Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
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Debi Ward Kennedy is an award-winning designer of stores, visuals, and displays for retailers including the Walt Disney Company. On her design blog, she shares her knowledge of visual merchandising and space design - and also covers those topics in many publications and at industry trade shows & conferences. Deb is currently branching out to create space designs for artists, makers and vendors.
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
3M ago
* Effective January 1, 2024, I am officially retired! *
My blog remains accessible online to share my decades of experience
with readers who find inspiration, ideas, tips, tricks, and resources here
in the many blog posts I've written since 2000.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement!
All content in this post is original to Debi Ward Kennedy/DWK/DebiWardKennedy.com unless otherwise credited, and is protected by Copyright 2002 - 2019 DWK; All Rights Reserved ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
7M ago
here's a look at something you haven't seen much of on my design blog:
the design concepts i create for NON-retail spaces.
i've shared a few trade show booth shots before,
including the display setups i've created for wholesale gift shows in the USA.
i've also shared the redesign i undertook with my daughter
in her 'Heeling Sole' barefoot massage studio in Texas several years ago.
(i'll link all of those posts at the end of this one)
when you combine those two things,
you have Deb designing a trade show booth concept
for her daughter to set up at the national convention of her indust ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
8M ago
here's a simple tip for seasonal merchandise displays
in your store, pop-up, or booth:
move it!
relocate existing product to a new shelf, tabletop, or shelf unit
to create a fall-centered display.
gather up merch with the colors of fall,
add in a few branches and leaves and sunflowers,
maybe use wood crates and harvest baskets to contain smalls
to continue the 'fall harvest' vibe.
continue reading to see how moving merchandise can impact your store - and sales!
click to read more »
All content in this post is original to Debi Ward Kennedy/DWK/DebiWardKennedy.com unless otherwise cr ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
10M ago
summer is here (unofficially) and if you haven't done it yet,
it's time to refresh shop windows AND online photos for the season.
gather up the red, white, and blue products & props in your storage room
and let's get you in motion to create effective displays!
my best VM tip:
Selecting a general theme and a seasonal color palette is what works for us in this resale store.
The choice of a patriotic palette for summertime is easy, and draws customers like flies.
It can work for you, too, no matter what you sell -
because a window 'set' that can simply be filled up w ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
1y ago
It's still cold, gray, wet, and miserable....and winter isn't about to let go yet.
But are you offering your customers a healthy dose of Spring Inspiration?
You should be!
Let me share some ideas with you to help you get started...
Pull out all the stops and bring a blooming garden into your store or showroom.
Props like grasses, flowers, natural elements like cherry blossom-bedecked branches and moss
will give your store a shot of energy - in more ways than one.
Even silk flowers added to a display bring a sense of life and movement into it...
Make 'em messy, tho! Bend the stems wildly, p ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
1y ago
Restyling old products to create a new look - taking something and making it look totally different by combining it with something else, using a different color to set it off, etc. - is something I really enjoy. And it's an effective way to lengthen the 'shelf life' of merchandise instead of just putting it on clearance. Keep those profit margins UP, that's the goal.
Along those lines, back when I was styling displays for the Columbia Winery gift shop in Woodinville Washington, I had some grand plans for Christmas 'leftovers' (...not of the edible kind, mind you!) that I was going to in ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
1y ago
So, your Holiday merchandise didn't sell like you thought it would.
No problem. No, really.... there's still hope for some of it.
(And no, I don't mean mark it all 90 percent off!)
Let's salvage all that we can and turn it into winter displays!
for example, those ornaments above.....
silver, with red felt dots. Some others in the collection say 'Love'.
So they didn't sell....well, then let's make lemons into lemonade
and create a big red Valentine's day display!
Those ornaments could be heaped into a huge heart-shaped box,
made to look like bon bons.
continue reading for more ideas a ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
1y ago
I know, it's October... but I'm going there.
Are there boxes of Christmas merchandise stacked and waiting for floor space?
Most of you are saying yes right about now.
Relax - you've done the easy part. But you're not done yet!
Because the hard part is that you need to have a plan ready
for how, where, when, and why those boxes of product will make it to the sales floor.
And you need that plan NOW, my friends.
Before you pull an all-nighter to set it up. Before you leave a list of 'to do's' with the staff.
Before you have the invites for your big fall decor unveiling ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
1y ago
A successful retail display doesn't just happen.
it is the result of a combination of knowing the science of retail principles
and the art of composition and placement.
Both combine to create a 3D work of art that invites customers in -
and results in sales of product.
There are some retail display design principles that are oh-so-perfectly illustrated
by the following 'before and after shots',
and to discuss them means that I have to critique the 'befores'.
So while I point out all of the flaws in the design below,
know that I realize someone worked hard ..read more
Debi Ward Kennedy | Visual merchandising blog
1y ago
Imagine, if you will, Lady Liberty...
stepping down from her pedestal on Ellis Island to enjoy a summer yachting excursion.
That, in a nutshell, is the premise behind the summer theme
in my friend Liz's booth in an antique mall in San Diego!
Liz hired me to assist her in gaining some serious WOW factor in her booth,
which is in the WINDOW of the gorgeous shop.
She brought the goods, and I helped her with a design plan and styling services.
... and I think I can safely say that her booth is definitely a WOW!
See the fireworks after the jump.....
click to read more »
All content in t ..read more