It's REALLY a Small World After All...

First things first: Yes, that's ME and Yes, I AM wearing my very own set of 50th-anniversary Mouse Ears. There are some things a Disney kid can NOT do without, and that headwear was at the top of my list last spring. (A twelve hundred dollar pair of Golden Ears, by the time all of the vacation expenses were added up. Ouch!)
OKay, next: I have my photo taken in this exact spot every time I go to Disneyland. Why? Disneyland is a BIG thing in my family. Sure, we were lucky enough to grow up in So Cal and visit alot, but it's more than that.
My grandfather built the Small World ride for me. Yup, you heard that right. I heard all about it from him, and he took me on the ride when I was a weeee little Debby and explained all about how he had been the man who made sure the mouths of the dolls all moved in perfect time to the endlessly-playing theme song, 'It's a Small World After All' (which is not actually the song titled 'The Song That Never Ends' - but it could be!). My grandfather really HATED that song. I guess after hearing it for months on end, anyone would. Even if he was building this ride knowing that someday his grandkids (ME! Oh, and all the other ones, too....) would love it. I have taken all of my kids on that ride, told them this story, and wished with all my heart that my grandfather had met them. When my grandson is old enough, I'll take him on it, too. It's a tradition!
My uncle was a head electrician on both the Haunted Mansion AND the Pirates of the Caribbean. And he LOVED the music! (Who wouldn't love 'YoHoYoHo A Pirates' Life for Me' a hundred times a day?!!!!) He took me thru both of those rides and showed me all the secrets and visual effects. Very cool, especially to a visually-oriented little girl.
There's a LOT more that ties my family, and me, to Disneyland - but I won't bore you with it. I'll just get to my point: So many people I have met all over the country have great Disney memories to share. The subject comes up at the most bizarre times....
Like, for instance, on Wednesday of this week: I had a meeting with a celebrated winemaker and his charming wife, to discuss how I can work with them to create a branded visual presence in their new facility. We toured the site, we went thru my portfolio, we talked services and fees....and then they asked about my background. As I started talking, I mentioned Disney - and suddenly Mr. Wine Guru's eyes light up and he tells me HE worked at Disneyland! We spent a good ten minutes reminiscing about growing up in So Cal (tho we did so a few years apart!) and it just amazed me. {He even told me that he had met Fess Parker's son (Eli?), as they are both winemakers. Fess was Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett in old Disney movies & tv shows, remember? And the hottest selling item in his Foxen Vineyards gift shop is ...a coonskin cap.} The wine industry is small, really - this man was the winemaker at a winery I was employed at a while back - but to also have a Disney connection, well, it's just kind of freaky! Especially in Washington - for some reason, about 75 percent of the people I meet here have NEVER been to Disneyland. GASP!
The thing with Disney, from a business standpoint, is that they have managed to create some things that no other business ever has: a self-sustaining culture of innovation & growth that continues to follow the founder's vision, a sense of intense loyalty by guests and cast (employees, for you who don't know the lingo) alike that is based mostly on making memories, and the most recognized brand image on Earth. I think it's because of those ears. And a few simple musical notes....sing with me.....'It's a Small World After All.....'

Display One OH One

Ok, now, I don't want this to sound like I am bashing on someone's work....please know that. But there are some design principles that are oh-so-perfectly illustrated by the following 'before and after shots', and to discuss them means I have to critique the 'befores'. So while I point out all of the flaws in the design below, know that I realize someone worked hard putting it together...they just didn't know the most effective way to do so.

Take a peek at Columbia Winery, circa June, 2003:

This display ran front to back on the right side of the shop. The view is from the front. It was made up of approximately 17 different fixtures: shelves, tables, stands, racks, planters, etc. I don't have an exact accounting of how many different products were in it, but I beleive it was somewhere near 50. Not a quantity count of 50 products, but 50 different products in various quantities. From candles and soap to wine and food and linens and dishes and glassware and tchotchkes and florals and silver and glass.

The display from the rear of the shop. That one single display setup ran the entire length of one side of the shop - 2o feet, to be exact. Yes, the display was 2o feet long. The shop is approximately 35 feet deep at that point. You do the math.

Ok, so just what are the problems there?

*First off, in either view above, you just don't know where to look. There is no focal point in the display. No use of color or scale or theme in the product selection to draw your attention in....your eye just sort of bounces all over the place trying to find a place to land.

*The mix of fixture styles (oak & glass shelving, maple tables, dark wood shelving, mixed metal stands) is distracting. You tend to be overwhelmed by this cacophony of styles instead of looking at the products. And, putting this many fixtures together creates a wall in the middle of the space - very overwhelming and detrimental to traffic flow & visibility. (We now actually refer to this formation as 'the train'!)

*The mix of products is not a good example of 'cross merchandising'. This is a bunch of varied merchandise filling tables & shelves. Cross merchandising is judiciously choosing several lines of product that work together to create a story, mood, serve like purposes, etc. and arranging it purposefully to show it effectively.

*The props that were used are pretty small in comparison to the fixtures, and they disappear. (Did you even see the flowers & branches?) Scale is important, especially when you want to capture attention.

