About Display Designers

Stores are often creative with the way they display their merchandise to attract retail customers--from artistic window displays to strategic placement of items for sale on the floor and shelves. In a competitive market, store owners will hire display designers to attract more buyers and increase revenue.

The Facts

Window displays offer previews of what is inside a store. They also act as billboards or advertisement right there on the spot. In a shopping mall where competing shops are next to each other, an attractive window display can attract more shoppers to come right in. This is why stores hire a display designer either full-time or part-time. The display designer has a responsibility to create beautiful and enticing window displays that bring in more customers who will eventually buy the products. A display designer's job does not end at the window display; it continues inside the store, where the designer arranges product and merchandise in ways to attract more attention from the shoppers.

Identification

Display designers are highly creative and talented professionals. They have excellent design skills and have great eyes for details. They are also up to speed with the latest trends and styles. Their ultimate responsibility is to design a display that helps increase the store's revenue. Some of their responsibilities include meeting with store owners or managers to find out more about the store and its products, creating plans or miniature models for the displays, finding props to use and putting up the displays on their own or with a team of workers. The display designers usually work 40 hours a week, but sometimes longer. They also work after-hours when the store closes so as not to interrupt the day-to-day store operation.

Type

Some display designers work full-time for huge department stores or chains, working at the different branches or locations. Other display designers work part-time or on a consultation or contractual basis; this is especially true for smaller or family-owned stores. Some work only on window displays, and others work on all areas of the store to display merchandise creatively. Some display designers have completed degrees in interior design, and some have studied arts.

Potential

Display designers can expect to earn top dollars when hired by bigger name-brand department stores. You have to learn the trade from the ground up to learn all the techniques required to fulfill the job--starting from an apprenticeship, working part-time, then moving up to become a full-time employee as part of the display design team. Promotions to supervisory positions depend on experience and tenure. Bigger department stores also hire senior positions to oversee and manage an entire department solely for merchandise product display and interior design. Senior positions receive higher pay, in addition to benefits and bonuses.

Risk Factors

The job of a display designer can be physically risky, involving carpentry and construction skills, so it is important to take the necessary precautions. For example, some displays must be placed up high, so a display designer may have to climb tall ladders to carry the items and put them on display. At times, designers also have to work using electricity, such as adding lights or electric-powered mechanisms to the display, so there is a risk of electrocution if the designer is not careful.

Resources

• Schools in the USA: Window display designers