HIGHLIGHTS:
Clarity in Every Corner
Designing global visual merchandising guidelines for Coach
2019
As the design lead for this internal project at Coach, I collaborated with the Global Visual Merchandising teams to create the monthly release of the Global Visual Merchandising Guidelines. These guides were distributed to the regional teams around the world to ensure consistent, high-impact product presentation in retail spaces.
The Challenge
Coach needed a way to translate complex product placement strategy into simple, visual instructions for a wide variety of store formats and regional teams. The goal was to create a guide that was both brand-aligned and operationally usable. As well as being adaptable across markets while maintaining visual integrity.
My Role & What I Created
As the design lead on this project, I:
Partnered directly with visual merchandisers to understand the strategic goals for in-store displays.
Designed and produced page layouts for the guide.
Translated detailed product arrangement instructions into clear, concise, and highly visual pages.
Balanced brand identity, clarity, and functionality across all layouts to ensure the guides were both beautiful and useful.
Tools Used
Adobe InDesign (layout + formatting)
Adobe Illustrator (custom diagrams and vector elements)
Adobe Photoshop (asset prep and image editing)
The Outcome
The guidelines were distributed globally and served as a core reference for visual merchandising teams at the store level. Feedback from regional partners highlighted the clarity and usability of the layouts, helping teams save time, reduce miscommunication, and achieve brand consistency across physical spaces.
Design Note
Producing this monthly guideline was a turning point in how I saw the power of operational design. I loved turning complex, detail-heavy content into something clear, visual, and empowering. Knowing it would help teams around the world confidently execute the brand vision made it even more meaningful and exciting.