Window displays are the means of communication with the customers, the transition layer between the street and the store. From its emergence in the 2nd century, in the Roman Empire, until today, many changes have taken place until we reach the current windows, which not only display products, but also the identity of brands. Here is what to consider when designing a showcase.
Although there are historical evidences of displays in Trajan's Market in the Roman Empire age, window displays are strongly relared to the French culture, a country where the habit of setting up shop windows as we know it today emerged in the 19th century and influenced the rest of the Western world. They were glass surfaces through which jewelers and artisans displayed their products to passersby. With the Industrial Revolution, the expansion of consumer culture, and the consequent emergence of department stores, shop windows began to stamp European streets, with their mannequins, shelves, and tables.
Nowadays, shop windows not only present products. They also, and above all, communicate the brand’s concepts and identity. Over time, they gained complexity by incorporating constructive elements ranging from lighting, different types of support, colors and materials, to projections, music and other artifices that attract people's attention.
In some cases, especially in the brands' "concept stores", the window is absorbed by the architecture, and therefore, while it is a built space, it needs to have an opening to be changed inside whenever necessary. In general terms, the design of a showcase is defined by three basic elements: the available infrastructure, its architecture and interaction with the city, and the supports and objects on display.
Available Infrastructure
Regarding the quality of space, the showcase must be a flexible space that easily adapts to changes of the brand and its products. Therefore, the showcase space needs to be supplied with basic infrastructure: electrical installations and structural elements that allow variation and adaptation of the space, as well as a lighting project that responds to the needs of the store and can also be adapted when necessary.
Integration Between Storefront and City
In addition to technical issues, the design of a showcase must take into account the level of the store opening in relation to the street. Some brands prefer a certain discretion so that the big reveal takes place after we enter the store, while others prefer the window to be the big display of the itens, revealing them as decoys for the clientele.
Exhibition Objects
Another important issue is the nature of the products on display. There is a suitable support for each type, which can vary between mannequins, clotheslines, racks, bases, shelves, tables, sofas, steel cables, etc. These supports can be made from a variety of materials, colors, and properties, and can vary not only by product, but also by the collection being released.
