Visual Merchandising

The essence of retail is defined by the ability to compel the prospective customer to stop, to look, and to buy.

Successful retailers place a great emphasis on compelling life-style presentations of merchandise. The question confronting every retailer is what encourages a customer to shop in one store rather than another? The answer: a coordinated effort that includes marketing, merchandising, store design, and visual merchandising. Visual merchandising today has become an indispensable and integral component of the fashion business. It is the tool or language that retailers use to communicate with the targeted customer.

The Visual Merchandising Department at LIM exposes students to an in-depth analysis of the retail store environment. Students are introduced to the principles, philosophies and technologies of visual merchandising through first-hand exploration of the marketplace and hands-on classroom experimentation.

New York City serves as inspiration, with students visiting local retail establishments to view displays and engage in on-site investigation and documentation of successful design and merchandising practices. Additionally, students learn basic drawing techniques used by retail designers to indicate and communicate store layout and design concepts. Various visual merchandising tools such as mannequins, forms and decorative props are introduced as students develop their own conceptual displays.

With an emphasis placed on the role of visual merchandising in the development of a retail image, students are prepared for careers as visual merchandising directors in department and or specialty stores, display designers, stylists, and in display studios and other associated companies.

View LIM's Visual Merchandising courses