two hour lesson plan rough draft.

Sponge activity:  

For my sponge activity I plan to have students note what everyone else is wearing in the classroom. Then I will have the class create a list of commonalities between attire and determine what seems most popular along with what colors are prevalent (except black/grey) and ask them questions on what they noticed.

Introduction:  

What is the most important aspect of a visual window display? 

most important aspect: what is essential

visual window display: a display in a window that showcases merchandise, appealing to people visually..

I chose this topic because I want to go into fashion merchandising as a fashion buyer, but I chose to focus on visual merchandising so that I can understand how products look from a visual display standpoint. My plan for the day is to teach my class not only the most important aspect of a visual window display but also the various techniques that go behind making a window display.

Foundation: 

Now that you know what you’re in for I’d like to give you some background and key components that you need to understand in order to do well in here today. First of all let’s take care of the elephant in the room: Visual merchandising. According to the book “The Role of a Visual Merchandiser”, Visual Merchandising is the art of increasing sales through visual cues. What I found in service learning was that visual merchandising also encompasses the use of looking into how appeal changes overtime and follows patterns in shopper behavior; we’ll be getting into that soon though. Before we go on I want to tell you want a window display is.  A window display is a display that showcases directly to the public. It is the frontline in a store’s arsenal of selling. Today we will cover what kind of visual merchandising elements go into designing and executing a great window display that will undoubtedly increase sales.  We’ll start by understanding what a theme is and how it is used in a visual context, then we will talk about trends in fashion and the importance of a precise and calculated use of color, after that we will talk about how signage and props can add another dimension to displays if used correctly, and finally I will reflect on my experiences in this project and tell you how this process has changed me. Think of today as a class, not a presentation, and be sure to pay close attention during the content so that you can win prizes in the activities!

Body:

Answer 1: Having a centralized theme. In order to drive the planning of the display, you must first have an appropriate theme. Otherwise, how could you plan a window display with no concept behind it? You would just be throwing random things into it and that will not grab the attention of people. 

1.      -----Activity 1: I will be talking about inspiration boards, so I will be having everyone make their own inspiration board but with a twist. I would list several themes from real-life examples or made up ones (i.e. My Life is a Runway from Torrid, or a garden party theme) and allow students to pick a theme they would like to follow and peruse through magazines, cutting out what inspires them for that theme specifically and pasting it onto the poster. I want this to be personal, thus why I'm allowing them to choose from a set of pre-selected themes, so that there is still direction, but they can at least choose what they want to do. Basically, this activity is the reverse of what an inspiration board is for, but it does combine the inspiration aspect along with having a theme to work with and putting in what applies to that.

Materials needed: magazines, scissors, glue sticks, little poster boards.

  

 Answer 2: Applying trends in fashion and color. In a window display, it is important to keep up with trends in fashion and color because people gravitate towards the windows that look stylish. If you use out of date trends, you will lose sales. As the visual merchandiser, it is your job to communicate what’s hot in fashion by showing consumers how to wear them, while the color aspect is what draws people in.

-----Activity 2:  I will have them dress a mannequin while I have several spring trends listed on my powerpoint along with color trends, and have everyone compete to see who has the most fashion forward look without being overtly trendy. People have to bring in their own clothes and accessories as I cannot provide it all. The prize for winning in this competition will be candy.

     Materials needed: clothes, accessories, mannequins.

Answer 3: Implementing appropriate props and signage. In a window display, the props and/or signage can make or break a window display. It is imperative that you use the right amount of props and signage and that it fits in with the theme. Keep in mind that you don’t always have to use both at the same time, they are interchangeable.

-----Activity 3:  I will have the students break into groups of 5 and assign every group a "theme". Then I will have everyone set up their own display implementing props and/or signage. People would need to bring in their props though. Students will be competing for an E for the day (is that possible?).

     Materials needed:  props, posters, coloring supplies

Conclusion:

What is your best answer and why? My best answer is having a centralized theme. As evidenced by my presentation, the theme is the building block to the whole display. With a theme that tells a story, it can connect to the audience on a deeper level, leaving the impression of your store in their minds, which would make them come back and increase sales. The theme is what dictates what will go into the window and how everything will be set up.

What are  your 3 most important sources and why? My three most important sources are my interviews with Teresa Roarick because she gave me insight into the field of visual merchandising and gave me quality answers to everything I asked, Visual Merchandising by Tony Morgan because it was a textbook that taught me everything I needed to know about window displays and in-store displays, and my service learning with Marsha Valencia from The Little Dress Shop because I was able to apply everything I learned into physical products.

What is your product and why? My product is having a foundation in visual merchandising because my ultimate goal is to become a fashion buyer, and having knowledge in this field will allow me to be ahead in my studies and allow me to know how merchandise will translate into a display.