BA Visual Merchandising and Display PDF

Dublin Institute of Technology
Faculty of Applied Arts

School of Art, Design and Printing
BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display

Programme Document
April 2009
1
CONTENTS
Page
Part A Background Information 4
i Market Demand and Support 4

ii Accommodation, Teaching Facilities and Resources 5
iii Technical and Administrative Support 6
iv Library & Research Facilities 8
v Staff 9
vi Research, Development and General Scholarship within the 10
School of Art, Design & Printing
vii Staff Professional Development 13
viii Programme Management and Quality Assurance Arrangements 13
ix Programme Development Plan 14
x Learning & Teaching Enhancement 15
Appendix 1 Sample Project Brief
Appendix 2 General Assessment Form
Part B Programme Document 16
i Programme Background and Structure 16

ii General Structure of the BA Visual Merchandising and Display 20
programme
iii Relationships with Professional and Academic Bodies and 21
Programme Advisory Board
iv Admission Criteria 23
v Curriculum Summaries 25
vi Marks and Standards 31
1st Year Syllabus 32
Allocation of Credits 33
Semester 1 34
Theory of Visual Merchandising 34
Strategies in Visual Merchandising 36
AutoCAD 38
Business Studies 1 39
History and Theory of Design 1850 – 1890 41
Communications 1 43
Semester 2 44
Homeware and Accessories 44
Theories of Visual Merchandising 46
History and Theory of Design 1890 – 1930 48
2nd Year Syllabus 50
Semester 1 52
2
Fashion and Accessories 52
Visual Merchandising 54
AutoCad 2 56
Communications 2 57
History and Theory of Design 1920 - 1970 60
Semester 2 62
Fashion and Styling 62
Visual Merchandising 64
History and Theory of Fashion 1850 - 1980 66
3rd Year Syllabus 68
Semester 1 70
Major Industry Project 70
Work Placement 72
Interior Design 75
Digital Modelling 77
Branding and Visual Merchandising 78
Communications 3 82
Staff CVs 83
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PART A Background Information
i. Market Demand and Support
a. The BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display will prepare graduates for a career as
Visual Merchandisers and Retail Display Designers in the Irish and international retail
industry. It will replace the Higher Certificate in Design Display which has been in
existence since 1973 and was the only fulltime 3rd level course of its kind in Ireland.
Extensive consultation with key figures in the Irish Retail industry has led to the
establishment of an External Advisory Board. The External Advisory Board met with the
lecturers on the Higher Certificate in Design Display programme during 2007 and advised
that a different kind of graduate was required to meet the challenges facing the Irish Retail
Sector in the 21st century. The External Advisory Board indicated that while the graduates
of the Higher Certificate in Design Display had the required skill set in the past, there is
now a demand for a differently qualified type of graduate. Specifically, the importance
placed on Display Design in the industry has been replaced by a greater emphasis on
Visual Merchandising and a working knowledge of branding, budgeting and marketing in a
retail environment. The Irish retail sector has advised the Programme Team that the
existing programme has to be replaced to reflect this change in the industry. This new skill
set – a combination of good design display skills with a knowledge of Visual
Merchandising supplemented with a working knowledge of business practice - has meant
that the existing 2 year Higher Certificate has to be replaced with a 3 year BA (Ord) in
Visual Merchandising and Display.
The retail sector is a very significant contributor to the Irish economy. In a recent report
from CB Richard Ellis, The Irish Retail Market Q1 2008, it was stated that despite the
difficult economic conditions the “the general consensus is that the Irish retail market
continues to perform relatively well ---- and that the volume of retail sales grew by an
impressive 4.7% in 2007. The report also notes that “overseas retailers continue to enter
the Irish market and existing retailers continue to look for expansion opportunities around
the country. Development up to mid 2008 has been healthy in the Irish Retail Sector with
“almost 1.4 million square metres of new shopping centre accommodation built in Ireland
in the last five year period while as much as 1 million square metres of new retail park
development came on stream since 2002. The internationalisation of the Irish Retail
market stands at 35 % in comparison to 55% for the UK and CB Richard Ellis predict
“great potential for more international retailers to establish operations in Ireland over the
coming years, despite slowing economic prospects. While, economic conditions are very
tough at the moment it is clear that the Irish Retail sector will be prepared for strong
growth when the Irish economy enters a period of growth in the 1st quarter of 2011.
Merchandising is a key element in any successful retail industry and this new programme
will have a vital role to play in making sure that there is steady supply of suitably qualified
graduates who can help Irish retail companies develop this aspect of their business.
Graduates of the BA Visual Merchandising and Display will fill a unique niche in the Irish
retail industry through the combination of their knowledge of merchandising with excellent
visualisation skills which will allow them develop a new range of dynamic retail
experiences for their customers.
In this way, the BA in Visual Merchandising and Display will produce graduates who will
be prepared to play an important role in the Irish Retail sector as it emerges from difficult
economic conditions over the coming decade. In fact a number of past graduates of the
Higher Certificate in Design Display have gone on to become Creative Directors for such
major Irish retailers as Arnotts Group PLC and A-wear plc. The graduates of the new BA
will combine a thorough knowledge of the principles of visual merchandising including
practical design skills with a creative understanding of display design and a knowledge of
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the retail industry. The ultimate aim of the programme is to produce a professional visual
merchandiser and display designer who can operate either autonomously or as a leader of a
creative team in retail outlets. The graduates of this programme will demonstrate a mastery
of the theory and strategies of visual merchandising, a practical competence in the skills
relevant to retail display, an understanding of brand image and consumer behaviour and
will be able to operate at a high level in the retail industry.
b. The programme committee has received extensive advice and support from The Faculty of
Business through the Department of Retail Management Studies and the School of
Marketing. The Faculty of Business has advised the Programme Committee on issues
relating to the delivery of modules in Business Studies, Branding, Marketing and Work
placement and has also supplied examples of modules in these areas and advised on how
they may be adapted to the needs of this programme.
There has also been considerable cooperation with the University of Humberside, UK;
Ware College, Hertfordshire, UK and NEGOCIA, Paris, France. Staff from NEGOCIA
have visited the Higher Certificate in Design Display over the last number of years and
have advised on the structure of the 3rd year of the proposed BA in Visual Merchandising
and Display.
ii. Accommodation, Teaching Facilities and Resources
a. The programme has access to two dedicated design studios on separate floors in DIT
Mountjoy Square. In addition there is a dedicated Window Display Studio with a full Store
Room for mannequins, props etc. Students also have access to a fully equipped model
making workshop in DIT Mountjoy Square. Library facilities, digital design laboratories
and lecture theatres are also located in DIT Mountjoy Square.
b. Specialised Equipment: Full Window Display Studio with 13 windows and 25 industry
level mannequins
c. E-Learning support: E-Learning support is provided by the Learning and Teaching Centre.
d. No additional facilities are required to run new programme. The 3rd year of the programme
is structured around the major industry project and Work Placement while the other
modules will be delivered using existing facilities.
Studio space (including Window Display Studio) 180 sq meters
Computer laboratories 165 sq meters

(open access, 3d digital lab, 2d digital lab)
Offices for teaching staff 311 sq meters
Management / administration offices 68.5 sq meters
*Seminar Rooms 89 sq meters
*Tutorial Rooms 27 sq meters
*Post graduate room 37 sq meters
Model Making Workshop 80 sq meters
* Library 551.75 sq meters
* Denotes space / resource shared with other programmes

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iii. Technical and Administrative Support
The School of Art, Design and Printing has 2 dedicated IT technicians who look after the
CAD and 2D digital design laboratories and the digital design booth and plotter in the
Interior and Furniture design studios. A dedicated audio-visual technician is also available
to the school.
Equipment Quantity
Computers
Mac G5 30
Powerbook G4 (Laptop) 7
Imac 5
Ibook (Laptop) 15
Dell PC's 90
Dell Laptops 7
Printers
Apple Printers 2
HP Laserjet Printers 17
HP Deskjet Printers 5
Epson Printers 14
Other Printers 10
Plotters 2
Scanners
Scanners 12
Total 228
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MAC SOFTWARE AUDIT
DIT Mountjoy Square
No. of
Applications Licenses
Mac Software
Adobe Acrobat 4.0 10
Adobe Illustrator 9.0.2 20
Adobe Illustrator 8.0.1 10
Adobe Photoshop 7.0 30
Adobe Premier 5.1 10
ATM DeLuxe 4.6.1 15
Adobe After Effects 4.1 10
Adobe InDesign 1.5 20
Macromedia Director 8 30
Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 30
Macromedia Flash 5 20
Macromedia Flash MX 30
Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 30
Macromedia Fontgraphier 4.1.4 10
QuarkXPress 4 10
QuarkXPress Passport 30
SoundEdit 16 10
PC Software
Adobe Illustrator 10 30
Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 30
Macromedia Flash MX 30
Autocad Architectural Desktop 30
Piranesi 30
Autodesk 2007 60
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iv. Library and Research Facilities
Mountjoy Square Library
The library service plays a central role in the educational mission of the DIT in providing
the resources to support the learning, teaching and research activity of the Institute.
The Faculty Librarian for Applied Arts is responsible for services and collection
development in the art and design area. Mountjoy Square library also has five full time
staff members and one FTE post employed.
The main collections relating specifically to Art and Design are held in the library at
Mountjoy Square. Current book stocks amount to 35,000, divided into three main
collections – Main Lending, Short Loan and Reference. There are also 113 current library
print journal subscriptions covering all major Art and Design research sections and over
1000 student dissertations. Access to the collections is through the Online Public Access
Catalogue (OPAC).
There are a host of electronic resources available via the library website. The library has
many online databases including Design and Applied Arts Index, Art Abstracts and Fira
which are directly applicable to Art and Design. Full colour guides to all our databases are
available. Five thousand full text journals on all subjects are accessible through the
electronic journals portal. In addition to the DIT catalogue, online catalogues from other
3rd level colleges are available for research/viewing. Subject specific material resources
are grouped together on the web site under the heading Search by Subject, and includes
electronic journals, databases, internet links. Links to a variety of search engines like
Google and Alta Vista are offered on the search the internet page of the library web site.
An inter library loan service is available to all students.
DIT library actively promotes a policy of providing access to information world wide to
supplement its core collections. There has been and will continue to be heavy investment
in information technology over the last few years. The library currently has 15 Pc’s, 2
macs and 2 scanners available in the IT area. All are networked to digital colour and black
& white printers. Two computers with appropriate software are provided by the disability
service. Photocopying is available from colour and B&W photocopiers.
The audio visual area contains 3 TV/Video, microform reader/printer and slide viewer.
This allows patrons to view the videos and substantial slide collection resources within the
library itself.
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v. Staff
Mary Ann Bolger MA (RCA) MIDI

Subject: History and Theory of Design
Annette Buckley Certificate in Design Display, MA Hons. in Multimedia

Design
Subject: Visual Merchandising and Display Design
Noel Fanning BA (Design)

Subject: Computer Aided Design
Sheila Greene National Diploma in Graphic Design, ANCAD

BA Archeology & Greek and Roman Civilization
Subject: Display Design and Visual Merchandising
Patrick Muldowney Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design and Illustration, Hons.

