The Worst holiday merchandising from around the globe.

aahhhh.... full swing into the holiday season. Tis' the season to spread the holiday cheer in your storefront and windows. Christmas can make or break a year for a retail which is why so often people think ``MORE IS MORE!!!``when dumping tinsel, bobbles and trees in their windows. So here, my darlings, is the obligatory holiday window post- just.. different. This is my homage to the worst.windows.ever. First up, this little ditty makes me wonder what happened at a shop...

So- I think it is really great when youhave creative and inispired store help working on windows or interior displays, it shows great interest in design and not to mention the work for the company. However... this is what happens when cotton batten goes on sale. When working on holiday windows- think outside the box when wanting to create 'snow'. More often that not "snow" looks junky, and unfocused believe it or not. All I can do is stare at the 3 feet of batten in this window. next

Okay. so - I feel like this window had lots of potential. But something happened along the way. This window looks pretty small, so one must be strategic in product placement. The story is unclear and is pretty cluttered. I am also unsure what the story is telling, other than that polar bear is terrified of the heavy, low swinging Christmas lights.... next

As a professional I can say this; Never mix the holidays with meat. In a window. Ever. next

These two are gems. Why? Because whomever painted these windows had some serious conviction in painting a whole story. However, two main rules apply when using a paint or mural to attract clients, 1) If you are going to paint a window and invest the time- do it right. Hire pro's who either paint murals or merchandisers, as when a mural turns out badly the image of the store is reflected as bad as well. Not a great artist? stick to simple paint scheme and easy drawings.

2) if you sell merchandise - add merchandise in the window, or as part of the display. As an example these windows were painted for a bakery- infuse bread, rolls and other "sellables" as inspiration. Create a garland from painted dinner rolls, french bread to look like stockings etc. If you have the space- use it. next

okay. another fabulous example of when batten goes on sale. Batten can be fabulous! but not so nice when not tucked in, or detailed. The house is the focal point, however there is not much else happening. Drab. too bad though - the possibilities are are amazing. next

I um.. don't have much to say here- other than stop the window brutality. next

We aren't just speaking to small- medium retail. This is a window from Barny's a few years ago. It was a collaboration of Illy coffee and the food network. I say it definitely had a great concept- but the execution was ... ok. While there is a focus to this message- the visual clutter does not work with similar colour palette, let alone metallic. The sheen of the cans are reflecting light and interest causing visual noise- but too much. Think, a group of musicians playing the violin, off key and all together. That's what this display is doing to me right now.