Allright....now let me show you some of the displays that have been placed in that same area of the shop over the past four years: Columbia Winery, circa Spring 2006:

This display is seen from the front of the shop. The fixtures/tables all match and are placed in a way that cascades forward and shows the products at their best, the props match and are large in scale (all black metal shelves & planters, with a large grapevine in one), the color is bright and coordinates with the merchandise so it draws your eye in while setting a mood, and the merchandise mix is all built around the main products: wine and the ceramic line. There are approximately 15 products in this display: ceramics (2 lines), wine, linens (2 lines), florals (2 types - hydrangeas and grapes), metal planters, glassware, metal plate pedestals, food (3 lines), books (2 titles), and candles. This display was approximately 10 feet deep, front to back, and eight feet wide.

Then there was a six foot pathway, and another display setup behind it (which you can see in the rear left of the photo above.....)

This display is smaller than the one in the front: About 6 foot square. Again, the fixtures/tables all match ( and they cascade to the rear of this display),the tower on top matches the black iron props/accents, the green shutters add color and coordinate with the merchandise (the ceramic plates have artwork of outdoor cafe's on them - with awnings and shuttered windows), the flowers add fresh spring interest, and by limiting the items to a sort of French Bistro theme, we keep the look simple and crisp. There are about 12 product lines in this display: ceramics (3 lines), glassware, linens, the iron bike pieces, wine, florals (2 lines), fondue pots, and food (2 lines).

Here is another display at the front of the shop, same location, different season: Columbia Winery, circa winter 2005:

Height is important, as is using color to pull a customer in closer. That being said, note that the height is in the center of the display area, not across the entire width of it - room is left for the eye to focus on this display, and then look beyond to see what else the space holds. The stepped placement of the tables helps create levels to hold products and entice the eye.

Summer, 2006:Wild vibrant color, fun props (sooooooo cheap) and you've got a fiesta.

Spring 2007: Two separate displays, on new fixtures. Two stories, different products, but the colors relate to one another so the effect is not jarring to the eye. (This is the principle of 'adjacencies' - coordinating factors when displays are close together.)

One other thing: Removing the old dead grapevines overhead and painting the walls a lovely sage green has made a major impact in the shop, and that helps all of the displays look better. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and do the big jobs, but the visual impact will be well worth it. It's all about presentation, and effectiveness is in the details!

Play Space

Whether you own a shop, create a product, produce/design events or displays, you need to give yourself room to create. Create tangible things or just ideas, it doesn't matter really....the objective is to build a playground and then let your imagination run rampant in it. It needn't be huge - let me show you my office/studio, which is only an eight by ten room with a two and a half foot former-closet-space: Above is the view from the doorway. My husband is a dreamboat for building all of the shelves, cubbies, desks, and cabinets for me. That enamel top table is something I've had since my old mural-painting days - it's lightweight and travels well, and the top is easy to clean.

One wall is covered in bulletin boards (which are covered in cool papers and fabrics), and I use them as Inspiration Boards for the projects I am working on. Top right is an event for the Auction of Washington Wines in August, and since I took this photo I have filled up two more: One is a redesign of a winery in eastern Washington, the other is decor for a friends' wedding in July. I pin up colors, fabrics, photos, elements that spark my interest, and then as I progress in planning the project, I can discard what doesn't work and use the final choices to create a style sheet by gluing it all onto posterboard.


Yep, that's a chandelier painted green! I saw this idea on a blog belonging to Heather Bailey, fabric designer and creative spirit extraordinaire, and since I already had the chandelier I grabbed it and sprayed it Kermit Green for the perfect 'frou frou' touch in my office. A few added crystal beads and strands, ribbons, and a mini green velvet bird nestles into one of my NeSts make it 'over the top' perfect. Yes, my husband rolled his eyes when he saw it. But it's not just about working space & storage in here - it's about inspiration. I added crazy touches just to catch my eye and make me smile, like this:

Sure, it's storage - but it looks like candy (admittedly, some of it IS candy - a girl has to keep her strength up when creating). I also dressed my wire mannequin (you may remember seeing her as 'Miss Holly Daze' in my holiday seminar photos) in a glamorous pink silk ballgown...ummmm...actually swaths of fabric, since I hate sewing....and gave her a head of giant roses. It's wacky, yes, okay, I admit it. But remember my motto: 'It's not called Dis-WORK, it's called Dis-PLAY!' The black sweater on the back of the chair was my grandmothers', and having it there is like having her peer over my shoulder to see what I'm 'up to'....which she did ALOT!

There IS serious storage in there -

Fab shelving from IKEA, that I found on Craigs List for 75 bucks (and then we had to transport assembled and remove the office door to fit into the room...but it's perfect!) This holds works in process, reference books, office supplies, etc.

And these cubbies, which I have been hauling around since 1989, when I bought them at a garage sale in Truckee/Tahoe for ten bucks. They used to hold all of my magazines, now they hold boxes of small things. They are mounted to the wall in the closet, and a desktop is mounted to the bottom of them...perfect for the small parts of projects. Along with the other desktops and the enamel table, I can simultaneously work on three or four projects....and then there is the seven-foot-long dining room table and the three foot diameter library table and the four foot square kitchen island table.....I'm like a hurricane when I get going!
So my advice to you is, take a bit of time and find a space that you can organize and spiff up, and let yourself get creative. Amazing things happen - to us AND to our businesses - when we allow ourselves to think without limits!

Edited to add: Someone just emailed to ask me where all my STUFF is for displays & event decor?! All of the furniture, bikes, fabrics, silk flowers, vases, containers, baskets, trellises, christmas trees & ornaments, crates, barrels, boxes, silver champagne stands, and other props that I use are stored up in the attic, in my section of the garage, and some are stored at client's locations. No WAY all of that (over 50 Rubbermaid containers plus bagged trees) would ever fit in my office!