ANCAD, HDE Dip D Media
Subject: Visual Merchandisng, Design Display, Drawing, Rendering
Tom O’Dowd BSc Management, Diploma in Management & Law, Diploma

in Management and Industrial Relations, Member of the
Institute of Accounting Technicians
Subject: Business Studies
Alice Walsh BA, HDE

Subject: Communications
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vi. Research, development and general scholarship within the School of Art, Design and
Printing
Research and scholarly activity play a central and critical role within the School of Art ,
Design and Printing. They are at the heart of all our learning and teaching. Research and
scholarship are closely intertwined terms and may be understood in a number of ways.
Within the School of Art, Design and Printing ‘scholarship’ is used to describe the ongoing
and distinguished contribution of individual staff members to the discourse and
development of their particular field, be that through publication, professional design
practice, exhibition, or consultancy. ‘Research’ is used to designate scholarly activity that
is specifically located within the School and is significantly collaborative in nature. Such
collaboration may involve several individuals working on a single project or it may involve
several individual projects working toward a common goal and in a mutually supportive
way.
Research and Scholarship in the School of Art, Design and Printing is organised at School
level and Design is strongly represented in this arena. Research and Scholarship is
organised into four areas:
− On-Line Learning Communities
− Visual Process Research
− Learning and Teaching
− Heritage and Memory Studies
On-Line Learning Communities
Research in this cluster explores novel approaches to pedagogy and e-learning spanning the
disciplines of art and design. Key descriptors are: pedagogy, partnership, communities,
culture, art and design.
Projects based in Design or with significant Design involvement include:
Collaborative Art Space Research Network

In January 2003, as part of our WebCT Symposium, we initiated an international virtual
learning environments research network, Collaborative Art Space. This network currently
includes the following institutions: Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland; Glasgow
School of Art, Scotland; HKU Utrecht, The Netherlands; Staffordshire University,
England; Robert Gordon University, Scotland; Ryerson University, Canada; UIAH
Helsinki, Finland; University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. The members of this expanding
research network are actively interested in exploring and developing collaborative research
projects and are planning to meet at regular intervals to enable the emergence of shared
research interests.
In 2006, a 2 year project entitled “Interface: Virtual environments in Art, Design and
Education” received funding under the Minerva / Socrates initiative and a full report was
published in the Spring edition of the 2009 Arts and Humanities in Higher Education
Journal.
Visual Process Research
Research in this cluster explores the dynamics, methodology and cognitive outcomes of
visualisation within Drawing, Illustration, Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, Typography,
Film, Engineering, Architecture, Science and other disciplines. It also investigates the
culture of practice based research and its relationship with traditional academic research
and has led to the founding of Typography Ireland by staff in the Department of Design
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and the hosting of the annual Association Typographique Internationale (ATypI)
conference by DIT in 2010.
The Drawing Laboratory
Partners: Loughborough University, Kingston University, Norwich University College of

the Arts, The Drawing Centre, New York and The Drawing Room, London.
Developing a visually and textually interactive virtual space to explore the concept and
practice of drawing, where ‘drawing’ is explicitly understood in the widest possible sense
as visual marks used in communicating ideas in the context of an individual’s professional
practice. In addition to drawings by artists and designers, we are interested in gathering
‘drawings’ from architects, engineers, chemists, physicists, biologists, mathematicians,
geographers, geologists, choreographers, composers, linguists, etc.
The diverse drawings will be presented within WebCT. Participants (those who have
submitted drawings and their colleagues) and DIT’s Art and Design students will be invited
to engage with the drawings – to discuss and respond visually to the images on-line. John
Short represents Visual Communication in this research project.
RE: SEARCH – In and Through The Arts
The School of Art, Design and Printing was commissioned by ELIA (European League of
Insitutes of the Arts) to create a national Irish profile or survey of the phenomenology of
research as an artistic practice and of the current situation of research in higher arts
education as part of a wider European project. As more and more art schools acquire
university status, in which education and research are legitimate parts of higher arts
education, this presents new tasks and responsibilities for educators and calls for
knowledge, competencies and skills that are not necessarily already available. It is vital for
the future quality of education in the arts that academic staff develops stronger research
and research supervision competencies in order to capitalise on these new challenges.
There is also a need to build up the distinctiveness of a ‘research culture’ in art and design
education. The outcome of the symposium ‘Monstrous Thinking: on practice-based
research’ that took place at the 7th Annual ELIA Conference in Dublin in October 2002
(proposed by the DIT School of Art, Design and Printing), was that the art and design
education subject community has solid grounds for confidence in developing a research
culture as arts subjects differ from other subjects and can contribute value judgements,
intuition, imagination and creativity to other practice related research fields. The
Department of Design was represented at the annual CUMULUS conference hosted by
HKU Utrecht, October 2004 where a parallel session on the question of the methodology of
practice based research in design was chaired by Kieran Corcoran, Head of Department of
Design. A paper was also presented by MPhil student Elaine Keating (supervised by
Brenda Duggan and Kieran Corcoran) on The Design Process and New Digital Media at
the conference.
Art Watching
Art-Watching was an interdisciplinary collaborative activity, resulting in production of a

Book and Symposium to be held coinciding with the reopening of the Dublin City Gallery,
The Hugh Lane (Autumn/Winter 2005), and in conjunction with Circa: Contemporary
Visual Culture in Ireland.
Art-Watching: Book was the result of collaboration between a fine artist (Brian Fay), a
graphic designer (Brenda Dermody) and an art & design writer (Niamh Ann Kelly). The
book will consist of digital drawings and texts reflecting upon the collections on display at
the Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane. This will be produced as a designed limited
edition artwork.
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Art-Watching: Symposium, ‘Art Collections, Design and Audience’ will be hosted by the
Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane in conjunction with the Irish Journal, Circa:
Contemporary Visual Culture in Ireland and will be organized by Niamh Ann Kelly, Brian
Fay and Brenda Dermody and post graduate students at the School of Art Design and
Printing.
Funding: Faculty of Applied Arts, Collaborative Creative Practice Awards (2004), €4600
Researchers: Brenda Dermody, Brian Fay, Niamh Ann Kelly.
Research into Learning and Teaching
Brenda Dermody, Programme Chair, BA Design (Visual Communication), recently

completed an MA in Third level Learning and Teaching. Her study examined how the
design and delivery of the BA Design (Visual Communication) curriculum could be
improved with a view to achieving two main aims. Firstly, to promote a deep approach to
learning among visual communication students and secondly to foster greater
collaboration, communication and effective team teaching among the lecturers on the
programme. The study involved designing and testing a theme-based, integrated Visual
Communication project with a third year group of students. The project was delivered
through team teaching over an eight week period. The study was awarded the 2004
President’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Brenda Dermody presented a paper on her
research at the Teachers Academy, Rotterdam University of Music and Dance in April
2005.
Brenda Duggan, Lecturer in Design for Digital Media, is conducting PhD research with a
focus on learning in design education, in the light of digital technology. The study
examines how the shift from the predominantly traditional technology of print, to the
inclusion of design for digital technology, within graphic design education, requires a
positional change in approaches to learning and teaching. She presented a paper on
Problem Based Learning at the Teachers Academy, Rotterdam University of Music and
Dance in April 2005.
Heritage and Memory Studies
Interdisciplinary research into the sustenance and development of the heritage industry in
Ireland with a view to providing a needed resource for industry development and policy
formation in Ireland by developing useful research into:
1. Design concepts and content for museums, galleries, and heritage sites
2. Applications & Development of digital technologies and media in industry
3. Understanding of international context for commemorative and interpretative practices.
Recently initiated as a research and scholarship group, a number of projects that have been
underway for some time properly belong in this context:
Design based Postgraduate Research
Typography, Culture and Society: an analysis of the visual representation of the Irish
language in Northern Ireland from 1969 to the present day
Clare Bell DIT Scholarship (MPhil)
The Design Process and User Focused Digital Spaces (MPhil)
Elaine Keating DIT Scholarship (MPhil)
Design, Materials and Sustainability
Gráinne McGarty Part-time MPhil
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vii. Staff Professional Development
The staff of the Faculty of Applied Arts is especially encouraged to participate in exchange
programmes with other universities and in a broad range of academic conferences and
events. Members of staff are supported by the Department of Design in visits to
international retail fairs and international centres of retail excellence and are facilitated
where retraining and new skills are required, by the DIT Learning and Teaching Centre or
participation in a range of externally located programmes. A number of staff recently
upgraded their academic qualifications and skills. One member of staff has graduated with
a Diploma in Digital Media, another has graduated in the Training of Trainers MA in
Multimedia and another has graduated with a BSc in Management.
viii. Programme Management and Quality Assurance Arrangements
a. Programme Committee
Chair: Kieran Corcoran (Head of Department of Design), May Ann Bolger, Annette Buckley,
Noel Fanning, Sheila Greene, Pat Muldowney, Tom O’Dowd and Alice Walsh
The programme committee and the programme team are coextensive due to the relatively
small number of lecturers operating on the BA Visual Merchandising and Display. A
student representative from all 3 years will be in attendance once each semester at
programme committee meetings. These meetings will be scheduled in October, January
and May of each academic year. The Programme Committee operates in accordance with
the Handbook for Quality Enhancement, 2006
Year Coordinators:
Year 1 : Sheila Greene
Year 2: Annette Buckley
Year 3: Pat Muldowney
Tutoring arrangements: At regular intervals in semester 1 and during semester 2, students

receive feedback on their general performance on the programme. Tutorials are also
provided for students during Review Week in Semester 1 and 2 of the programme.
b. Arrangements for quality assurance and monitoring
The programme will be critically monitored at yearly intervals by the Programme

