We’ve searched the world’s shopping streets to bring you the very best examples of window display design from the very best graphic designers and artists across the world.
You may be surprised how much a walk down your local high street could inspire you for your next project.
With a good design eye, clothes, shoes, CDs, games and even food can be combined to create a stunning window display.
Originally set up to entice shoppers through the door, the art of window display has come a long way in the past few years. Enjoy!
01. Artem for Selfridges
This isn’t the first time the quintessentially British department store will appear on this list, for good reason (it is, of course one of the few retailers to get its own TV drama series)
This year Selfridges has tried to get the edge on the competition by bringing in SFX company Artem. With 27 years of experience, the 3D special effects company have an impeccable pedigree; most recently working on Macbeth and In the Heart of the Sea, and creating 3D printed props for Ex-Machina and Halo 4.
Read more here.
02. Okamoto Studio for Barney’s
Okamoto Studio ice sculptures have transformed the window of New York department store, Barney’s into their own studio away from studio right up until December 31st.
The world-renowned ice carving collective will be carving their intricate ice sculptures for all to watch in awe, right next to the Ice Castles installation – a large-scale, immersive ice formation set inside the Madison Avenue window (transformed into a freezer just for the season!)
Read more about the incredible window displays at Barney’s here.
03. Kristjana S Williams for Fortnum and Mason
Illustrator, Kristjana S Williams has collaborated with the luxury London department store to bring a truly unique and artistic offering to the commercial city store displays.
Her richly imaginative work interweaves fragments of Victorian engraving with contemporary illustration and colouring and has been made 3D for the stunning, dream-like windows of F&M.
04. Tequila Patrón for Selfridges
“It takes sixty hands to make one bottle of the world’s finest ultra premium tequila,” reads the tag line on this inspiring window display design. Designed by Harlequin, the Patrón Selfridges window focuses on the 60 individual hands that make one bottle of Tequila Patrón. The concept for the window was inspired by Artist Bruce Nauman’s show in 1996 entitled ‘15 pairs of Hands‘.
05. Zim & Zou for Hermes
Zim & Zou are one of the forerunners in the medium of paper art, producing incredible masterpieces based on animals, foods, clothing and more.
Here, they show off their skills once more with an incredible window display design for French boutique Hermès. Only using paper and leather, they’ve created a stunningly intricate fox den filled with trinkets, crockery and clothes.
06. Kyle Bean for Diesel
Designer Kyle Bean is a firm favourite here at Creative Bloq. After working with the likes of Wallpaper*, Gucci, Casio, and Wired, he’s become one of the most sought after window display designers in the UK. This window display was created for Diesel’s flagship store in London and features miniature models, vines and an impressive temple. Visit website to see more of his work.
07. Robert Storey Studio for Nicholas Kirkwood
Robert Storey is a London based set designer and art director represented globally by CLM. Gaining a reputation for exquisite window display designs, the studio has gone on the work with the likes of Topshop, Harvey Nichols, and Victoria Beckham. This geometric design was for Nicholas Kirkwood’s Christmas collection.
08. Emily Forgot for Vertu Harrods
Emily Forgot is the alias of London based Graphic Artist Emily Alston. Since graduating from Liverpool school of Art & Design in 2004 she has amassed a diverse range of international clients, from cultural institutions, advertising, retail, publishing and editorial. The concept for this stunning window display was to highlight Vertu’s concierge service. Art direction was taken care of by Kristina Eriksen.
09. Phan V, Inessah Selditz and Dollee Bhatia
This Red Clock window display design might not instantly catch your eye but once you realise its interactive aspects, it becomes truly impressive. Designed by Phan V, Inessah Selditz, and Dollee Bhatia, real-time projection mapped window display serves as a functional art piece to pedestrians.
With each minute and hour that pass by, the clock signals change through a solitary hand pouring in the current time. Techniques for its creation include digital fabrication, laser cutting, projection mapping, Max/Jitter, and MadMapper.
10. Studio Xag for Selfridges
Studio Xag had the opportunity to design, make and install a window display for Futuremap at Selfridges, which is an annual exhibition showcasing the best graduating artists and designers from the University of the Arts London.
They crafted a domestic room scene, then transplanted it into Selfridges window using the Future Map logo to define the shape. We love the eye-catching bright turquoise colour!
11. Becky Sloan for Selfridges
Bright Young Things is the pioneering project by Selfridges that seeks out and champions the most exciting young creators in the UK. Whether it’s fashion, graphic design, illustration or food, Selfridges gives young adults the chance to show off their skills on a yearly basis.
This year, artist and popmaker Becky Sloan created this super-cute character based window display for one of Selfridges’ stores in London. With one million people walking past the famous windows every week, the displays provide an incredible launch-pad for these fledgling designers to showcase their creations to the public.
12. Adidas: Point, Click and Buy
Adidas may have changed the art of window shopping with this interactive window display in Nurnberg, Germany. The window displays a “fully functioning virtual store with life-size products” where shoppers can point and drag items onto virtual mannequins to see how it would look. This one is definitely for all you tech lovers!
13. Emma Reynolds for H.Blyth & Co.
Emma Reynolds is a freelance illustrator currently living in Manchester. Here, she created some adorable giant animal illustrations for H.Blyth & Co’s window display. They are an independent art shop in Manchester selling all sorts of things from wonderful Posca paint pens (which Emma used to create the animals) to pigments where you can make your own paint.
14. Breakfast for TNT
For TNT’s newest crime-solving show Perception, design firm Breakfast revived a sign technology of yesteryear to create an anagram-finding experience on the streets of New York.
Made up of over 40,000 physical dots spinning from black to white at 15 times faster than originally designed to, the screen not only reflects back the image of anyone walking by, but allows you to actually hear those movements thanks to its mechanical nature. This is a window display unlike any other!
15. Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama
This July, Louis Vuitton collaborated with the queen of polka dots herself – Yayoi Kusama. This resulted in the whole building being transformed into a spot haven, with this great red window display to complete the effect. We’ve never seen spots look this good!
Words: Sammy Maine
