VISUAL MERCHANDISING

YOUR VISUAL Merchandising TOOLKIT

Everything you need to make effective, and eye-catching, visual displays

BY TRAVIS J. REED

have you ever wondered what tools you need to be the head visual merchandiser in your practice? I’m a professional visual merchandiser, and I’m happy to share some trade secrets of what to have on hand in your bag of tricks to help you achieve a visually striking and clean space with optimal displays.

When I travel to design spaces, I take a toolbox that is filled with many items that I can’t live without. You’d be surprised at how simple some of them are, so I’ve laid out a few that I suggest you invest in to get started. These tools and materials can help you achieve the best results when creating displays and keeping an optical practice looking sharp.

DOUBLE-SIDED ACRYLIC TAPE. There is a kind that is thick and clear that works wonders to keep items in place in a vitrine display. Be sure to buy the kind that really disappears nicely.

DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE. You can use this to easily mount items to walls and fixtures anywhere.

BLUE PAINTER’S TAPE. The green brand works, too. It is a masking tape that makes clean lines when painting and is also great for installing vinyl.

DUCT TAPE. So many uses! And one of them is to hold things together strongly when used in the back side of displays that can’t be seen, like in window displays.

HEAVY DUTY VELCRO. Use this to hang temporary items or even art that you might want to change once in a while without putting holes in the walls. It’s great for seasonal decorations or displays.

TOUCH-UP PAINT. Keep a quart or pint of each wall color in your office on hand for touching up scratches and nail holes, as well as to paint props to match your colors!

PAINT BRUSHES. An expensive set of artist and painter brushes and some brush cleaner is great to have on hand. This is one area in which you don’t want to scrimp on cost. Good paint brushes are worth every penny.

FINISHING NAILS. These are very thin nails that do a great job of hanging displays and art, but only make a tiny hole in the walls that is easily fillable later.

HAMMER. Not only will you use this to hang art with your finishing nails, but you’ll use it to take old nails out and assemble furniture, etc. Rubber mallets are great to have as well, as they won’t damage items when hammering.

SQUEEGEE/BURNISHER. This is a hard plastic applicator used to install vinyl graphics. You use it to “squeegee” any air bubbles or other imperfections in the graphics you just hung. If you don’t have one of these, a credit card can also get the job done!

LEVEL. A standard level is needed to hang artwork, graphics, and install vinyl graphics. No one wants to see a crooked anything.

LASER LEVEL. Look for one that projects more than one beam, and even better if it sticks to the wall with a built-in battery powered vacuum. Use it for painting stripes or borders, hanging vinyl and art, measuring heights, etc.

HOT GLUE GUN/STICKS. Be careful here, as hot glue can be dangerous. There are certain types that have a low melting point and are safer to use. Hot glue is clear, works great, and is pretty easy to remove off of many surfaces.

GEL SUPER GLUE. Use this to adhere items together when making props or fixing things you’ve broken. Dollar stores can be a great place to find this (and many other items on this list).

GLOVES. Wear white cotton gloves when handling things you don’t want fingerprints on, and vinyl/latex/rubber gloves for working with glues and paints and cleaning.

FURNITURE TOUCH-UP MARKERS. Scratches happen. Use these to “hide” scratches and damage on fixtures and floors, as well as on props and other wood trim in your practice.

CALCULATOR. It’s handy to do quick math when trying to find the center of a wall or floor, when deciding on heights for art, or figuring out quantities and costs for projects.

CELL PHONE CHARGER. Trust me. Keep one in your toolbox so you can use your phone to take “before” and “after” photos, stream music to work to, and search the web for how to videos and inspirational ideas.

BLADES. A box cutter for opening items, a larger blade on a handle (paint scraper type) for removing vinyl graphics from glass doors and windows, and an X-Acto knife for making fine cuts. You’ll need them all.

PAPER TOWELS/WINDOW WASHING FLUID. Clean glass and lenses daily to make everything sparkle and look high end. Sparkling glass shows the customer you care about the practice and your merchandise.

STAPLE GUN/STAPLES. This is another fast and easy way to hang and attach things, such as rewrapping an ottoman or stool with a new fabric, or stretching canvas. It’s also ideal for tacking cords down and out of sight.

WIRELESS DRILL. Yes, you can use this to drill, but you’ll use it as a screwdriver even more! And you can attach other tips like sanders, buffers (to fix scratches in glass!), etc.

GOOF OFF. A name-brand adhesive and “goo” remover that does not use citrus oil so there is no residue. Very strong stuff, like paint thinner or stronger, will work like a charm but it will take the paint off as well. So beware.