Committee under the supervision of the Faculty Board as outlined by the Handbook for
Quality Enhancement 2006. The Q5 Annual Monitoring Form is completed by the
Programme Committee at its first meeting of each new academic year. Q6 forms are
distributed for each module at the end of each semester including the Q6b and Q6c forms.
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ix. Programme Development Plan
a. Development of Programme
As Ireland’s only 3rd level programme in Visual Merchandising and Display, the
programme team constantly monitor developments in the Retail industry and adjust the
programme content appropriately. The BA in Visual Merchandising and Display is the
result of an extensive process of consultation with key figures in the retail industry and has
led to the establishment of an External Advisory Board. The External advisory board met
with the lecturers on the Higher Certificate in Design Display programme over 2007 and
advised that a different kind of graduate was required to meet the challenges facing the
Irish Retail sector in the 21st century.
The External Advisory board indicated that while the graduates of Higher Certificate in
Design Display had the required skill set in the past, there is now a demand for a somewhat
differently qualified type of graduate. Specifically, the importance placed on Display
Design in the industry has been replaced by a greater emphasis on Visual Merchandising
and a working knowledge of branding, budgeting and marketing in a retail environment.
The Irish retail sector has advised the Programme Team that the existing programme has to
be replaced to reflect this change in the industry. This new skill set – a combination of
good design display skills with a knowledge of Visual Merchandising supplemented with a
working knowledge of business practice – has meant that the existing 2 year Higher
Certificate has to be changed into a a 3 year BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and
Display. The External advisory board did not feel it was necessary to develop a BA Hons
degree in Visual Merchandising and Display at this time.
The new BA introduces students to the theory of visual merchandising from Year 1 and the
main studio modules in Years 1 and 2 concentrate on the integration of design and display
skills in the context of the window and in-store display as key merchandising strategies in
the retail environment. There will be a two week work placement in year 2 as part of the
Fashion and Accessories module. Business Studies, Communications and AutoCad have
been rewritten as separate 5 credit modules and new modules in Branding and Interior
Design have been introduced in year 3. Year 3 is structured around a Major Project which
will be developed by the student over the year through a work placement in the retail
industry.
The objective of the work placement module is to give students an in-depth exposure to a
range of learning experiences in actual retail settings. It will also allow the student to focus
on the development of their Major Project in a real retail environment. In this way, the
student will be faced with the challenge of relating material learned at college to real world
situations and in addition learn how to perform competently in an actual work organisation
and to interact with other members of the work team. The students will have to prepare,
develop and present a major promotional project in an actual retail setting. They will
become involved in practical applications of academic issues previously learned about only
in a theoretical way and use advanced skills from the taught programme to date to deal
with work based problems. They will acquire complex and specialised skills applied in a
range of variable and unfamiliar work-based learning contexts and learn how to act
effectively under guidance in a peer relationship with working managers and where
appropriate or necessary to play a leadership role within multiple, complex and
heterogeneous work groups.
The student will use the placement to develop a self directed merchandising project for
presentation in the final semester. The aim of the Major Project module is for the students
to develop their own specialist disciplines, within retail display, visual merchandising and
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promotional presentations. It will give the students the experience and responsibility of
working with a professional team and clients in the industry and will develop the students’
awareness and appreciation of how the principles of visual merchandising operate in the
retail or promotional industry
The Major Project will consist of
1. Project Proposal
2. Research Plan
3. Budget
4. Presentation Strategies
5. Written Report
As the project will be developed in a retail environment it will provide the students with
the invaluable experience of preparing and delivering a merchandising strategy under real
business conditions.
x. Learning and Teaching Enhancement
The BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display employs a wide variety of teaching
methods including practical studio workshops, lectures, studio crits, demonstrations, video
presentations, case studies, research and site visits. In the final year students must
undertake a major self initiated project in an industry environment which will foster self
directed learning and their professional development. Group work and peer based critiques
are an essential feature of studio based learning and teaching strategies. From year 1
students must present their design solutions to their peer group which helps develop
valuable key skills in communicating and presenting design ideas. These presentation and
communication skills are reinforced in the critical theory area where in addition to formal
lectures students are required to make group presentations on selected topics on the history
and theory of design.
Continuous assessment is the primary method for evaluating student performance and
progress. All project briefs are accompanied by a detailed set of assessment criteria and
weightings. See sample project brief and assessment form below.
The Programme Committee keeps under constant review the methods and weightings of
assessments. After each project and major project the Programme Committee meets to
discuss and review the method of weighting of the assessment. Interactive team crits are
an integral part of projects. Continuous assessment projects must be submitted for
assessment on the specified day, date and time as stated in the brief. Current fashion and
style trends are closely monitored and included in the delivery where appropriate. Links
with external sources, especially in the business world, are encouraged. External
commissions, within reason, are accommodated through the flexibility of the present
programme structures. Regular guest lecturers contribute to the broadening of the range of
tuition. Student participation in national and international competitions is actively
encouraged.
Appendix 1 Sample Project Brief
Appendix 2 General Assessment Form
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PART B PROGRAMME DOCUMENT
i. Programme Background and Structure
a. Introduction to Faculty, School/Department etc
Faculty of Applied Arts
The Faculty of Applied Arts at the Dublin Institute of Technology is the pioneering
educational leader in the creative, visual and performing arts and media in the country. It
provides a wide and unique range of innovative, multidisciplinary and professional-level
educational and research programmes in film, broadcasting, audio, art & design, music,
photography, journalism, public relations, printing and publishing, animation and computer
imaging, multimedia, and the management of the new information and communication
technologies. Programmes are offered at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and all
share a strong commitment to linking creative practice with critical theory and new
technology. The Faculty’s underlying philosophy is to provide education and training in
the key disciplines within the cultural industries while also acknowledging the significant
technological and cultural changes that are currently occurring. Thus the programmes seek
to preserve the best of the creative, performing and media arts while meeting the challenges
of the digital age.
School of Art, Design and Printing
The first Technical Schools of Art and Science in Dublin were established in 1887 in Kevin
Street. When the Vocational Education system was established in 1930, these technical
schools came to be administered by the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee
(CDVEC). In 1971 the national network of the Regional Technical Colleges was
established throughout the country and included Art and Design education in their
programmes of study. At the same time, the CDVEC set up its own whole time course in
Art and Design in what was to become the College of Marketing and Design. The current
programmes in Fine Art and Design were developed in the 1970s. The success and
continued popularity of these programmes is exemplified by the high profile of the
graduates in the market place and by the record number of applicants for places, which is in
excess of 1000 portfolios being submitted for consideration annually.
. The School of Art, Design and Printing provides a wide range of innovative, inter-
disciplinary and professional level educational and research programmes in visual
communications, multimedia design, illustration, interior design, furniture design, product
design, painting, sculpture, printmaking, printing technology, printing management and
publishing. In 2003, the School launched a BSc programme in Product Design in
collaboration with the Faculties of Engineering and Business at DIT. Most recently, the
School has developed an innovative on-line distance education programme in the visual
arts in cooperation with the Sherkin Island Development Society on Sherkin Island off the
west coast of Cork. This programme which allowed the school to develop its expertise in
on line learning and new pedagogical strategies in visual arts education has completed its
pilot phase and has been developed into a 4 year BA in Visual Arts. Other new programme
proposals include an MA in Design and an MA in Community Art. The school has also
developed an active postgraduate research profile and since 1999 the number of MPhil and
PhD students has increased to 11. In 2008 the School launched a new MA in Professional
Design Practice in association with Design Ireland Skillnets targeted at senior designers in
the Irish Design industry. Community links are a vitally important part of the School’s
mission and these include The National Drug Treatment Centre, the Larkin Centre for the
Unemployed, the Mater and Children’s Hospital Development Initiative. The school is
represented on the board of ELIA (European League of the Institutes of the Arts) and is a
member of CUMULUS.
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b. Title of programme, award sought and date of submission
Proposed Title: BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display

Duration: 3 years
DIT Award sought: BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display with pass, lower merit,
upper merit and distinction
NQAI Level 7
Date of Submission: April 2009
c. Programme aims and learning outcomes
Aims
The aim of the BA in Visual Merchandising and Display is:
1. to provide an integrated educational framework within which students are able to

acquire a range of transferable skills relevant to employment in the retail design
industry
2. to provide graduates who can operate as visual merchandisers and display designers in
the retail industry
3. to provide graduates who have an understanding of the principles and strategies of
visual merchandising
4. to provide graduates who have a knowledge and understanding of branding and
consumer behaviour
5. to provide a practical understanding of the visual language of retail design
6. to achieve a thorough competence in the intellectual and manual design skills of design
display
7. to develop the student’s presentation and communication skills which will help them
operate efficiently as members of a design team
8. to produce graduates with an understanding of the history of retail and fashion design.
Learning Outcomes
Within the context of the above aims and upon completion of the programme :
1 Students will have a knowledge of
1. The theory of Visual Merchandising

2. The History of Fashion and Styling Trends
3. Current Fashion and Styling trends
4. How Visual Merchandising strategies support retailing trends
5. How Visual Merchandising Strategies increase sales
6. How customers process visual merchandising messages.
2 Students will demonstrate a mastery of
1. The visual language of design display including window display, visual

merchandising, in-store display and prop design
2. A comprehensive range of design skills
3. The oral and written communication skills relevant to the operation of a retail
design team
4. Relevant business practices in the retail environment
5. Digital Presentation techniques
17
3 Students will demonstrate competence in
a. The development of visual merchandising strategies for a range of retail

environments
b. The critical appraisal and evaluation of merchandising problems and their solutions
c. Using visual merchandising strategies to communicate with customers.
d. Nature, duration and general structure of programme
The BA in Visual Merchandising and Display is aimed at students who wish to work as
Visual Merchandisers and display designers in the retail industry. The programme is
focused primarily on the acquisition of the knowledge and skills which are necessary for a
graduate to operate as a visual merchandiser in a retail environment. There is a major
emphasis on developing the students’ merchandising abilities which are integrated with
modules in business studies, branding, digital presentation and communications.
The BA in Visual Merchandising and Display is a modular programme taught in semesters
of 15 weeks duration and comprises of a series of four 15 credit modules in Years 1 and 2
and a major project module worth 30 credits in Year 3. In addition the final year has a 10
credit work placement module. All other modules have 5 credits.
In semesters 1, 2, 3 and 4 there are four 15 credit studio based modules that develop the
students knowledge and practical skills in the area of display and visual merchandising.
These modules are supplemented by 5 credit modules in the theory of Visual
Merchandising, CAD, Communications, Business Studies and the History of Design. In
semester 5 students will also take modules in Interior Design, Branding and Marketing. By
the end of year 2, students will have acquired the necessary knowledge and skills which
allow them to undertake a major retail industry project. In the final year students must
secure a work placement in the retail industry and use the placement to develop a self
directed project for the final semester. The objective of the work placement module is to
give students an in-depth exposure to a range of learning experiences in actual retail
settings. It will also allow the student to focus on the development of their Major Project
in a real retail environment. In this way, the student will be faced with the challenge of
relating material learned at college to real world situations and, in addition, learn how to
perform competently in an actual work organisation and to interact with other members of
the work team. The students will have to prepare, develop and present a major promotional
project in an actual retail setting.
They will become involved in practical applications of academic issues previously learned
about only in a theoretical way and use advanced skills from the taught programme to date
to deal with work based problems. They will acquire complex and specialised skills
applied in a range of variable and unfamiliar work-based learning contexts and learn how
to act effectively under guidance in a peer relationship with working managers and where
heterogeneous work groups. There will be a work placement log which will be signed by
employer, academic staff and the students themselves. As this method has been used
successfully by the Faculty of Business, the Programme Team will liaise regularly with the
Head of the Department of Retail Management and the Head of the School of Marketing on
the operation of the programme.
The student will use the placement to develop a self directed merchandising project for
presentation in the final semester. The aim of the Major project module is for the students
to develop their own specialist disciplines, within retail display, visual merchandising, and
promotional presentations. It will give the students the experience and responsibility of
working with a professional team and clients in the industry and will develop the students’
18
awareness and appreciation of how the principles of visual merchandising operate in the
retail or promotional industry.
The Major Project will consist of
1. Project Proposal
2. Research Plan
3. Presentation Strategies
4. Written Report
5. Major Retail industry Project Presentation and Installation
Students will meet with lecturing staff one day each week to discuss and evaluate the
various stages of the development of the Major Project in the final semester. The students
will present their work in progress and will receive extensive feedback from the lecturing
team. The module will be assessed primarily on the evidence of the Industry Project
Presentation and Installation.
Duration: the programme will be fulltime - 5 working days over Semesters 1- 4 while in
semesters 5 and 6 work placement will take place over 2 days. Lectures and self directed
learning will happen over 3 days. Students are expected to complement timetabled hours
with private study and self learning.
19
ii. General Structure of the BA In Visual Merchandising and Display programme
STRAND 1
Semesters 1 and 2
In Year 1, the focus is on introducing students to the strategies of visual merchandising and
homewares integrated with projects in 3-dimensional prop work, graphic design
techniques, drawing and digital presentation techniques. Students are introduced to the
theory of Visual Merchandising and receive an introduction to fundamental concepts of
communication theory, business practice, the history of retail and fashion design and
digital presentation techniques. Teaching methods include practical workshops, studio
crits, demonstrations, tutorials and lectures. The instruction is project based, with strictly
enforced deadlines, and students are introduced to methods and systems which are
compatible with best practice.
STRAND 2
Semesters 3 and 4
Using the knowledge and skills acquired in Year 1, students focus on fashion accessory
production and fashion styling combined with projects in graphic communications, 3-
dimensional design, drawing, rendering and digital presentation techniques. At the end of
each semester students will present an appropriate display installation supplemented by
work experience in a display department in a retail outlet prior to the Christmas period.
Students continue to take modules in the Theory of Visual Merchandising,
Communications, Retail Business practice and the History of Design.
Strand 3
Semesters 5 and 6
In year 3 the primary focus is on the development and presentation of a major self directed
retail industry project. This will allow students to integrate their accumulated learning
experiences and to develop their specialised area of interest within the retail sector. In
semester 5 students will take modules in Interior Design, Branding, Marketing and Digital
Modelling while preparing a proposal for the major project through their work placement.
In semester 6, students will submit a project proposal and research plan, make a team panel
presentation and complete a written report and produce their final major project
installation.
20
iii. Relationships with professional and academic bodies, programme advisory boards etc
Advisory Board
A group has been established to advise the Programme Committee on current innovations,
trends and developments relevant to Visual Merchandising and Display Design in retailing
and related industries. Members include Creative Directors from some of Ireland’s leading
retail stores.
School Links
The School of Art, Design and Printing is committed to working with industry
and the professions in a variety of ways which include
¾ Research and Development

¾ New Product Development
¾ Professional Development
¾ Industry placements
¾ Involvement in National & EU Committees
Strong links have been established and are maintained with many appropriate
organisations in Ireland and the EU so as to ensure the context within which
the programme is delivered is appropriate and relevant.
These organisations include
¾ European League of the Institutes of the Arts (ELIA)

