Role of New Media Technologies in the Promotion, Exhibition, and Display of Contemporary Fashion - Essay Example

? The role that new media technologies play in the promotion, exhibition and display of contemporary fashion in window displays The role that new media technologies play in the promotion, exhibition and display of contemporary fashion in window displays The fashion window can be compared to the eyes of a retail outlet, a glimpse into the soul of the collection that is currently being highlighted within the shop. The window, in its most basic form, is designed to attract the shopper (meaning a consumer who has gone to a shopping environment with the purpose of making purchases) to the store by revealing a wondrous display of the consumerist delights within that can be indulged. In its highest form, the shop window can reveal an element of the editorial point of view of the latest collection of wares with a commentary on society that is reflected by the style that has been imposed upon the items that are for sale. New media technologies are creating avenues of design for shop windows at a level of modernity that is unprecedented in history. Movement, action, and light have all been improved by technologies that are smaller, more independent and advanced to a point where it seems that magic is created within the framework of a window. New media technologies are playing an artistically important role in the creation of contemporary fashion window displays and are increasing the level of promotion and exhibition that can be observed. In understanding the way in which media has affected the event of window display, the concept of new media must be understood. A dictionary style definition of new media can be said to be “a broad term in media studies that emerged in the later 20th century to encompass the amalgamation of traditional media such as film, images, music, spoken and written word with the interactive power of computer and communications technology, computer enabled consumer devices, and most importantly the internet” (Sullivan 2009, p. 306). The new media as provided for within the virtual world has affected the way in which consumers experience the real world, thus this must be examined in order to frame the way in which the new media has changed the way in which the art of the window display has been approached. Then a discussion of the way in which the new forms of media are being used will be made in order to see how advantages of the new technologies are being exploited for the benefit of consumer marketing. This essay will explore the nature of communications as it is experienced between the consumer and the retailer through the event of the window display. The concept of ‘new media’ must be observed as a social term that defines time more than it defines a tangible concept. The new media emerged as communications began to grow in such a way as to change the nature of communication. New media involves digital media, cellular communications, internet interactions, and all of the technologies that are emerging from these forms (Lister 2003, p. 9). However, the concept is more than just the technologies. It is the evolutionary break between the world before the internet and the world that has emerged since its proliferation. The way in which humans now communicate has had an elementary shift. Communication is accomplished through writing, verbalizing or through interpretation of imagery. Communication is codified with signals that indicate context for the content. The impersonal nature of internet communication has been compensated for by the development of social languages that are in many ways kinder and friendlier than in previous forms of more formal communication. Therefore, the nature of how emotion is indicated in written language has become symbolized through pictorials, shortened references such as lol, meaning laugh out loud, and the use of capital letters or small letters. Furthermore, because of the heavy use of advertising, the way in which movement of digital imagery and impact of colour usage has been defined has changed elements of the way in which humans respond to what they see (Lievrouw and Livingstone 2006, p. 37). The use of a window display is the first step of VM (visual marketing). In creating a window that has an allure to the shopper, the shop is creating a marketing dialogue with the potential buyer. The window, through the use of the media of interior design, art, and visual communication, sustains a communication with the consumer in providing information about seasonal changes and the point of view of the collection within the store. The use of strategic communication addresses the brand of the store while the tactical communication is defined by the changes of seasons as interpreted by the collection and the promotions that are time specific (Bhalla, Swati, and Anuraag 2010, p. 145). Through the use of a well-designed window, a shop can help a shopper understand what to expect once inside the door as well as attract them into the outlet. The window is the way in which the store lets the public know how they should frame their experience within the store. In the dialogue between the shopper and the store, the window provides a framework in which the store can place its wares so that the shopper can determine if the experience is within the needs and/or desires of the shopper’s lifestyle (Newlands and Hooper 2009, p. 297). It is unlikely that a woman interested in the experience of shopping for herself will enter a store that displays hardware, just as a man who is interested in fixing a shelf will not enter a shop displaying women’s shoes. The dialogue that the window provides allows the shopper to assess his or her needs as the store addresses those intentions to