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Shop till you drop
By my own admission I'm not a great high street browser. I prefer to know exactly what I want and plan my shopping trips like a military exercises: fast in, fast out. Bluewater is my closest mega venue and I must admit that a certain restaurant has a habit of drawing me back more regularly than I would like to admit.
During my last visit something changed. For no apparent reason, shops I would never normally have frequented suddenly presented a magnetic pull. Taking a step back I realised that many of the shops had made a monumental effort when dressing their establishments for the pre Christmas season. Everything was working in harmony and large format print was at its heart.
Maybe the recession has given the retail community an opportunity to remember that shopping can and should be an enjoyable experience filled with surprises. I'm not suggesting retailers should coerce consumers into buying products they don't want. Rather I'm suggesting they should use every opportunity to present their wares well, offer the consumer choice and make the purchase an exciting process.
Retail presentations must combine quality, clarity and creativity if they want to attract my attention. Here, the graphic designer must understand all available print technologies and the benefits of combining processes. SPDI is always amazed at what can be achieved when the best elements of different print processes and employed to work together. Let no one forget that.
Jon Barrett, Editor