¾ CUMULUS - European Association of 3rd level educational design institutes
¾ Enterprise Ireland
¾ Design Ireland
¾ Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI)
¾ Design Business Ireland
¾ Irish Business and Employers Federation
¾ International Council of Graphic Design Associations
¾ Mater and Children’s Hospital Development
¾ Furniture Industry Research Association
Industry Links
Collaborative links have been established with the Creative Departments of some of
Dublin’s leading retail outlets.
Brown Thomas Group John Redmond, Creative Director, Brown Thomas

A Wear Caroline Reynolds, Creative Director
Arnotts Kevin Pender, Creative Director
Marks and Spencers Sheila Coen, Store Manager
Harrods David Briggs, Display Director & Rosalin Harris, Manager
Dunnes Stores Jilyn Farrell, Display Manager
21
MEXX Yvonne Keogh, Display Manager
IKEA (Ireland) Miranda Lyons, Visual Merchandiser
Urban Outfitters Aimee O’Byrne, Display Manager
Penneys Gina Richardson, Display Manager
House of Fraser Bernard Duff, Display Manager
Topshop Cathy Mulhern, Display Manager
Debenhams Gary Coen, Display Manager
BT 2 Clara Mc Cabe, Display Manager
Kilkenny Design Michelle Lawlor, Display Manager
These retail outlets provide students with an opportunity to work in a professional context
and gain experience in both window and instore retail display. All the people listed above
are successful graduates of the Higher Certificate in Design Display and the programme
team is very hopeful that they will facilitate the new Work placement module proposed for
Year 3 of the new BA. Contacts have been established with model and prop company
Avanti, UK and this enables both staff and students to keep up to date on the latest display
design trends.
Academic Links
Links have been established with NEGOCIA, 8 avenue de la Porte de Champerret, Paris;
Ware College, UK; the School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of Humberside,
Hull, UK, and Parsons School of Art & Design, New York. These colleges have supplied
External Examiners for the Higher Certificate in Design Display and it is intended to
develop Erasmus links with the French and UK colleges.
Trade Exhibitions and Fairs
Students have opportunities to attend and participate in Futura Showcase and Euroshop
(Germany)
22
iv. Admission Criteria
a. Leaving Certificate with grade D3 or higher on ordinary level papers in at least 5 subjects
OR
An acceptable equivalent standard of education
AND
A portfolio of art and design work which reflects the candidate’s ability.
Mature Students may be called for interview.
Advanced Entry for Current Students on the Higher Certificate in Design Display:
The BA in Visual Merchandising and Display will replace the existing Higher Certificate
in Design Display. There is considerable interest among the 2nd year cohort of the Higher
Certificate in Design Display in joining the 3rd year of the new BA. Both programmes
have the same minimum academic entry requirements. The main difference between the
old programme and the new programme is the level of instruction in the theory and practice
of Visual Merchandising. The students currently on the Higher Certificate programme have
had some practical experience of Visual Merchandising from the existing programme in
the major Window Display modules and also through their 2 week work placement in
semester 4. The programme committee is proposing to hold an intensive set of additional
lectures on the theory of visual merchandising with a full assessment for those 2nd year
Higher Certificate students who wish to transfer to the 3rd year of the new degree. Only
those students who have successfully completed the assessment and passed the final
assessment on the Higher Certificate will be allowed to transfer.
Projected Numbers and Progression
2009/10 Year 1 25
Year 2 21
Year 3 15
2010/11 Year 1 25
Year 2 25
Year 3 17
2011/12 Year 1 25
Year 2 25
Year 3 18
2012/13 Year 1 25
Year 2 25
Year 3 20
23
Intake policy and procedures
Portfolio Assessment: Following application to the CAO, portfolios are

submitted to the School of Art, Design and Printing for assessment. A
maximum score of 600 is available to the applicant in the portfolio assessment
process. The applicants score is forwarded to the CAO and combined with
their points from their Leaving Certificate to determine their place on a waiting
list for a place based on their programme preferences.
The portfolio is used to review the applicant’s ability to benefit from and,
contribute to the programme. The evaluation criteria are as follows:
1. Evidence of Drawing ability should be demonstrated through:

examples of freehand, observation and /or technical drawing
use of colour and texture
variety of subject and media
2. Evidence of Practical ability should be demonstrated through:

skills in visualization
quality of presentation
control over media
3. Evidence of Conceptual ability should be demonstrated through:

investigation
idea generation
imagination and creativity
Marking Scheme
The following marking scheme applies to each of the criteria indicated above:
0 Not suitable
1 Suitable
2 Very suitable
3 Exceptional
A total of the scores attained will determine overall suitability. The total to be
converted to a 0-600 range by multiplying the score by 66.6 for submission to
CAO
Applicant’s who already possess an appropriate educational background and

level of achievement which is closely related to the standard of the
programme, for which they have applied, may apply to the DIT for entry to the
second year of the programme subject to the availability of places. Entry will
be based on portfolio assessment
24
BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display Year/Stage: 1 Semester: 1
Code Module title Weekly Contact Hours Total Learning Hours for Semester Credits Assessment
Lecture Seminar Studio Workshop TOTAL Contact Independent TOTAL ECTS Marks (x100)
totals 5 0 21 0 25 375 225 600 20 600
Strategies in Visual
- – 17 - 17 255 45 300 15 100
Merchandising
Theory of Visual Merchandising

1 – 1 – 2 30 70 100 5 100
1
AutoCAD 1 - – 2 – 2 30 20 50 linked Not Applicable
Business Studies 1 1 – - – 1 15 35 50 linked Not Applicable
Communications 1 2 – - – 2 30 20 50 linked 100
History and Theory of Design

1 – - – 1 15 35 50 linked 100
1850–90
totals 6 0 19 0 25 375 225 600 40 600
Homeware and Accessories – 17 – 17 255 45 300 15 100
Theory Of Visual Merchandising

2 – - – 2 30 70 100 5 100
2
AutoCad 1 - – 2 – 2 30 20 50 5 100
Business Studies 1 1 – - – 1 15 35 50 5 100
Communications 1 2 – - – 2 30 20 100 5 100
History and Theory of Design

1 – – 1 15 35 100 5 100
1890–1930
26
totals 5 0 14 0 19 345 255 600 25 600
Fashion and Accessories - – 12 – 12 180 120 300 15 100
Visual Merchandising 1 – - – 1 45 55 100 Linked 100
AutoCad 2 - – 2 – 2 45 5 50 linked Not Applicable
Business Studies 2 1 – - – 1 30 20 50 linked Not Applicable
Communications 2 2 – - – 2 30 20 50 linked 100
History of Design 1920–1970 1 – - – 1 15 35 50 linked 100
27
totals 56 0 15 0 20 360 240 600 35 600
Fashion and Styling - – 12 – 12 180 120 300 15 100
Visual Merchandising 1 – 1 – 2 90 10 100 5 100
AutoCad 2 – – 2 – 2 30 20 50 5 100
Communications 2 2 – - – 2 30 20 50 5 100
History of Fashion 1850–1980 1 – - – 1 15 35 100 5 100
28
totals 2 0 7 0 9 150 450 600 20 600
Major Industry Project - – - – - 30 70- 100- linked 100
Work Placement - – - – - - - - linked 100
Interior Design – – 3 – 3 45 55 100 5 100
Digital Modeling - – 2 – 2 30 70 100 5 100
Communications 3 1 - - - 1 15 85 100
Branding and Visual

1 – - – 1 15 85 100 5 100
Merchandising
29
totals - 0 2 0 4 60 540 600 40 600
Major Industry Project – 4 – 4 60 540 600 20 100
Work Placement - – - – - - - - 15 100
Communications 3 5
30
vi. School of Art, Design and Printing Marks and Standards
BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display
Introduction: Examinations are conducted in accordance with the Regulations laid

down by the Academic Council of the Dublin Institute of Technology.
Assessments are in accordance with the General Assessment
Regulations (2006) and as indicated below.
Assessments It is compulsory for all students presenting for assessment in year 3 to
1) make themselves available for interview with the External
Examiner and 2) complete full project installation. Failure to comply
with this regulation will result in a reduction in the overall aggregate
mark of 10%.
Workplacement The Workplacement module will only be marked as pass or fail.
Project Continuous assessment projects must be submitted for assessment on

Submission the specified day, date and time as stated in the brief. Failure to
present major display design projects on schedule must be supported
by a written statement of mitigating circumstances and by medical
certification or equivalent. An opportunity to install at a later date and
time will be facilitated.
1st Year Syllabus
32
ALLOCATION OF CREDITS
YEAR 1 Semester 1
1. Theory of Visual Merchandising 1 5

2. Strategies in Visual Merchandising 15
3. AutoCAD 1 continuing
4. Business Studies 1 continuing
5. History and Theory of Design 1850–90 continuing
6. Communications 1 continuing
YEAR 1 Semester 2
1. Homeware and Accessories 15

2. Theory of Visual Merchandising 2 5
3. History and Theory of Design 1890–1930 5
4. AutoCAD 1 5
5. Communications 1 5
6. Business Studies 1 5
Total credits for the year 60
33
Pre-Requisite Co-Requisite ECTS Module Module Title
Modules code(s) Modules Credits Code
code(s)
5 THEORY OF VISUAL
MERCHANDISING 1
Year 1 Semester 1
Module Author(s) Pat Muldowney
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to the basic principles of visual merchandising.
Module Aim
The aim of the module is to develop the students’ understanding of how visual merchandising is
applied in stores, an awareness of brand image, layout of store area, signage and ambience.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the students will be able to
1. Understand how customers process visual merchandising messages

2. Describe how retailers communicate through visual images
3. Understand how visual merchandising efforts educate customers
4. Identify why visual merchandising increase sales
5. Understand how visual merchandising support retailing trends
Learning and Teaching Methods
1. Research of Stores
2. Audio visual presentation
3. Seminars and studio practice
4. Demonstrations
Module Contents
1. Visual merchandising Supports Retail Strategies

2. Visual Merchandising Communicates with Customers
3. Visual Merchandising Communicates Retail Image
4. Visual Merchandising Supports Selling
5. Visual Merchandising Support Retailing Trends
Module Assessment
This module is assessed written assignment and project work.
34
Assessment Criteria and Weighing
Research 30%
Analysis and Development 30%
Evaluation 30%
Presentation 10%
Essential Reading
Store Window Design, Loft Pub. 2007

Fortnum and Mason windows, Blackwell, Conran Octopus 2001
Store Windows, No 1 M Pegler Visual Pub. Inc. New York 2000
Christmas Advertising, Marketing and Display, M Pegler
Visual Ref. Pub., New York, 2001
Supplemental Reading
Magazines
Inspiration VM and SD
Wallpaper
Style Guide
Vogue
35
Modules code(s) Modules code(s) Credits Code
15 STRATEGIES IN VISUAL
MERCHANDISING
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to the basic principles of visual merchandising within a
given store and the practical application of these principles. The module will create an awareness
of image comparison between two high street stores in branding, styling and handling of
presentation/visual merchandising.
Module Aim
The aim of the module is to develop the students’ understanding of how visual merchandising and
display design are applied in stores and provide an awareness of brand image, layout of store area,
signage and ambience. The students’ will apply these principles in a range of projects.
Learning Outcomes
1. understand how visual merchandising strategies are applied by branding a store’s image
2. produce a written informed opinion report as a result of questionnaire
3. design and manufacture 3d props
4. produce presentation drawings of proposed installation
5. install a display presentation for in-store use
6. install a seasonal display window presentation
2. Studio based projects in Display
3. Workshops in 3d, visual graphics, technical and observational drawing
4. Demonstrations
Module Content
1. Visual merchandising strategies

2. Introduction to the Retail Industry
3. Drawing and Visual Presentation techniques
4. 3d and Visual Graphics
5. Introduction to Branding in a Retail context
6. In-store Display Project
7. Window Display Project
Module Assessment
The module will be examined by continuous assessment of project work.
36
Assessment Criteria and Weighting
Research 20%
Synthesis / Resolution 20%
Presentation 40%
Indicative Reading
Store Window Design, Loft Publication 2007

