Visual Merchandising, Image & Communication Strategies

This short course offers an in-depth exploration of visual merchandising as a key element of brand communication and consumer engagement in luxury retail. Participants are introduced to the principles that guide how a brand’s story is expressed through windows, interiors, and experiential environments.

The course begins with an introduction to global luxury retail and brand identity, combining consumer sociology and competitive analysis with the use of digital tools such as Adobe Creative Suite and AI-based concept generation. It then moves into practical applications, from window design and store layout to sustainable materials and styling techniques, culminating in the development of a coherent visual merchandising project.

By the final week, participants translate their learning into a professional-style presentation, demonstrating their ability to connect aesthetic choices with strategy, sustainability, and sensory experience. The course encourages a holistic understanding of the evolving retail landscape, where digital innovation and emotional storytelling converge to redefine the future of luxury retail communication.

• Visual merchandising principles and luxury brand identity
• Consumer sociology and trend forecasting in retail
• Store design, window display, and sensory communication
• Sustainable materials and circular retail concepts
• Digital tools and AI applications for visual storytelling

Week 1 

Participants will be introduced to visual merchandising by exploring its role within the current fashion retail market, as well key visual communication strategies employed to attract the customer and promote a sale. External store communication will identify some of the key design methods used in facades, access, and windows. In the first week focus is on researching successful and alluring displays, and the distinctions between presenting for commercial retail stores and luxury markets or boutiques. 

Week 2 

This week looks in more detail at image, layout, and the window display. Internal visual merchandising communication strategies will be introduced investigating key methods of store layout and in-store design in terms of props, fixtures and materials. Display methods utilising styling, space assignment according to sales objectives, and the importance of product grouping will also be introduced. Throughout the course participants will also gain a broad overview into the importance of branding to further understand consumer engagement. 

Week 3 

The final week focuses on the product including levels of display and sales and further investigates the retail experience from a consumer perspective. Participants will expand their understanding of visual merchandising by exploring retail concepts and strategies that embrace both digital and physical mediums to promote the ‘brand experience’. The final week also covers the importance of customer loyalty, after-sales techniques and the overall ‘customer experience’. During the course participants will have the opportunity to develop a basic visual research folder with design boards and understand the rationale behind key visual merchandising concepts.