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How Do I Choose the Best Visual Merchandising Courses?

Angela Johnson
Angela Johnson

Choosing the best visual merchandising courses can be beneficial to those seeking careers in a retail or wholesale industry as well as other fields where the skill is used. It is important to consider the teacher's background, the technology used in the course, its accreditation, and the projects that are assigned. There are many different types of visual merchandising courses available through various educational facilities. It is best to choose a course that is convenient in terms of location as well as the course's schedule.

The teacher or professor of the visual merchandising course should have a fairly heavy amount of working experience in the field. There are many different types of merchandising fields, so it is crucial to choose a course in which the teacher has taught in an area like the one the student is preparing to enter. There is fashion visual merchandising, interior design merchandising, home furnishings merchandising, and other retail as well as showroom merchandising. Each type differs in methods that are used, so choosing the right course that offers education in the specific area of visual merchandising is important.

A visual merchandiser is responsible for creating and staging displays in a retail setting.
A visual merchandiser is responsible for creating and staging displays in a retail setting.

Technology is becoming increasingly important in the visual merchandising field. There are software programs that can help with designing a visual merchandising layout. These programs include applications using 2-D and 3-D designs that can enhance the ability to plan a layout without physically trying out many different designs before finding the right one. These software programs save merchandisers time, which makes them more marketable in any visual merchandising industry. It is important that the visual merchandising courses include technology that is up-to-date because this will be the most helpful when looking for a job.

Fashion merchandising courses may teach visual merchandisers to design in-store displays.
Fashion merchandising courses may teach visual merchandisers to design in-store displays.

Attending a school that offers accredited courses in visual merchandising is strongly recommended. These courses must adhere to high industry standards that include using up-to-date educational modules and technology to help students who are entering the industry have the most current knowledge in the market. Students who have attained an education from an accredited school and visual merchandising program are typically more respected than those who have not.

Choosing the best visual merchandising courses in terms of location will be the most helpful in terms of convenience. There are also online courses that offer visual merchandising classes, which can be great when it comes to learning technology. The online courses, however, may lack the quality that a traditional classroom experience can provide. Students of online classes are typically offered projects to complete that will grade their visual merchandising ability.

Discussion Comments

suntan12

My sister took a lot of fashion merchandising courses because she wanted to eventually seek a career as s fashion buyer. I think these courses helped her get internships with prestigious department stores that eventually helped her land a job as a merchandising manager upon graduation.

I think that the courses are important, but the choice of school is even more important because a lot of these companies consider the prestige of the school in which you studied from to be an important factor in eventually hiring you.

My sister went to Fashion Institute of Technology in New York which was well regarding in the fashion industry. This school gave her a lot of hands on internships which really opened a lot of doors for her.

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    • A visual merchandiser is responsible for creating and staging displays in a retail setting.
      By: Pavel Losevsky
      A visual merchandiser is responsible for creating and staging displays in a retail setting.
    • Fashion merchandising courses may teach visual merchandisers to design in-store displays.
      By: Kenishirotie
      Fashion merchandising courses may teach visual merchandisers to design in-store displays.