Fortnum and Mason, Blackwell Conran, Octopus 2001
Store Windows, No 1 Pegler Visual Publication, Inc New York 2000
Christmas Advertising, Marketing and Display, M Pegler 2001
Visual Ref. Publication New York 2001
Wallpaper
Interiors
Style Guide
Vogue
37
code(s)
5 AUTOCAD 1
Module Author(s) Noel Fanning
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to the basics of the computer as a tool for communicating
design. The module will introduce the student to the techniques of Computer aided drafting.
Module Aim
The aim of the module is to develop a basic skill in the creation of 2D and 3D drawing.
Learning Outcomes
1. To produce basic line generation and editing commands in a digital form

2. To produce orthographic Projections and 3 dimensional views in a digital format
Demonstrations
Lectures
Project work/exercises/workshops
Module Assessment
The module will be examined by continuous assessment of project work.
Research 10%
Analysis /development 30%
Presentation 20%
Technical ability 40%
Essential Reading
Reference Systems Help Guide 2007
38
code(s)
5 BUSINESS STUDIES 1
Module Author(s) Tom O’Dowd
Module Description
This module introduces the student to business and consumer law, the business environment,
financial control and planning.
Module Aim
The aim of the module is to provide the learner with an understanding of the business
environment, principles of law and financial control in the design environment
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the learner will be able to
1. Articulate principles of contract law

2. Apply relevant consumer law
3. Analyse elements of the business environment
4. Articulate the principles of planning
5. Prepare basic financial information
1. Lectures
2. Discussion
3. Case study
4. Self directed learning
Module Content
Sources of law, law of contract, consumer laws, macro and competitive environment, planning,
cash flow projections, budgets.
Module Assessment
The mode of assessment is continuous. The module will be assessed on a cumulative basis through
a series of assignments.
Essential Reading
Author Tiernan, Morley and Foley

Title Modern Management
Imprint Dublin, Gill & McMillan, 2006
39
Recommended Reading
Author Doolan, Brian

Title Principles of Irish Law
Websites www.basis.ie
www.nca.ie
www.asai.ie
40
code(s)
5 HISTORY AND THEORY OF
DESIGN 1850 - 1890
Year 1 Semester 1
Module Author(s) Sara Donaldson
Module Aim
The aim of this module is to study the history and theory of design in Britain in the mid- to late-
nineteenth century.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, the student will
1. Demonstrate a broad understanding of the leading designers and major design movements
in the second half of the nineteenth century.
2. Develop skills to critically analyse designed objects of this period.
3. Begin to acquire the skills involved in selecting, researching and writing an essay topic
related to the lecture syllabus.
1. Weekly Lectures
2. Seminars
3. Site Visits
Module Content
1. Industrial Exhibitions in the 19th century

2. The Great Exhibition of 1851
3. The Phenomenon of the Department Store
4. Commercial and Exhibition Display in the 19th century
5. Owen Jones and The Grammar of Ornament
6. A.W.N Pugin and the Gothic Revival
7. John Ruskin and Design Reform
8. William Morris
9. The Arts and Crafts Movement
10. Christopher Dresser
Module Assessment
This module is assessed by one written assignment on a topic based on the module content
Assessment Criteria
Research 25%
Content 25%
Evaluation 35%
Presentation 15%
41
Essential Reading
Conway, Hazel (ed), Design History. A Student’s Handbook, London & New Haven, Routledge,
2001
Ferebee, Ann, A History of Design from the Victorian Era to the Present, New York, Van
Nostrand, Reinhold & Co., 1980
Forty, Adrian, Objects of Desire. Design and Society 1750-1980, London, Thames & Hudson,
1986
Hauffe, Thomas, Design. A Concise History, London, Laurence King, 1998
Jackson, Anna, The V&A Guide to Period Styles, London, V&A Publications, 2002
Jervis, Simon, The Penguin Dictionary of Design and Designers, London, Penguin, 1984
McDermott, Catherine, Essential Design, London, Bloomsbury, 1994
Pevsner, Nikolaus, Pioneers of Modern Design. From William Morris to Walter Gropius, Revised
& Expanded, New Haven & London, Yale University Press, 2005
Contact Hours
1 hour x 15
Total: 15 hours
42
code(s)
5 COMMUNICATIONS 1
Module Author(s) Alice Walsh
Module Description
This module introduces the student to the theory of communications, both oral and written. It
introduces the student to the relevance of communication in the area of visual merchandising.
Module Aim
The aim of the module is
1. To provide the learner with an understanding of the relevance of communications in the

retail industry.
2. To help students understand the role of presentations in business and the many kinds of
presentations business people make
3. To show students how to get control over all the information they want to present and to
organize it to support a key strategic message
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the learner will be able to:
1. Articulate the principles of effective oral and written communication.

2. Use effective listening techniques.
3. Develop written and oral skills using design terminology.
4. Prepare and present oral presentations based on joint visual merchandising projects.
1. Lectures
2. Discussion
3. Self directed learning.
Module Content
1. Analysis of communication process

2. Preparation of oral presentations
3. Effective listening practice
4. Individual and team presentations based on visual merchandising projects
Assessment Criteria
a series of assignments.
43
Modules code(s) Modules code(s) Credits Code
15 HOMEWARE AND
ACCESSORIES
Year 1 Semester 2
Module Author(s) Pat Muldowney, Annette Buckley
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to the visual strategies used in visual merchandising and
display of Homeware Departments and products of stores.
Module Aim
1. To develop an awareness of symmetric and asymmetric balance

2. To experiment with materials, texture and lighting.
3. To develop student’s ability to produce a promotional scheme
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to
1. Demonstrate an understanding of visual strategies in visual merchandising and display and

applied in homeware and product promotions
2. Demonstrate a clear understanding of balance, shape and form with symmetric and
asymmetric installations.
3. Produce a graphic scheme to integrate into a symmetrical and asymmetrical installation.
4. Produce a 3d piece to integrate into a symmetrical and asymmetrical installation.
1. Research of stores
2. Studio based projects in Display Design
3. Workshop in 3D, Visual Presentation and Graphics, Technical and Observational Drawing
4. Demonstrations
Module Content
1. Investigation and presentation in Homeware Stores

2. Comparative Analysis of Different Stores
3. Visual merchandising strategies and homeware product handling
4. Installation of promotional display of homeware merchandising
Module Assessment
This module is assessed through the production of individual practical design installations. The
students are assessed on their ability to research and develop the concept, and to present a focused
and articulate display design installation.
44
Assessment Criteria
Research
Analysis and Development
Synthesis /Resolution
Presentation
Essential Reading
Store Window Design, Loft Publication 2007

Fortnum and Mason Blackwell, Conran Octopus 2001
Store Windows No1 M Pegler Visual Publication, Inc. New York 2000
Christmas Advertising, Marketing and Display M Pegler
Visual Ref. Publication, New York 2001
Magazines
Wallpaper
Style Guide
Vogue
45
code(s)
5 THEORY OF VISUAL
MERCHANDISING 2
Year 1 Semester 2
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to the basic principle of visual merchandising.
Module Aim
The aim of the module is to develop the students understanding of how visual merchandising is
applied in stores, an awareness of brand image, layout of store area, signage and ambience,
Learning Outcomes

4. Demonstrations
Module Content
1. Core Design Strategies

2. The Visual Merchandiser is a Design Strategist
3. Atmospherics as a Merchandising Strategy
4. Design Elements and Principles
5. Colour as a Merchandising Strategy
6. Colour schemes
7. Colour as a communication tool
8. Colour in Store décor
9. Colour as a fashion Merchandising Strategy
10. Colour Coordination
11. Balance, Rhythm, Proportation, Texture, Harmony, Emphasis as a Merchandising Strategy.
Module Assessment
This module is assessed written assignment and project work.

46
Research 30%
Presentation 40%
Essential Reading

Christmas Advertising, Marketing and Display, M Pegler.
Magazines
Inspiration, VM and SD
Wallpaper
Style Guide
Vogue
47
code(s)
DESIGN 1890 - 1930
Year 1 Semester 2
Module Aim
The aim of this module is to study the history and theory of design and in the late nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries.
Module Content
1. The Celtic Revival and the Arts and Crafts Movement in Ireland
2. Sarah Purser, Harry Clarke and Stained Glass in Ireland
3. Art Nouveau: Graphic and Poster Design
4. Art Nouveau: Architecture and Furniture Design
5. Art Nouveau: Decorative Arts
6. Jugendstil and the Vienna Secession
7. De Stijl
8. Bauhaus
9. Eileen Gray
10. Le Corbusier
Learning Outcomes
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
3. Begin to acquire the skills involved in selecting, researching and writing an essay topic
Learning and Teaching Method
1. Weekly Lectures
2. Seminars
3. Site Visits
Module Assessment
This module is assessed by one written assignment on a topic based on the module content.
Assessment Criteria
Research 25%
Content 25%
Evaluation 35%
Presentation 15%
48
Essential Reading
Ferebee, Ann, A History of Design from the Victorian Era to the Present, New York, Van
Nostrand, Reinhold & Co., 1980
Gordon Bowe, Nicola, The Life and Work Harry Clarke, Dublin, Irish Academic Press, 1994
Greenhalgh, Paul (ed) Art Nouveau 1890-1914, London, V&A Publications, 2000
Hauffe, Thomas, Design. A Concise History, London, Laurence King, 1998
Jackson, Anna, The V&A Guide to Period Styles, London, V&A Publications, 2002
Jervis, Simon, The Penguin Dictionary of Design and Designers, London, Penguin, 1984
Larmour, Paul, The Arts & Crafts Movement in Ireland, Belfast, Friar’s Bush Press, 1992
McDermott, Catherine, Essential Design, London, Bloomsbury, 1994
Pevsner, Nikolaus, Pioneers of Modern Design. From William Morris to Walter Gropius, Revised
& Expanded, New Haven & London, Yale University Press, 2005
Whitford, Frank, Bauhaus, London, Thames & Hudson, 2003
Contact Hours
1 hour x 15
Total: 15 hours
49
2nd Year Syllabus
50
Year 2 Semester 1
1. Fashion and Accessories 15 credits

2. Visual Merchandising 5 credits
3. AutoCad 2 linked
4. Business Studies 2 linked
5. History and Theory of Design 1920–1970 linked
6. Communications 2 linked
Year 2 Semester 2
1. Fashion and Styling 15 credits

2. Visual Merchandising 5 credits
3. AutoCad 2 5 credits
4. Business Studies 2 5 credits
5. History and Theory of Fashion 1850–1980 5 credits
6. Communications 2 5 credits
51
code(s)
15 FASHION AND
ACCESSORIES
Year 2 Semester 3
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to fashion accessories
Module Aim
1. To introduce the students to the skills of handling accessory displays.