fulfil needs. However, the dialogue does not end at the point of addressing needs. A modern window that has been designed using sound marketing intentions will speak with the shopper on a level of creating demand within the shopper. Good design will have elements that communicate the brand in such a way as to enhance the lifestyle concept that the brand has embraced. In communicating this lifestyle to the consumer, the brand can create a demand within the consumer through suggesting that there is a need that the consumer might not have been aware of that the wares within the shop can fulfil. In addressing a consumer through the use of design that utilizes modern media technologies, the consumer believes that the goods within the store will affect their future and are based upon the modernity of the period rather than catching them within a rut that is represented by the past (Sharma 2009, p. 245). The use of new media in order to promote the products of a store can be seen when looking at the way in which much of it is used in the store windows. As an example, Reiss uses flat screen television screens in order to show the fashion shows that represent the most recent collection both in the fore front and in front of the mannequins that sport pieces of the collection (see Figure 1 & Figure 2). The combination of movement from the catwalk models and the reality of the actual pieces on the mannequins provide an activated visual display with movement being provided from a two dimensional space in contrast with the static three dimensional space. Reality and the image of reality are interchanged, juxtaposed against one another in order to create a visual contrast of movement. As reality in the form of mannequins is only representative of human forms, the two dimensional images of real people on the television contrast the concepts of reality against the image of reality. The new media has created a world in which reality is no longer understood in simply a three dimensional space. The high definition of digital imagery has created virtual realism that has confused the human experience in the sense of the hyper realistic digital imagery that now has imposed itself as realism into the human experience. According to Fischer and Mullins (2006, p. 38), virtual realism has made it possible to cross boundaries of visual experience that has never before been possible. Therefore, windows like the ones seen in Reiss (Figure 1 and Figure 2) can be seen for its communication about its products. However, they also serve as social commentary for competition between reality and virtual reality in forming perceptions about what defines the real world. Virtual reality, or VR, provides an environment in which the unimaginable can be imagined and brought to life. According to Chun and Keenan (2006, p. 349), “all the world’s a display and the entire individual’s in it are operators in and on the display”, which is a derivative of a quote from Shakespeare who said “All the world’s a stage” (Chun and Keenan 2006, p. 349). People have become accustomed to events and imagery that defies reality, creating worlds that even ten years ago would not have been imagined. The virtual world can be interpreted as far more real than the flawed reality in which humans actually live, the perfection creating a level of dissonance between what can be accomplished in VR and what can be accomplished in reality that must be navigated by window designers for the limits that realism can impose. Therefore, combining new media technologies with the art of the display window has provided with new visual interest along with artistry that can be seen as reflecting a new age. In creating a display window, the level of visual expectation that is now expected by the consumer must be considered when creating a display window. The virtual world has provided a perfection that is unprecedented in history in the way in which visual display can be rendered. Therefore, in the use of physical props and design that same level of perfection must be reached through a different medium in order to create elements of fashion. The physical props must be balanced with other elements in order to reflect the expectations of the consumer about the effectiveness of a visual element of marketing. The irony that exists now within the artistic development of a window display for the purposes of fashion promotion is that rather than reflecting reality as the digital rendering of the world through two dimensional representation, the three dimensional quality of the window display must reflect the perfection of visual form that is possible within the virtual world. In creating the discourse about the brand and in promoting the lifestyle of the consumer who associates with the brand, the window must reflect the modernity of the world in order to compete with the technological advances of the world. The use of digital displays, high definition images with action being displayed is one way in which the window can reflect the modernity of the technological world. The French Connection on Oxford Street has a series of screens showing a documentary film as part of their window display (see Figure 3). The commentary on the interaction of the multiple of screens and the connection between the interior and the exterior, the conduit of the window from the interior to the consumer outside of the shop provides a discourse on the communicative value of the display window. The flickering of the action on the screen creates a light show, beyond the imagery that is shown, capturing the attention of those who pass by the window. 