3 Ways You Should Be Using Repetition at a Craft Show

Repetition is one of the easiest ways to:

• create cohesion in your display
• make a statement with your display
• make a display look more professional

It’s a technique used by major retailers to market to you, draw you into their stores, and encourage you to buy. But it can also be used by small businesses at craft shows.

There are many ways to use repetition in a display, but these are my top three ways.

 

1 – Products

Repetition should start with your products.

At a minimum, one element should be repeated in all your products.

For example, perhaps all of my bags are:

• made from vegan leather
• a cottagecore style
• made for school (e.g. book bag, pencil case, laptop case, etc.)

A soap vendor may repeat:

• type of scent (e.g. all floral or all spicy)
• an ingredient (e.g. all products incorporate olive oil or charcoal)
• a purpose (e.g. all products are for sensitive skin)

A jewelry vendor may repeat:

• a material (e.g. crystals or seaglass or wood)
• a style (e.g. all boho)
• a message (e.g. Christianity)

Repeating one or more elements throughout each item in your product line creates cohesion and helps you develop a brand and style you become known for.

Once you have established your brand/style, it’s easy to pull those key elements in the rest of your display.

 

2 – Feel

You should think about the vibe or feeling you want your products, display, and space to create or evoke.

For example, if I’m going for a feminine vibe, that vibe should be repeated throughout my display.

• My products should have a feminine feel.
• My fixtures should have a feminine feel.
• My signage wording, font, etc. should have a feminine feel.
• My attire and demeanour should have a feminine feel.
• Etc.

Think about how you want shoppers to feel when they’re in your space or using your products.

For example:

• a soap vendor may want their customers to feel clean and refreshed.
• a candle vendor may want their customers to feel relaxed.
• a jewelry vendor may want their customers to feel sophisticated and polished.

Then think of the ways that feeling can be applied to different elements of your craft show display.

Do all of your products have the same feeling? Do your fixtures align with the feeling?

Having one feminine element in my display won’t send a strong message. When several elements of my booth say “feminine” it will make a strong visual statement and shoppers will pick up on that feeling.

 

3 – Fixtures

Fixtures are the backdrop to your products and should elevate them. So they shouldn’t be an afterthought.

The easiest way to create repetition among our fixtures is to use the same material for all or to paint them the same color.

A white tablecloth and fixtures keep things clean and cohesive.

A mix of fixture finishes can work too. I find it’s best to stick between 1 – 3 colors (e.g. white and wood/browns, or white, brown and black).

You can keep things simple and subtle so your fixtures fade into the background, or you can use them to create more of a statement with your display.

Consider the feeling you want to create and the element you’re repeating throughout your products.

Then ensure your fixtures align.

For example, if all my bags are a pastel color and I want to create a feminine feel, I would choose fixtures that have a feminine feel. I would either stick to white fixtures so they work with my products’ pastel color palette, or pull a color from one of my bags and spray paint the fixtures a similar color.

You may also repeat the shape of your fixtures (e.g. all boxy in shape or all soft curves) or simply repeat the same fixture three or more times on your table.