2. The techniques of styling and coordinating fashion accessories.
3. Attend work experience in a retail outlet.
Learning Outcomes
1. Build on and develop the expertise knowledge and skill acquired in the first year of the
programme. Have the capability of handling fashion accessories
2. Experience the reality of working with a display team in a retail outlet.
3. Have learned the importance of combining many different activities in coordinating
projects
4. Select appropriate media and design solutions to suit given visual problems
5. Create original concepts through text, image, layout and use of colour
6. To develop from research original printed design
3. Workshop in 3d, Visual presentation, and Graphics, Technical and Observational Drawing
4. Demonstrations
5. Lectures
6. Project work
7. Critique
Module Assessment
This module is assessed through the production of individual practical design installations. They
are assessed on their ability to research and develop the concept, and to present a focused and
articulate display design installation.
Assessment Criteria
Research 30%
Synthesis /Resolution 20%
Presentation 40%
52
Essential Reading
Windows of the World, Collins Design 2006

Store Window No 15 and Display Visual ref., Publication, New York 2006
Windows, The Art of Retail Display, Thames and Hudson 1999
Dreams through the glass Berdorf Goodman, Assouline 2002
Store Window Design, Aurora Cuito, Teneues 2005
Wallpaper
Style Guide
53
code(s)
5 VISUAL
MERCHANDISING
Year 2 Semester 3
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to the basic principles of visual merchandising.
Module Aim
applied in stores including an awareness of brand image, layout of store area, signage and
ambience,
Learning Outcomes

5. Understand how visual merchandising support retailing trends.
4. Demonstrations
5. A select appropriate media and design solution to suit given visual problems
6. Create original concepts through text, image, layout and use of colour.
Module Content
1. Practice and strategies for the selling floor

2. Layout and Fixture and Fashion Apparel
3. Creating a retail atmosphere
4. Store layout
5. Layout within Selling Departments
6. Merchandise Placement Guidelines
Module Assessment
This module is assessed through the production of one written assignment based on module
content.
54
Research 30%
Presentation 40%
Essential Reading

Wallpaper
Style Guide
Vogue
55
code(s)
5 AUTOCAD 2
Module Description
This module will further develop the skills of Computer aided drafting. The student will be
introduced to the concepts of solid geometric modelling.
Module Aim
This module will further develop the skills of computer aided drafting. The student will be
introduced to more advance solid modelling.
Learning Outcomes
1. Introduction to 3D modelling
2. Derive 3D models from 2D drawings.
3. Produce advanced 3D views
1. Demonstrations
2. Lectures
3. Project work/exercises/workshops
Module Assessment
Utilising continuous assessment the students will be appraised by their competence in the
production of 2D and 3D drawings in digital forms. The 3D models will be examined for accuracy
and completeness.
Research 10%
Analysis / development 30%
Presentation 20%
Essential Reading
Title Reference Systems Help Guide 2007
56
code(s)
5 COMMUNICATIONS 2
Module Description
This module continues to diagnose weaknesses and develop each students written and oral
communication skills.
It further links communication theory to the retail industry.
Module Aim
1. To provide the learner with an understanding of necessary fundamentals of communication

in the visual merchandising environment.
2. To show students how to manage question and answer sessions
3. To develop skill in explaining and selling ideas – being able to develop a concept and
connect the facts and ideas involved so that others can understand and accept them
Learning Outcomes
1. Prepare and execute professional presentations using he language of design.

2. Be aware of how visual communications influences purchasing decisions.
Lectures
Discussion
Teamwork
Self directed learning.
Module Content
1. Further oral presentations, on and off site

2. Vocabulary development.
3. Study of retail communications.
4. Module assessment
a series of assignments. Each assignment will be awarded a mark out of 100 % with a pass mark
being 40%.
57
code(s)
Module Description
This module looks at financial control, marketing, intellectual property rights and health and safety
in the workplace
Module Aim
To provide the learner with an understanding of necessary fundamentals of business in the visual
merchandising environment
Learning Outcomes
1. Apply techniques of financial control

2. Identify non financial controls
3. Articulate principles of marketing
4. Identify basic intellectual property rights
5. Be aware of the directives on Health and Safety in the workplace
1. Lectures
2. Discussion
3. Case study
4. Teamwork
6. Guest lectures
Module Content
Costing time and materials, revenue and expense budgets, capital budgets, cash budgets,
principles of marketing, copyright, design rights, trade mark and patent law, health and safety law
in the workplace
Module Assessment
The mode of assessment is continuous. The module is assessed on a cumulative basis through a
series of assignments. Each assignment will be awarded a mark out of 100% with a pass mark of
40%
Essential Reading
Author Tiernan, Morley and Foley

Title Modern Management
Imprint Dublin, Gill & McMillan 2006
58
Recommended Reading
Author Atrill. Peter

Title Financial Management for Non- specialists
Imprint London, FT Prentice Hall, 2006
Author Martin, Jane
Title Marketing Basics for Designers
Imprint New York, Wiley, 1995
Author Keenan Aine
Title Irish Business Law
Author Law Society of Ireland

Title Business law
Imprint Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003
59
code(s)
linked HISTORY AND THEORY OF
DESIGN, 1920-1970
Year 2 Semester 3
Module Aim
The aim of this module is to study the history and theory of modernism in design in the twentieth
century.
Module Content
1. Art Deco: Architecture and Furniture Design

2. Art Deco: Graphics and Poster Design
3. Art Deco: Glass and Ceramic Design
4. Art Deco: Streamlining and Product Design in the US
5. Louis Sullivan and the Chicago School of Architecture
6. Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture in the US
7. Charles and Ray Eames: Organic Design in the US
8. Organic Design in Scandinavia
9. Pop Design in Italy and Britain
10. Terence Conran and the History of Habitat
Learning Outcomes
of the twentieth century.
3. Develop further the skills involved in selecting, researching and writing an essay topic
1. Weekly Lectures
2. Seminars
3. Site Visits
Module Assessment
Method Criteria
Research 25%
Content 25%
Evaluation 35%
Presentation 15%
60
Essential Reading
Benton, Charlotte, et al, Art Deco 1910-1939, London, V&A Publications, 2003
Demetrios, Eames, An Eames Primer, Thames & Hudson, London, 2001
Fiell, Charlotte & Peter, Modern Chairs, Taschen, Germany, 1993
Pfeiffer, Bruce Brooks, Frank Lloyd Wright, Germany, Taschen, 1994
Pridmore, J. & Larson, G., Chicago Architecture and Design, Harry N Abrams, New York, 2005
Ray, Nicholas, Alvar Aalto, Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 2005
Tøjner, Poul Erik & Vindum, Kjeld, Arne Jacobsen. Architect & Designer, Danish Design Centre,
Denmark, 1996
Contact Hours
1 hour x 15
Total: 15 hours
61
code(s)
15 FASHION AND
STYLING
Year 2 Semester 4
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to Fashion Styling, Soft dressing and Island Display.
Module Aim
1. To enable the students to develop original approaches to the styling of all types of clothing
2. Introduced to mannequin handling, positioning and grouping
3. The presentation of Island Display, Fashion Catwalks and Product launches
Learning Outcomes
1. Have a working knowledge of the different types of soft dressing, have the confidence to
style and accessorise soft dressing and mannequins
2. The ability to arrange mannequins in a manner that best portrays the merchandise.
3. Arrange and present Island Display, fashion catwalk and Product launches.
4. Demonstrate effective graphic communication for
5. Window display and event promotions
6. Familiar with corporate design, identity and advertising branding concepts.
7. Visual realisation communication abilities
3. Workshop in 3D, Visual presentation, and Graphics, Technical and Observational Drawing
4. Demonstrations
5. Lectures
6. Project work
7. Critique
Module Assessment
This module is assessed through the production of individual practical design installations , they
are assessed on their ability to research and develop the concept, and to present a focused and
articulate display design installation.
Assessment Criteria
Research 30%
Synthesis /Resolution 20%
Presentation 40%
62
Essential Reading
Windows of the World Collins Design 2006

Store Window No 15 and Display Visual ref., Publication, New York 2006
Windows, The Art of Retail Display, Thames and Hudson 1999
Dreams through the glass, Berdorf Goodman Assouline 2002
Store Window Design, Aurora Cuito Teneues 2005
Magazines
Wallpaper
Style Guide
Vogue Italia
63
code(s)
5 VISUAL
MERCHANDISING
Year 2 Semester 4
Module Description
In this module students are introduced to the basic principle of visual merchandising.
Module Aim
applied in stores, an awareness of brand image, layout of store area, signage and ambience,
Learning Outcomes

4. Demonstrations
5. A select appropriate media and design solution to suit given visual problems
6. Create original concepts through text, image, layout and use of colour.
Module Content
1. Decorative light Fixtures

2. Lighting techniques for Walls
3. Signing and graphics in wall presentation
4. Fashion Apparel and Accessory Coordination
5. Selecting Merchandising for Display
6. Seasonal colour schemes
7. Coordinating Brand names,Trends
Module Assessment
This module is assessed through the production of one essay based on the module content.
64
Research 30%
Presentation 40%
Essential Reading

Windows of the World, Collins Design 2006
Store Window No 15 and Display Visual Ref. Publication, New York 2006
Wallpaper
Interiors
Style Guide
Vogue
65
code(s)
FASHION 1850-1980
Year 2 Semester 4
Module Aim
To study the history and theory of fashion design from the mid-nineteenth to the late-twentieth
centuries.
Module Content
1. Charles Frederick Worth, Father of Haute Couture

2. Aestheticism, Liberty and the Dress Reform Movement
3. Victorian and Edwardian Fashion
4. Early 20th Century Fashion: Doucet, Poiret and the Ballet Russes
5. 1920s Fashion: Lanvin, Vionnet, Chanel and the Jazz Age
6. 1930s Fashion: Schiaparelli and Surrealism
7. 1940s & 1950s Fashion: Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy
8. Irish Fashion in 1950s & 1960s: Sybil Connolly, Irene Gilbert, Neili Mulcahy
9. 1960s Fashion: Mary Quant, Biba, Yves Saint Laurent, Cardin, Courrèges
10. 1970s & 1980s Fashion: Clarke, Rhodes, Westwood & Punk Subculture
Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate a broad understanding of the major fashion designers and couture houses
from the mid-nineteenth to the late-twentieth centuries.
2. Develop skills to critically analyse fashion design and designers of this period.
3. Develop further the skills involved in selecting, researching and writing an essay topic
Learning and Teaching Method
1. Weekly Lectures
2. Seminars
3. Site Visits
Module Assessment
66
Method Criteria
Research 25%
Content 25%
Evaluation 35%
Presentation 15%
Essential Reading
Breward, Christopher, The Culture of Fashion. A New History of Fashionable Dress, Manchester &
New York, Manchester University Press, 1995
Breward, Christopher, Gilbert, David, Lister, Jenny (eds), Swinging Sixties: Fashion in London
and Beyond 1955-1970, London, V&A Publications, 2006
Byrde, Penelope, Nineteenth Century Fashion, London, Batsford, 1992
Laver, James, Costume and Fashion: A Concise History, London, Thames & Hudson, 2002
Mackrell, Alice, Art and Fashion. The Impact of Art on Fashion and Fashion on Art, London,
Batsford, 2005
Mendes, Valerie, de la Haye, Amy, 20th Century Fashion, London, Thames & Hudson, 1999
O’Hara Callan, Georgina, The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers,
London, Thames & Hudson, 1998
Troy, Nancy J., Couture Culture. A Study in Modern Art and Fashion, Massachusetts, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, 2003
Contact Hours
1 hour x 15
Total: 15 hours
67
3rd Year Syllabus
68
Year 3 Semester 1
1. Major Industry Project linked

2. Work Placement linked
3. Interior Design 5 credits
4. Digital Modelling 5 credits
5. Business Studies 3 5 credits
6. Branding 5 credits
Year 3 Semester 2
1. Major Industry Project 20 credits

2. Work Placement 15 credits
3. Communications 3
69
code(s)
20
MAJOR INDUSTRY
PROJECT
Module Description
In this module students are develop a major project in a specialized discipline with in the retail
display and visual merchandising promotional industry, in cooperation with the students own work
placement.
Module Aim
1. The aim of the module is for the students to develop their own specialist disciplines, within
retail display, visual merchandising, and promotional presentations.
2. To give the students the experience and responsibility of working with a professional team
and clients in the industry
3. To develop the students awareness and appreciation of how the principles of display
operate in the retail or promotional industry
Learning Outcomes
1. Source and collate original and relevant materials

