LESSON 4 PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONS OF A DISPLA Y

Learning objectives

Types of merchandise displays Exhibitions: types of various exhibits

Types of Display

be work shoes, silk stockings, teakettles, Hawaiian print shirts, nightgowns etc. It is a mlange of odds and ends, a sampling of the merchandise contained within.
5. Promotional Display:

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Approaches to merchandise presentation vary according to the type of display- from special, or feature, areas to regular freestanding assortments and wall units. Special display areas include end-of-aisle end caps, windows and point-of-sale and demo areas. The primary purposes of displays are to present and to promote. A display is at its best when it simply shows a color, an item, a collection, or just an idea. Types of displays include the following:
1. One Item Display:

This kind of display advances concept, trend and an item. The basis of this kind of display is often the sales. It has a very low margin of profit and thus needs a large sales volume to exist. These display stores generally advertise prices. They usually feature several items of merchandise, backed up by lighting, signs, props and traditional display techniques.
6. Institutional Display:

A one-item display is just the showing and advancement of a single garment or any single item. It features only one piece of merchandise-designer gown, automobile, piece of jewelry etc.
2. Line-at-goods Display:

This display promotes an idea and not an item. It promotes the institutional services. This display presents the store as member of the community which helps further in building the image of the store. In this kind of display only incidental mention is made of merchandise; service, special features, or facilities of the store are featured. These displays create customer loyalty and goodwill. They do not produce direct sales of merchandise. Exhibitions: Types of exhibits The other types of displays include exhibitions. Here we will discuss about the various types of displays used in an exhibition, main being the following:
Permanent Exhibits

It is a kind of display in which only one type of merchandise is shown, (viz; all blouses, all skirts, pots etc.) although they may be in a variety of designs and colors. They could be designed by the same designer, or created with the same fabric or print, or they could all feature a common theme. However, for more effective presentation, and for better comprehension and acceptance by the shopper, there should be some connection or relevance indicated as to why these three or four articles are being shown together.
3. Related Merchandise Display:

In this kind of a display, separates, accessories, or any other item that goes together are displayed because they are meant to be used together, because they share an idea or theme. For example; It could be an Import Window where all the items are from the same country (from clothes to handicrafts, to kitchen utensils to furniture, and so on). It might be a color promotion where all the clothing in one window is red, and the next display setup may consist of allred household supplies and hard goods. A room setting in which red is the dominant color may follow that presentation. Alternatively, it could be a display of lizard shoes, bags, and belts-all related because they are made of lizard skin. Red, white, and blue-striped hats, sweaters, scarves, and stockings would be a related merchandise dis-play. The items go together and reinforce together.
4. Variety or Assortment Display:

Many museums have permanent exhibits in which paintings, sculpture, and other artwork are lastingly framed, hung, and encased. There is no surprise, novelty, or excitement in an unchanging, permanent display. If the object is world-famous and many persons come especially to see it (e.g., the Mona Lisa, a Michelangelo sculpture, and so on), then the presentation and the area around the exhibit should be refreshed with a new attitude or look by adding changing floral arrangements, trying period furni-ture settings, experimenting with different lighting tech-niques, or using new background colors or texture
Temporary Exhibits

A temporary exhibit is usually the presentation of an item or items that are on loan for a limited time. The showing schedule is announced and the duration of the showing is advertised, publicized, and anticipated by the public. The limited stay cre-ates the necessary impetus to have the public come and see the exhibit while the artwork is on loan.
Trade Shows

It is a potpourri of anything and everything. It is a collection of unrelated items that happen to be sold in the same store. It can

Trade shows are commercial ventures wherein a manufac-turer or distributor will show a line of merchandise, intro-duce a new product or an improvement on an existing one, or exhibit for the sake of goodwill or company image. The company seeking goodwill (instead of showing its merchandise) may provide, in a setting of plants and seats, an arrangement of a very few choice objects; perhaps, the earliest prototypes of their

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product or antique versions of the products the company is producing today. This is the soft sell approach, and such an exhibit would be designed to show the historical perspective of the com-pany and the product rather than to place the emphasis on the current product or line. Often, trade shows are produced in large exhibition halls in which several hundred exhibitors battle for atten-tion in rather open and exposed areas. The management of the exhibit hall or the organization sponsoring the show may set restrictions concerning the height of a booth or exhibit, the use of opaque walls, fireproofed materials, lighting equipment, overhead signs, and sound equipment. The union regulations that govern the setting up, lighting, trimming, and the eventual dismantling of the show can be a serious problem for the trade show designer. Following these regulations can become costly and time-consuming
Traveling Exhibits

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

A traveling exhibit is a broad, all-inclusive term for mov-able or portable displays. A traveling exhibit is conceived and designed to be moved from one location to another and to be assembled quickly, with few changes and a min-imum of professional assistance. Some traveling shows are actually large buses or vans that have been converted into galleries on wheels. The viewer enters at one end of the vehicle and exits from the other, after having seen the complete show. Other traveling shows are not designed to move as in their own vehicles. These shows use collapsible panels, frames, or stands that can be reassembled and will adapt to a pre-established plan or pattern in an area of a specific size. Sometimes, the designer may have to supply several alternate arrangements for the panels or frames in order to accommodate variations in floor layouts or space allocations
Outdoor Exhibits

An outdoor exhibit may take place in a garden, a park, a parking lot, or in the middle of a shopping mall. Depending on the material to be shown, this can be the most challenging type of exhibit. The garden or park set-ting is ideal for sculpture and other dimensional objects that are not affected by heat, cold, rain, or snow. The nat-ural light and setting can be glorious props for these natural but hard materials Notes

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