6. Light and Shape Light is a very important element of the display window environment. The way in which the window is lit will define the way in which the display can capture the attention of the viewer, especially in a highly competitive environment such as a mall or a street of shops. According to Boubeta (2010, p. 60) in the event of a window display “Controlling the lighting allows us to shape objects and to achieve warm or cool environments. Depending on the window display’s structure and possibilities, lighting is the most effective and useful way of enhancing the displayed product”. The use of light is one of the most vital elements within the window display, created by the flickering of the screen when televised elements are used as much as by the careful arrangement of light bulbs within the space. Shape is defined by the way in which light is used to highlight the three dimensional elements within the window. As shown by this unique tubular display, the use of light provides the imagery to be defined by the shape of the enclosure as the light reflects against the objects within the framework (see Figure 4). The dispersed overhead light creates an interesting geometry against the shape of the tube, the three mannequins promoting the fashions in balance with the frame of light. Taking technological advances further, the windows in Zara show how the use of light technologies can be used to create artistic expression (see Figure 5). In crossing three elements of the human experience, industrialization, modern imagery, and lighting techniques that suggest the control of virtual reality, the windows are examples of visual modernity as a compliment to the creation of fashion demands in the display window environment. The artistry of the window display is secondary to its initial purpose. A window display is intended to create a piece of marketing for the store in front of which it sits. However, creating a good display window does take artistic skills. The skills are unique in that they involve defining a three dimensional space that is confined to specified measurements. The artist within the window dresser will have to contend with the context and dimensions of the available space in order to provide for a composition that reflects the aesthetics of the brand. In addition, the window display designer must contend with the nature of the world as it has been redefined in the age of communications, the simplicity of the display window having to reach an audience that is used to instant gratification and hyper realism. According to digital theorist Lovejoy (2005, p. 1), “widespread integrated changes in technological conditions can affect the collective consciousness and trigger important changes in cultural development“. The window display has also had to make these adjustments in order to keep in step with the modernity of the world. Lovejoy (2005, p1) furthers her argument by using the example of the camera as it affected a change in the way in which the perception of imagery was accepted. These shifts have been exponentially expanded as the development of different technologies has furthered the context in which images can be experienced. Great shifts in the perception of imagery have taken place in the last ten years creating the need for those in industries that involve imagery to expand the way in which they use imagery to communicate. Communication has changed, thus the way in which communication is performed must adapt to the language of the culture. The communication of the window in a shop is created through the context in which the images in the window are arranged for the viewing consumer. The connection between the shop and the exterior world is defined by the communication of the window, this conduit providing a discourse about the brand and the wares inside the store. As technologies have changed and evolved into the new media, so has the type of communication that the window has created. The window no longer simply tells a story about what is inside the shop, but it must convince the consumer of the need for the products and provide a symbolic connection to the modern world. While technologies have provided both a conversation about modern culture and methods of expressing modern culture, they have also created a challenge for the window designer. In creating a discourse on fashion, the most effective windows create a commentary on the modern world while promoting lifestyles in that world that reflect the aesthetics of the designers of the fashions represented. The use of new media helps to create windows to the soul of the interior of the store, their connection to new media allowing the consumer to relate to the communication of the brand and the lifestyle that the retail outlet is promoting. Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 References Bhalla, Swati, and Anuraag S. 2010. Visual Merchandising. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Boubeta, Carmen. 2010. Design Techniques for Window Dressing. Spain: Ideaspro. Chun, Wendy Hui Kyong and Thomas Keenan. 2006. New Media, Old Media: A History and Theory Reader. London: Routledge. Fischer, Herve and Rhonda Mullins. 2006. Digital Shock: Confronting the New Reality. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. Lievrouw, Leah A, and Sonia M. Livingstone. (2006). Handbook of New Media: Social Shaping and Social Consequences of Icts. London: SAGE. Lister, Martin. 2003. New Media: A critical Introduction. London: Routledge. Lovejoy, Margot. 2004. Digital Currents: Art in the Electronic Age. London: Routledge. Newlands, David J, and Mark J. Hooper. 2009. The Global Business Handbook: The Eight Dimensions of International Management. Farnham, Surrey, England: Gower. Sharma, Mayank. 2009. Product Management: Product Lifecycles and Competitive Marketing Strategy. New Delhi: Global India Publications. Sullivan, Larry E. 2009. The SAGE glossary of the social and behavioral sciences. London: SAGE. Read More