Last year I took an online course on how to market online. One assignment was to design a logo, and create a brand guide. I already had a logo used for years and I had added 
"The Time for Change has Come" because that is what I wanted to instil in my target market. 
But when you have a chance  to do something different and really upgrade to something modern, you begin to look at what works these days. 

PROFILES ARE ROUND
The first thing I did was create something round.  Profiles are round, including avatars or pictures. I also loved the idea of black rather than white for backgrounds for the colors I work with, which is ALL of them!  The entire spectrum has been what I have to use, teach, and integrate because in merchandising and display, and changing trends, colors are always evolving.  So I design my new logo in a circle. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
In merchandising and display FIRST impressions are what is focused on the most. And that is usually a store window.  I always say, "100% go by" and then ask you, "what % of those are you attracting?" Even in a mall that is all inside each store has a window, or a front area with displays designed to catch your attention and make you stop and browse (which is what giraffes do!) Many times the SALE or DISCOUNT signs are what stop shoppers looking for a bargain or end of season discount.  BUT most windows are commonly in buildings. They don't stand alone. So I created a graphic, all angles, that represents stores in shopping districts and a window with products in it.  

COLOR COUNTS
In all my consulting, instructing, and public speaking I will talk about color being first in terms of what we are attracted to. I use that phrase, "Group and Space based on color, pattern, style. Size and shape are less relevant.  It's over everything and it doesn't seem to matter what the product is.  In my experience, from an emerald ring in a jewellers showcase, to the green car in the showroom, or the green lawnmower, the color of an object cannot be ignored. It has to belong in a space that gives it the importance it needs without competing with other colors of other products.  So I used a row, acting as a roof, covering and over all in a full spectrum of colors. 

THE NEUTRALS
When you are using a lot of colors, you need to have a neutral for them to sit in without competing. I chose the black for the background, even though I do have a white background version for when I need it.  My symbol for the buildings, or the shopping district is gold.  And good retail stores are gold when they are working optimally.  Gold became my neutral as a striking contrast to the black. I also made a cold border around the logo, the symbol of a gold ring that represents covenant and commitment of the relationship of retail owners to their businesses.  For some, who are small and independent, they will tell you, "We are married to our businesses." 

The other thing is that this logo presents a nigh time viewing, the night life of shopping, especially in winter, around Christmas and New Years when the days are long and dark brings out the cheerfulness and warmth of shops and sidewalks lit up.  When retail shops are sprinkles with restaurants and cozy coffee shops to stop in or meet at, shopping is made all the more fun and community minded. So I am happy with the overall look. 

WHAT DOES IT CHANGE?
Well, when your old logo actually spells your name that says what you do, is anyone going to figure out your new logo that's all symbolic?  No. That's where marketing comes in. And in my course it was decided that I would have to use my new logo more often and intentionally on ALL my products and service information.  

That forces me to redesign everything that goes into print, digitally or in hard copy AND the name also has to be somewhere on all the materials to make the connection... so YES... it changes everything. But I am getting used to it and it have given me a feeling of stepping into the days we work in, even though it's kind of dragging the old stuff along with it.  And that's okay.  That's who I am, after four decades of doing merchandising and display, working with the most wonderful clients, and in front of eager audiences at seminars, breakthroughs, and corporate conferences.  YOU can't be bringing that much content and experience along without it being visible and explaining the past in order to present the present.  

When I am contacted by a prospect looking for Retail Repair help I will ask them a lot of questions before I can offer a proposal or recommendations.  Most of the time their stores are disorganised due to years of accumulating products which in the Gift and Tableware or Souvenir Industry, for example, don't really go out of style. 

Since I am now focusing on putting all my seminars, workshops, and Merchandising Methods Made Easy as online courses and YouTube videos, I decided to create a checklist called, "The Retail Repair Checklist". 

This asks some of the questions I ask, sometimes directly, and sometimes just as a note in my files. I believe that, just like taking our bodies, or our cars in for regular checkups, we should do the same with your stores. This is why several of my clients call me back periodically, especially when they are stuck with too much old stock.

