How to Make a Fashion Retail Storyboard

Storyboards are used by designers as a visual aid when selling to retailers..

Storyboards are used in retail to visualize a fashion concept. By laying your ideas out on a board, you can display an outfit or style through what's called a "fashion figure." The fashion figure is the focus of the storyboard; your thematic elements and details support and expand on the figure.

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Fabric swatches
White paper
Fine tip black marker
Colored pencils or markers
Scissors
Rubber cement
Word processor
Background paper

Instructions

- 1
  
  Choose the theme for your storyboard. You should already have an outfit in mind, the theme will help to translate that style concept on a larger scale. If you are designing an Asian-inspired outfit, include Asian elements in your background, etc.
- 2
  
  Purchase the storyboard and background paper that fits with your theme. Glue the background to the board using cement glue. Let it dry for 30 minutes.
- 3
  
  Draw your fashion figure on white paper. Make a light sketch with a well-sharpened pencil and then fill it in with markers or colored pencils, making sure to add the details of your outfit to the figure. This is called stylizing. It's not essential to draw faces, hands or hair well; if you can draw them, do it but, if you can't, leave the face blank and make abstract hands to complete the figure. Carefully cut out the figure with scissors.
- 4
  
  Make the technical drawings, or "flats," for your outfit using the fine-tipped black marker on white paper. These are essentially breakdowns of your design; each element of the outfit, front and back, should be drawn out separately. Carefully cut out each flat.
- 5
  
  Trim your fabric swatches to 2-inch by 2-inch squares. If you'd like, you can use decorative edge scissors to add some interest.
- 6
  
  Choose a font that coordinates with your theme. Type out the header you wish to use (this should be a phrase that captures the theme) and labels for your flats. You'll need labels that say "front" and "back" as well as labels for any special design features on your garments, such as "gathers" or "pleats."
- 7
  
  Lay out all the elements on your board to determine the layout before gluing. Brush the back of your fashion figure with rubber cement and glue it down at the right side of the board. Do the same with each flat and glue them down in a cluster to the left of the figure. The swatches should be glued to the bottom left of the board. Glue the header at the top of the board and the labels next to the appropriate flats.
- 8
  
  Decorate your board with any accessory items you wish. You may want to add a design border around your header or add some well-placed rhinestones or beads, assuming they add to your overall design concept.