2. Synthesize and integrated design solution
3. Presents final solution through a variety of media
1. Work placement
2. Case study and research
3. Studio based projects tutorial
4. Contextual investigation
5. Self direct learning
6. Development and installation of design solution
7. Presentation of design solution in a critical forum
Module Content
1. Work placement
Module Assessment
This module is assessed through the production of individual practical design installation, they are
assessed on their ability to research commercial and retail window design, their ability to apply the
research and develop the concept, and to present a focused and articulate display design
installations.
70
Assessment Criteria
Research 20%
Presentation 40%
71
Pre-Requisite Co-Requisite ECTS Module Code Module Title
Modules Modules Credits
code(s) code(s)
15 WORK PLACEMENT
Module Author(s) A. Buckley, P. Muldowney
Module Description
In semester 5 and 6 of the third year, students must complete a period structured work placement
in an approved Retail environment.
Module Aim
The aim of this module is to enable the student to
1. Observe in action business functions and business problems that may have been dealt with
in the academic programme.
2. Demonstrate personal qualities of commitment, flexibility and integrity,
3. Experience teamwork and leadership
4. Learn new business and personal skills
5. Prepare and develop a proposal for a major retail promotion as part of their Major Project.
The objective of the work placement module is to give students an in-depth exposure to a range of
learning experiences in actual retail settings. It also allows the student to focus on the development
of their Major Project in real retail environment .In this way, the student is faced with the
challenge of relating material learned at college to real world situations and in addition to learning
to perform competently in an actual work organisation and to interact with other members of the
work team.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, the learner will be able to
1. Prepare, develop and present a major promotional project in an actual retail setting
2. identify, and become involved in practical applications of academic issues previously
learned about only in a theoretical way
3. used advanced skills from the taught programme to date to deal with work based problems
4. learn to demonstrate mastery of complex and specialised skills etc applied in a range of
variable and unfamiliar work-based learning contexts
5. act effectively under guidance in a peer relationship with working managers and where
heterogeneous work groups
The module essentially consists of experiential learning
72
Module Content
Detailed Description of syllabus content covered in module.
Students work in a pre-approved real company or organisation setting for a period of

approximately two days per week from September to April inclusive. While there they are visited
twice by a DIT Work Experience Mentor who, in consultation with the work supervisor, evaluates
the performance of the student across a number of criteria and awards a mark accordingly at each
stage of the process.
Module Assessment
The student is awarded a percentage mark on the basis of two assessment modes
(i) Academic Mentor’s Assessment in consultation with the Work Supervisor and with the student.
This assessment is based on the two prescribed Assessment Forms which set out criteria for
assessment.
Essential Reading
There is no prescribed reading for this module as it is essentially experiential in nature
Not applicable
Web references, journals and other
Not applicable
Further Details: e.g. class size, contact hours. To be delivered in one year.
Approval for Work Placement
Students are required to co-operate with the resources put in place by the School to facilitate the
work placement process including DIT Links Placement Officer. These resources are intended to
support the student in obtaining suitable work placement and in fully completing this work
placement to the satisfaction of the Employer and of the DIT Academic Mentor.
All work placement must be at a work setting which must be approved by the School in advance of
student commencing the work. Such approval is based on the judgement of the School (in
consultation with the Links Placement Officer). Approval for a particular work placement will be
based on the capacity of the placement to give the student the opportunity to develop a major retail
promotion during April of the academic year.
It should be noted that, work placement will normally be within organisations in the Republic of
Ireland. Since students require to be visited by academic mentors as part of the process, proposals
by students for work placement in locations outside of the Republic of Ireland, because of the
additional expense involved to the School, will require special approval by the Head of School.
73
Work Placement Log
Students are required to maintain a specially supplied Work Log which records details of the work
undertaken and the learning experiences gained each week and this must be countersigned each
week by the work supervisor. The quality with which this Work Placement Log is recorded,
maintained, reflecting the work being undertaken by the student will be used by the Academic
Mentor as part of the evaluation of part (i) of the assessment process described above..
Role of Academic Mentor
Students are assigned an Academic Mentor, normally a member of the academic staff of the
School, who is required to visit the student in the workplace twice during the course of placement
– once within two months of starting and a second time within two months of finishing the work
placement period.
Where the approved period of work placement is taking place abroad, the School may make
alternative arrangements for Academic Monitoring to be carried out either by a member of
academic staff of the Faculty of Business or by faculty staff of a partner institution in the country
where the work placement is being undertaken or such other arrangements as are deemed
appropriate to ensure that students are adequately monitored in accordance with the spirit of this
module descriptor.
74
Pre-Requisite Co-Requisite ECTS Module Code Module Title
Modules code(s) Modules Credits
code(s)
5 INTERIOR DESIGN
Module Author(s) Neville Knott
Module Description
This module introduces the student to the basic principles of the design for retail spaces.
Module Aim
1. To introduce the student to the basic design requirements for retail spaces
2. To provide the student with the opportunity to convert an existing building to a retail
environment
3. To provide an introduction to building regulations appropriate to retail spaces
Learning Outcome
The student will be able to
1. 1 Apply creative thinking and develop practical design solutions appropriate to retail
spaces
2. 2 Demonstrate an understanding of issues surrounding the exploitation of existing spaces
for retail applications
3. Demonstrate a basic working knowledge of appropriate building regulations
4. Demonstrate an awareness of the characteristics and the fabric of the existing building
1. Studio based projects

2. Peer based critique
3. Lectures
4. Group discussion
5. Demonstration
6. Team based learning
7. Focused seminars
8. Oral and visual presentation
Module Content
1. Principles and techniques of design as applied to the development of retail spaces

2. Spatial re-organisation within existing structures
3. Introduction to appropriate building regulations
75
Module Assessment
1. This module is assessed through the production of an individual practical design projects.
The students are examined on their ability to research retail spaces and develop appropriate
concepts.
2. They are also assessed on their ability to resolve and integrate all spatial elements within
the parameters of appropriate statutory requirements and to present a focused and articulate
design solution.
Assessment Criteria
Research 20%
Analysis & development 20%
Synthesis/resolution 30%
Presentation 30%
Essential Reading
AUTHOR Ingrid Wenz-Gahler

TITLE Concept Shops
IMPRINT Leinfelden – Echterdingen 2002
AUTHOR Johnny Tucker

TITLE Retail Desire, Design, Display & Visual Merchandising
IMPRINT Mies, Switzerland; Hove:Roto Vision c.2003
AUTHOR Otto Riewoldt

TITLE Retail Design
IMPRINT London : Laurence King 2000
Web references, journals and other
Architectural Review, Wallpaper, Inspiration
Contact Hours
35 per semester
76
code(s)
5 DIGITAL MODELLING
Module Description
In this Module the student will enhance and develop their modelling skills through projects and
achieve the ability to derive orthographic information (plans, sections & elevations) from the
model.
Module Aim
This module will further develop the skills of computer aided drafting and digital modelling
proficiency and produce complex 3D objects and spaces for visual analysis.
Learning Outcomes
1. Produce 3D models
2. Develop their plotting skills.
3. Derive 3D visuals
1. Demonstrations
2. Lectures
3. Project work/exercises/workshops
Module Assessment
Utilising continuous assessment the students will be appraised by their competence in the
production of 3D models and visuals.
Assessment Criteria and Weightings
Research 10%
Analysis / development 30%
Presentation 30%
Essential Reading
Title Reference Systems Help Guide 2007
77
code(s)
5 BRANDING & VISUAL
MERCHANDISING
Module Author(s)
Module Description
This module will introduce students to the basic elements of branding. It will examine brand
names, logos, positioning brand associations and brand personality in the context of the Retail
Industry.
Module Aim
The aim of the module is inform students of the role and importance of branding in the process of
visual merchandising and show them how branding operates in the context of the Irish retail
industry.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able
1. To identify the key components of a brand

2. Identify where consumer perceptions of a brand come from
3. Understand the link between a retail brand and the visual merchandising strategy of that
retail brand
4. Link a visual merchandising strategy with a brand guideline document
Module Content
1. Branding and the principles of marketing

2. Brand Planning Process
3. Analysis of leading retail brands
4. Branding in the Irish Retail Industry
5. Evaluating the performance of a brand
6. Branding and Visual Merchandising
Lectures and workshops
Module Assessment
Students will be assessed through the production a of a written report on the branding strategy of a
selected Irish retail outlet.
Research 40%
Analysis 40%
Presentation 20%
78
Essential Reading
Healey, M., What is Branding?, Rotovision, 2008
79
code(s)
Module Description
1. Retail Marketing
2. Consumer Behaviour
3. Taxation
4. Employment Law
Module Aim
The aim of this module is to provide the learner with an understanding of retail marketing,
consumer behaviour, basic taxation and employment laws
Learning Outcomes
1. Identify principles of consumer behaviour

2. Be aware of consumer personality and perception
3. Identify consumer attitude formation and change
4. Articulate principles of retail selling
5. State the principles of employment law
6. Be able to compute basic tax computations
1. Lectures
2. Discussions
3. Case study
4. Teamwork
6. Guest lecture
Module Content
1. Market segmentation
2. Consumer motivation
3. Personality and consumer behaviour
4. Consumer perception
5. Basic principles of income tax and VAT
6. Basic principles of employment law
Module Assessment
a series of assignments. Each assignment will be awarded a mark out of 100% with a pass mark
being 40%.
80
Essential Reading
Author Schiffman & Kanuk

Title Consumer Behaviour 8th Ed
Imprint New Jersey, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004
Recommended Reading
Author Meenan, Frances

Title Working Within the Law
Imprint Dublin, Oak Tree Press, 1999
Author Moffat, Jane
Title Employment Law
Imprint Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003
81
code(s)
5 COMMUNICATIONS 3
Module Description
Marketing communication, analysis of consumer behavior, C.V. preparation, interview preparation

and report writing.
Module Aim
The aim of this module is
1. To provide the learner with an understanding of marketing communications, consumer

behaviour, job seeking skills and the writing of formal and informal reports.
2. To develop option thinking – a willingness to give problems further thought and having a
reluctance to jump on the first idea that seems to be a solution
Learning Outcomes
1. Understand the principles of marketing communications.

2. Understand the use of visual merchandising in communicating to clients and consumers.
3. Prepare an effective C.V.
4. Prepare effectively for the employment interview.
5. Support artistic portfolios with effective communication skills.
6. Produce an investigative or persuasive report.
Module Content
1. The elements of a professional C.V.

2. The job interview
3. Visual merchandising as a communication tool.
Module Assessment
a series of assignments. Each assignment will be awarded a mark out of 100 % with a pass mark
being 40%.
82
STAFF CVs
Name: Annette Buckley
College: DIT Mountjoy Square
Staff Grade: Lecturer
Position: Wholetime
Academic Qualifications: 1999: M.A. (Hons) Interactive Media Design

1970: Certificate in Design Display
Lecturing Experience: 1973 – Present: DIT, Lecturer in Design Display

1973: RTC, Sligo, Lecturer
1972: ICA, Louth, Lecturer
Professional Experience: Acted as Display Consultant to may retail and outlets:

1999: Bank of Ireland Promotion
1989-99: Smithkline Beecham Ireland
1998: Blarney Woollen Mills, Cork
1997/98: The Marketing Institute
1996/97: Roche Healthcare Ireland
1993/96: Retail Jewellers of Ireland, courses
1995: H.G.W. Dulux, student competition
1995: Telecom Student Competition
1994: Aged Conference, DIT Bolton Street
1993: Romanian Relief Victims Exhibition,
DIT Bolton Street
1990/89: IBI Student Competition
1989: Daffodil Day Launch
2nd Year Design Display Course Tutor
Awards: 2001: Overall Winners Student & Stores, International

Display Week, London
2000: Student Runner Up, International Display Week,
London
1979: Window of the Year Award
Name: Noel Michael Fanning
Staff Grade: Lecturer 1
Position: Permanent Wholetime Academic Position – Technical

Studies
Academic Qualifications: BA Design (1999)

Diploma in Computer Applications
Lecturing Experience: Lecturer - Interior/Furniture Programme

Design Technology Programme
Design Display Programme
Professional Experience: Architectural Assistant
84
Name: Sheila Greene
Position: Wholetime
Academic Qualifications: 1974: National College of Art & Design, National Diploma
in Design, ANCAD
1983: University College Dublin – BA in Italian, Greek and
Roman Civilisation and Archaeology
Lecturing Experience: Dublin Institute of Technology, Mountjoy Square and Kevin

