Back to School

This year, VMSD magazine celebrates its 120th year of publication. Originally known as The Show Window, this publication has chronicled the store design and visual merchandising industry from its earliest days to the sophisticated practice we know today.

From that storied history comes a strong commitment to serve as a steward of our industry, reporting on the most innovative strategies, trends, projects and technologies. Part of what drives and sustains that innovation is the quality of students coming out of interior design and architecture programs all over the world.

Our Designer Dozen program, which honors retail design and visual merchandising professionals under age 35, recognizes individuals once they’ve spent a few years in the professional world. But we’ve found an opportunity to work more closely with design students as they’re determining their future areas of specialization.

Recently, our editorial team partnered with The Ohio State University’s (Columbus, Ohio) Department of Design in an effort to strengthen the connection between industry and education. Our editors will be following the senior retail design studio, led by Assistant Professor of Interior Design Rebekah Matheny, as students develop a comprehensive strategy to take a “generous brand” that exists only online into a brick-and-mortar space.

Fifteen students from the department’s three disciplines – interior, product and graphic design – will participate in off-site retail field trips, hear presentations from architecture and design professionals and visit local design and architecture firms. Their final projects will reflect what they’ve learned about the role of retail design and its ability to shape future consumer behaviors and experiences. A juried panel will select the winning project, which will be presented at the 17th annual International Retail Design Conference (IRDC) in New Orleans this Sept. 6-8.

In mid-January, I attended the kickoff presentation by Brian Shafley, ceo; Leah Cotterman, senior strategist; and Cara Ambrosino, vp of brand communications, all of Chute Gerdeman (Columbus, Ohio). The standing-room-only crowd of students and design professors clearly showed their interest in the project. VMSD is proud to be a partner and sponsor of this effort.