The role of color in your storeOverview_
Color influences our lives on a daily basis. Colors send subtle (and not
so subtle) messages of the presence or lack of prestige, value, attitude and warmth.
Accordingly, the proper use of color within a store design significantly affects the
stores results.
The successful visual merchandiser has an appreciation for color and its
proper use in the store. Colors have a direct relationship with each other. Notice
how light is converted into color by a prism and how the resulting colors are
related. Isaac Newton created the first “color wheel” when he discovered this
spectrum of lights could be turned into a circle of color.
Colors are classified as “warm” and “cool.” Warm colors such as yellow,
orange and reds are active vibrant colors that have the spirit of the daylight sun.
They excite and stimulate the senses. Greens ,violets and blues are more sedate and
subtle giving them a nighttime or cooler air. They soothe and calm. In the middle
are the yellows and some greens
Colors affect can attitude as well. If you are looking for a serious, reserved
image, use dark colors. Casual, open attitudes call for light colors.
A. Best use of color inside store
The primary locations for areas of color in a store are the backgrounds
(such as floors and walls), display elements and floorboards.
Together, these components form your “color scheme”. Your scheme
must be coordinated and harmonious.
Background- Choose neutral colors for your background. Use colors
that will work well with other “accent” colors. Good background
choices are tan, white, muted grays, black, beige or some browns. Of
these choices, the tans probably offer the most popular all round
choice as it does not show soiling as easily as white, or lints as the
black shades do. Use these neutral shades in your carpet, rugs, floor,
walls, and furnishings. They will provide a perfect background for the
color your accents will add.
Accent- Here is the opportunity for special interest and excitement in
your displays. You’ll be using accents sparingly, so feel free to experiment with
something dramatic. You want the accent areas of your case to attract attention.
Some designers use a simple rule, the smaller an accent area is, the stronger the
color can be. If you are creating a relatively large accent, back off a little on the
intensity of the color to avoid overdoing it. Consider colors like purple, red, yellow
violet, strong blues and white as accents. They will add vitality to your cases.
-Monochromatic color schemes
For some time, many retailers have used “monochromatic” display
schemes in their cases. This word is used to describe a showcase that
is all the same color. Restated, imagine a showcase with floorboards,
risers, elements and accessories all exactly the same color. Proponents
of these displays believe the jewelry “pops” off these displays more
effectively than on multicolor displays. If the color is a good
background color, there is some merit to this argument. The common
color background can visually blend causing the shopper to look
“past” the displays and focus more on the jewelry.
Some will say ”I want people to look at the jewelry, not the displays.”
Though the argument seems convincing, it is important to remember
that good displays enhance the appearance of the jewelry. You
actually want them to be seen so they can do their job of raising the
perceived value of the merchandise. Obviously, the jeweler is
interested in selling the merchandise, but displays, used correctly, will
improve the chances of a sale.
B. Effective Use of Accent color
If you are looking for an effective alternative to monochromatic
schemes, consider a two tone scheme for your cases. Pick a primary
color, probably a neutral shade like tan, and combine it with a strong
color such as navy or dark green. Use these two colors throughout the
cases. Use the neutral colors as floorboards and on the tops of the
trays. Use the strong color for the sides of the trays and the individual
pieces.
It is also acceptable to use a wide mix of colors in your cases if they
are used in specific places to complement specific merchandise. Not
all goods look their best on a single color such as a white or tan. Do
not feel you must compromise with a single color if you can handle a
mix of colors. You might order trays with tops or inserts of a color
that look best. You’ll have to dedicate those trays to use only in a
specific case or you’ll end up with the wrong colors in the wrong
cases. If you cannot control this possibility, avoid more than 2 colors
in the cases.
If you choose to use a mix of tray colors, here are some suggestions.
It is usually a good idea to place loose stones in displays that have
white backgrounds. If your cases do not usually have any white
display trays, order trays in your store colors with white inserts. Your
display manufacturer will custom-make them for you. The stones will
look more vibrant against the white background.
When displaying pearls, consider using a special background color in
your displays designed to show off the best of the merchandise.
Experts suggest cream pearls look best on a tan or brown background.
Black pearls are best on white. White pearls on Black or tan. Avoid
pearls on any green shades.
Once you decide to use two colors in your cases, it is not at all
necessary to use a constant mix of the colors. Consider what is called
a “Variable proportion” approach to a mix of colors. As an example,
imagine a two tone color combination of navy and white. We will
want to use only those two colors in the cases. For the cases that
contain the higher value goods (such as diamonds) we will design the
case to have more white than navy. In other words, when a customer
looks into the case, about 80% of what he sees is white and the
remaining 20% is navy. Perhaps the 20% is composed of some ring
fingers, bracelet ramps and the edges of the risers in the case. The
point is, the bulk of what he sees is white. Moving on, in the midrange
goods, such as the precious, semi-precious and similar goods, the
proportion is 50%-50%, white and navy. In the lower end goods, such
as chain, silver and charms, the proportion again is 80%-20% but the
colors are reversed,. There is now more navy with a little white. The
cases match the rest of the store, but the look is definitely different.
As an added benefit, the darker colors will not show soiling as quickly
even though these lower end cases tend to get a lot of traffic and wear.
For the customer, it is obvious where the better goods are. The
white makes the case look brighter. The lower end goods will look
good against the dark colors. The mid-priced goods work well in their
two toned environment.
C. Colors to avoid
The simple answer is to avoid those colors that do not complement the
merchandise. A few specific merchandise examples have been listed
earlier. Diamonds should never be displayed on yellow backgrounds
and pearls should not be shown on green.
Colored stones are often sold on the basis of their unique color. Avoid
displays that are close in shade to the jewelry. Never, for example, put
sapphires on a deep blue background or rubies on a red or burgundy
riser..
Generally speaking, avoid colors that are garish and overwhelm the
eye. Jewelry placed on a sea of bright orange, bright yellow, aqua,
turquoise or even light blue does not seem appealing.
The problem with these colors may be more the amount of color
rather than the actual shade. If you want to use these strong colors,
just use a small amount. Display presentations of more sedate colors
such as a tan or cream, accented in a light blue piping might be very
appealing.
Given the unique nature of merchandise in a retail jewelry store,
virtually any color can be used in some amount.
As always. Contact the me if we can help you in any way to make
your store more successful.