- 2011

moncler flagship store soho, U.S.A |  Richard cadan, N.Y. | Holiday Windows Review By Whitney | Holiday Windows Review By Whitney
LSI/Gene Moore Award Competition  |  VMSD Visual Competition  | By Whitney Harrod | Interactive window display By cyril foiret

designer have created fairy scenes through colorful lights, and not only limited in window, a few of displays have created 3D. and more and more designers have used interactive design such as adopting touch and hearing (5 senses http://mengruozhaoxi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/managing-creative-director-future-brand.html ) to create window display, which make people can communicate with window, thereby attracting passerby's interested.


- 2012

by Chairman Ting  | Issey Miyake by Drawing and Mannual, Japan | dot screen, Breakfast for TNT in N.Y. | Happy circle and angry triangle
Future map selfridge by studio xag | by Kyle Bean | Broken window shop Optical illusion Apple for iPod Hi-Fi
Ted Baker for Chelsea in Bloom festival  | Lanvin birds of paradise paris | Hermes green spring, Paris | Perfume & skin care

comparing last year to this year, designers have begun to use a number of visual design, experience design and new technologies, like screen, moving installation, to present dynamic, meaning window display through the combination of different materials to attract people.

.....

in conclusion,many window frames usually put products in window, which have a glass separate products and people. I think the trend of window frame can open window or create 3D in the future, whatever by projection or transform window structure.