This practical course will give you the opportunity to experience what it’s like to design and develop your own ideas through visual merchandising in the exciting and fast paced world of fashion retail.
This course is a great introduction for anyone interested in exploring future studies and a career in fashion, retail and visual merchandising.
It’s ideal if you are looking to gain first-hand experience and create portfolio-standard work.
Over the five, intensive days you’ll learn how to create visually effective window displays for fashion retail shops, exploring how to tell the story of a brand and communicate that feeling to customers.
During the course you will:
• gain an insight into the key roles and responsibilities of a visual merchandiser
• develop your creativity and explore your personal style
• analyse shop floor plans and how to work within a space
• research fashion retail trends and merchandising best practice
• explore colour, light and visual graphics and how they can enhance a display
• create visual merchandising plans
• learn techniques for displays used by professionals in the industry
• build confidence in communicating your ideas
• appreciate how customers engage with displays and how they impact on their retail experience.
You’ll explore visual merchandising through lectures, hands-on workshops and practical project work which will conclude with a final presentation of your ideas.
What will I gain?
By the end of the course you’ll have explored retail trends and a theme of your choice, and developed your ideas into a model 3D window display.
You’ll also leave with plenty of sketches and ideas to add to your portfolio, and ideas about how to progress in this industry.
Level: Beginners
Entry requirement: You should have an enthusiasm for fashion and retail along with a keen interest in colour, texture and trends.
Where you’ll learn: You will be based in the School of Art and Design on the City Campus.
You will have access to our modern teaching rooms, IT suites and collaborative working spaces to develop your concepts.
You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.
Tutor Profile: Jason Forrest is a specialist in visual merchandising and brand presentation.
He has worked with luxury and premium fashion brands such as Bally, Burberry, Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser for the last twenty years, designing window displays and product placements across the UK and Europe.
Jason is currently a senior lecturer for the Fashion Communication and Promotion degree course at Nottingham Trent University.
Need accommodation?
If you’re aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian.
Doing your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award?
This course can count as your Gold DofE Residential.
DofE participants must book both the course and accommodation on campus for this to count towards your Gold Award.