Like our homes (and closets) where clutter can creep up on us until we don't see it anymore, Independent retail stores of any category of goods, can get that way.  Now I want to also say that is rarely the case in other cultures around the world. I grew up in India and going through the bazaars, or by little street vendors, every inch of space is used to show a product regardless of the Merchandising Methods I teach. They ARE the merchandising methods known to work in their societies.

Two problems I see with that is that they come into the industry trade shows in Western markets and display the way that works at home and don't get good results.  I always feel bad for them when I attend a trade show because most of what they offer is unique, beautiful, and could find a retail market here IF displayed to our expectations.   The other problem is attitude adjustments that have to be made, and it's really hard to give up any space for the eye to rest, or separate visually competing items for the same reason. 
 
In the typical 'Western" culture or experience, products are more organised and typically also color blocked to minimise visual confusion. My main saying is, "Goods to be Sold, Must First be Seen."  It's how they are seen that makes or breaks sales from browsing shoppers. 

So what I am saying is,,,if you are an  independent bricks and mortar retailer with lots of products to display, get your copy of this Retail Repair Checklist and ASK the questions rated BEST, GOOD, FAIR, NEEDS HELP... and evaluate your current condition to see if Today's Displays  can help you in any way.  Feel free to contact me as I have done virtual consult even years ago with photographs, and VHS tapes send in the mail!  

Here's where you can get your Checklist today.
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I was working in a major national department store and was doing a scarf display on a counter top fixture designed for them.  One of the Head Office CEOs was walking the store and stopped to watch me, which did make me a little nervous. He came over to me and I froze, wondering if I had done something wrong and was going to get into trouble.  He just said, "You know, you never get paid for what you know, you only get paid for what you DO with what you know!" 

Well in a way that applies to product displays in your store.  You want to display to pay.  Your merchandising should be planned to present products so that they sell and guess what?  You get paid!  You 'pay' the shoppers by giving them a great shopping experience that includes wonderful, interesting, inspiring, educational, functional.... ways in which your products show off their features, advantages, and benefits. They are sometimes called the 'Silent Salesman'. 

So what are the main things to keep in mind when merchandising? First, amuse, don't confuse. When customers walk by your store what they see should make sense. There should be a theme at a glance that is the BIG picture and sometimes referred to as your "brand'.  Some key display areas, such as front windows, front of aisles and back of aisles, and signs or displays visible up high from a distance should reinforce who you are and what you have to offer. As shoppers come in and look closer, either signs or obvious displays of merchandise will let them know what your main departments are. Within those departments should be categories displayed in their own venues or on appropriate fixtures. 

  The eye is like a fly looking for a place to land.  You can compare it to reading the classified ads compared to the display ads in a newspaper, if anyone does that any more. If your customer's eye has no place to land or rest, then it will just jump around getting tired or find a place to rest which may be the floor or the ceiling or a blank part of a wall. This is why you want to follow the principle of Group 'n Space based on Color, Pattern, and Style in that order. Color blocking or themes based on color are the most effective. In the fashion, accessory, and home decor industries, and to a degree in vehicles, color is very significant in purchasing. Color is also based on psychology, culture, experience, and expectations. 

For example when a woman has a wardrobe of mostly colors that suit her, or that she likes best, maybe based on compliments, she will naturally gravitate to those to purchase, even if some other colors appeal to her because of the excitement of seeing a great display. The same goes for home decor where matching or coordinating is desired. For some cultures the more color combinations, the better, and I believe their shopping senses only look for the one thing that is appealing to them at the moment because they aren't obsessed with any matching or coordinating. 

If your displays aren't grabbing attention, slowing down shoppers, making them want to come in and look closer, or handle items and check the prices, then they are's displays that will pay.  Changing things up often or on a regular basis within departments and in cross merchandised feature displays keep the more visible venues interesting and exciting, especially for regular traffic. Even during tourist season, if you are in a seasonal cycle of travelling traffic, make the effort to change up some of the smaller displays each day. 

One reason is that the tourist staying for a week and heading downtown to walk or shop will take note and not pass by your store because it looks new today. The other reason is that the perception is that the items in the display yesterday have sold, so it had to be changed up. There's something magic in that too. You don't let them take you for granted and think, "been there, done that..." Let's go to a store we haven't been in yet. No, you want them to come into your store everyday they are on holiday since it looks like you are getting in new stuff each day. And this kind of display will pay.  Try it!