Street
Ard Scoil Eanna, Crumlin, Dublin
CDVEC, Dundrum, Dublin
Professional Experience: - Worked for two seasons with Prof George Eogan on the
Knowth Excavations following which she worked in the
Drawing Department – Dept. of Irish Archaeology UCD and
has drawings published in Knowth and the Passage Tombs of
Ireland by George Eogan, Thames and Hudson 1986.
- Following this she worked for two years as a Technical
Illustrator in the Antiquities Division of the National
Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street and has had illustrations
published in Museum publications.
Currently specialises in magazine design/illustration and
advertising design.
- Was responsible for the design of Consumer Choice
magazine and she is currently the Designer and Design
Director of Drinks Industry Ireland magazine.
- Sheila is also involved with advertising origination and
makeup. She has an interest in 3-Dimensional Design Form
and has exhibited in Sculpture in Context.
Awards: She has been a recipient of the Taylor Art Scholarship, the
Taylor Art Prize and The Henry Higgins Travelling
Scholarship.
Received an Italian Government Scholarship and studied
Illustration and Printmaking at the Academia di Belle Arti,
‘Pietro Vannucci’, Perugia, Italy
85
Name: Patrick Muldowney
Position: Wholetime
Academic Qualifications: Adv Honours Diploma in Graphic Design &

Illustration NCAD
Principles of Teaching NCAD
Specialised Subject – Fabric Printing & Stained Glass
Diploma in Digital Media DIT
Membership of Professional Member of the Irish Watercolour Society

Bodies: Crafts Council of Ireland
Irish Glass Society
Irish Georgian Society
Lecturing Experience: 1996 – Present: DIT, Wholetime lecturer in Display Design

& Interior Furniture
1990 – 1996: DIT, Part-time lecturer
1989 – 1990: College of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas,
Lecturer in Art & Craft
1980 – 1987: NCAD, Part-time lecturer in Stained Glass
1980-1987: Fulltime Art Teacher, Liberties Vocational
School
Professional Experience: 1988 – Present: Master Stained Glass Artist with

commissions completed in domestic and ecclesiastical in
Ireland, UK, USA and Nigeria
1979 – 1982: Greenland Studio, New York, Stain Glass
Artist
Awards: 1978: 1st Prize, Royal Dublin Society Craft Awards for
Stained Glass
1979: 1st Prize, Irish Book Design Awards
86
Name: Thomas O’Dowd
College: DIT Aungier Street
Position: Wholetime
Academic Qualifications: BSc (Mgmt) - University of Dublin

Diploma in Management & Law - DIT
Membership of Professional MIATI

Bodies: Member of the Institute of Accounting Technicians of
Ireland
Lecturing Experience: 1983 – Present: DIT Aungier St, Rathmines Road &
Mountjoy Square, Lecturer in Financial Management,
Accounting, Finance, Professional Practice and Business
Studies
Professional Experience: Management and Taxation Consultant

1978 – 2002: Self employed in practice with clients in
professional practice, manufacturing, retail and financial
services sector
1977 – 1978: Jurys Hotel Group, Financial Accountant,
1972 – 1977: A.J. Stewart & Co. Chartered Accountants,
Accountant
87
Name: Alice Walsh
Staff Grade: Assistant Lecturer
Position: Part-time Pro-rata
Academic Qualifications: BA in English and Spanish, UCG

Higher Diploma in Education, UCG
Diploma in TEFL
Lecturing Experience: 1997-98: Trainee Teachers, Trinity College London

2001-02: Lectured in School of Media, DIT
1999-Present: Lecture in School of Art, Design & Printing,
DIT
Professional Experience: 1979-77: Human Resource Manager, JD Carroll Catering

Ltd, Tara Mines
1980: Administration Assistant, ICL Dublin
1980-99: Teacher of English, Dublin
Translator (English/Spanish)
Communications Consultant
Retailer in Publishing
88
Name: Mary Ann Bolger
Staff Grade: Assistant Lecturer
Position: Wholetime
Academic Qualifications: PhD - in progress. Royal College of Art and Design, London
Thesis title: ‘Celtic Modernism: the negotiation of national
identity, tradition and modernity in Irish graphic design
(1949 -1980)’.
MA in Design History and Material Culture, Royal College
of Art and Design, London –1999
Thesis title: ‘Material Mourning: the Irish Catholic memorial
card, 1891–1998
BA (Hons) History of Art and Architecture with Drama and
Theatre Studies, Trinity College Dublin –1997
Membership of Professional Member of Association Typographique

/Other Bodies: International (ATypI) (since 2005)
ATypI Country Delegate representing Ireland (since 2006)
Member of Design History Society (UK) (since 1999)
Member of Institute of Designers in Ireland (since 2002)
Friend of St. Bride’s Printing Library (since 2000)
Teaching Experience: January 2009 to date: Assistant Lecturer, Design History and
Theory, Dublin Institute of Technology.
January 2002 to January 2009: Lecturer, Design History and
Theory, Waterford Institute of Technology.
2002 to 2009: Visiting lecturer MA in Design History and
Theory, National College of Art and Design, Dublin.
1998-2002: Lecturer, history of design (part-time).
Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, Kent,
UK.
2001-2002: Lecturer, history of design (part-time). London
Guildhall University (subsequently London Metropolitan
University) London, UK.
1999-2001: Lecturer, history of design (part-time).
University of Hertfordshire, UK.
1996-7 Part-time tutor in costume design, Bull Alley VEC
(Performance course), Dublin
Publications:
Books: Design Factory: On the Edge of Europe.
Dublin & Amsterdam: Lilliput/BIS, 2009.
Articles: ‘A New History of Graphic Design?’ Review, Eye magazine,
No.66 (Winter, 2007).
‘Bathing Belles in Peril’ Journal of the Twentieth Century
Society. (Summer 2001).
‘Dolmen Press’ and ‘Daniel Maclise: book illustrator’ in
Michael F. Suarez and H.R. Woudhuysen (eds) The Oxford
Companion to the Book. Oxford: OUP, forthcoming.
89
‘Grace’ Exhibition Catalogue, Waterford Rape Crisis Centre,
December, 2005.
‘Guilty Pleasures’ Review, Eye magazine, No. 67 (Spring,
2008).
‘Inventory of Carved Stones in Kells Priory’ in Miriam
Clyne (ed) Kells Priory. Dublin: Office of Public Works,
2007.
‘The Dolmen Táin’ Eyeblog, 2008
‘The Ephemera of Eternity: the Irish Catholic memorial card
as material culture’ in Elaine Sisson and Linda King (eds)
‘Made in Ireland’: Ireland and the Materialisation of National
Identity, 1922-1992. Cork: Cork University Press, 2010
‘The Irish Typographic Scene’ Report of the Association
Typographique International, 2006.
Conference Papers: ‘The ephemera of eternity: the Catholic memorial card as

material culture’ The Material Culture of Devotion,
European Network on the Instruments of Devotion. St
Patrick’s College, Thurles (18/1/2008)
‘Visible words: letters, language and identity in Ireland.’
Seeing Things: Irish Studies and Visual Culture. University
of Limerick (22-/6/2007).
‘Divided by a common typeface? The mediation of Irish
identity through typographic styles’ Imagine IT: celebration
of cultural differences. Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna
(22/3/2007).
‘Boring Types: the typography of the everyday’ Rethinking
the Everyday, National College of Art and Design/Design
History Society conference (2/11/2006).
‘Irish Catholic Memorial Cards – the stuff of death’ Jobbing
printing – the stuff of life. Department of Typography &
Graphic Communication, University of Reading (3/7/2006).
‘Temporal Type: Religious printed ephemera’ Temporary
Type, Fourth Annual Friends of St Bride Library Conference.
London (10/9/2005).
‘Typographic Tales from the Edge of Empire’. ATypI
Annual Conference, University of Art and Design, Helsinki
(15/9/2005).
‘Dead Familiar: the politics of the Irish Catholic memorial
card’. Politics of Design, Design History Society Annual
Conference University of Ulster at Belfast, (9/11/2004).
‘Material Mourning: the Irish Catholic Memorial Card’ On
The Edge: Design and Material Culture in and of Ireland,
Design History Society/ IADT conference, (24/11/2003).
Public Talks: 2009 – Series of talks on contemporary Irish design history,

Red Dog Design Consultants, Dublin.
2008 –‘Religious printed ephemera: art, commerce and piety’
Catholic Central Library, Dublin.
2008 –‘Divided by a common typeface? The mediation of
Irish identity through typographic styles’ National Print
Museum, Dublin.
2004 – ‘The Power of Print’ TriArc, Trinity College, Dublin.
90
2003 – ‘Political Print: Two proclamations, 400 years apart’
National Gallery of Ireland.
Conference and Exhibition Co-organiser Association Typographique

Organisation: International Annual Conference, Dublin
(9-12/11/10)
Co-organiser ‘Visual Voices’ conference, Waterford Institute
of Technology (10/3/06)
Co-curator ‘Grace’ The Granary, Waterford Museum of
Treasures, Waterford (December 2005-January 2006).
Co-curator ‘Living with Modernism’ Spa Green Estate,
London (September 1998 and July 1999).
External and Professional Links: Assessor, International Society of Typographic Designers

student awards (2005 – present).
Co-organiser Typography Ireland (2006 – present).
Curator Institute of Creative Advertising and Design web
archive (2009).
External examiner for Design History –Chelsea College of
Art and Design (University of the Arts, London) (2009 – to
date); Institute of Technology, Sligo (2007 – to date);
Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork (2004-2007);
Cork Institute of Technology (2004–2007); University for
the Creative Arts, Epsom, Surrey, U.K. (2004–2008).
91

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Dublin Institute of Technology

Faculty of Applied Arts

BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display

Part A Background Information 4

i Market Demand and Support 4

Part B Programme Document 16

i Programme Background and Structure 16

1st Year Syllabus 32

2nd Year Syllabus 50

3rd Year Syllabus 68

ii. Accommodation, Teaching Facilities and Resources

Studio space (including Window Display Studio) 180 sq meters

Computer laboratories 165 sq meters

Offices for teaching staff 311 sq meters

Management / administration offices 68.5 sq meters

*Seminar Rooms 89 sq meters

*Tutorial Rooms 27 sq meters

*Post graduate room 37 sq meters

Model Making Workshop 80 sq meters

* Library 551.75 sq meters

* Denotes space / resource shared with other programmes

Mountjoy Square Library

Mary Ann Bolger MA (RCA) MIDI

Annette Buckley Certificate in Design Display, MA Hons. in Multimedia

Noel Fanning BA (Design)

Sheila Greene National Diploma in Graphic Design, ANCAD

Patrick Muldowney Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design and Illustration, Hons.

Tom O’Dowd BSc Management, Diploma in Management & Law, Diploma

Alice Walsh BA, HDE

− Visual Process Research

− Learning and Teaching

− Heritage and Memory Studies

On-Line Learning Communities

Collaborative Art Space Research Network

Visual Process Research

The Drawing Laboratory

Partners: Loughborough University, Kingston University, Norwich University College of

RE: SEARCH – In and Through The Arts

Art-Watching was an interdisciplinary collaborative activity, resulting in production of a

Research into Learning and Teaching

Brenda Dermody, Programme Chair, BA Design (Visual Communication), recently

Heritage and Memory Studies

Design based Postgraduate Research

viii. Programme Management and Quality Assurance Arrangements

Tutoring arrangements: At regular intervals in semester 1 and during semester 2, students

b. Arrangements for quality assurance and monitoring

The programme will be critically monitored at yearly intervals by the Programme

The Major Project will consist of

x. Learning and Teaching Enhancement

Appendix 1 Sample Project Brief

Appendix 2 General Assessment Form

Proposed Title: BA (Ord) in Visual Merchandising and Display

c. Programme aims and learning outcomes

The aim of the BA in Visual Merchandising and Display is:

1. to provide an integrated educational framework within which students are able to

1 Students will have a knowledge of

1. The theory of Visual Merchandising

2 Students will demonstrate a mastery of

1. The visual language of design display including window display, visual

a. The development of visual merchandising strategies for a range of retail

d. Nature, duration and general structure of programme

The Major Project will consist of

¾ Research and Development