About Deb

Debi Ward Kennedy

I've been a Retail Visualist, Display Stylist, Store & Brand Concept Designer, Writer, Blogger, Speaker, and Consultant to many businesses within the retail industry for over 35 years. 

Please peruse my blog for resources, information, and inspiration that will serve to educate you as a retailer or designer. From sidebar links to other blogs & web sites, to my own posts & articles, videos, photos, and reading recommendations, you'll find a wealth of assistance there. On my web site, you can view the six videos on visual merchandising that I produced & filmed in 2008. If you are interested in my written materials, or having me write something for your publication or blog, please contact me at debi.wardkennedy@gmail.com for permissions or info.

I wish you the best as you continue to learn and expand as a business owner!

Debi Ward Kennedy

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My service as a designer & consultant is to create a visual plan and concept design for retail spaces. That service ultimately creates a product: the setting in which retailers do business. Creating a Coordinated Visual Presence helps to sell not just merchandise, but a business' own brand image and the value of all that it offers.  

My design goals have always been foremost to utilize the space effectively for cost, operations, and use, and to express the brand image of the business through choices made for use in the retail environment. Design methods that I utilized were to help clients use their retail space tell the 'story' of their business – a visual representation of what the core values, mission statement, purpose, and history are AND allowing space for the growth of their brand into the future. In over a decade of consulting, I never replicated designs for clients - in my mind, every project is an opportunity for growth and vision. No two clients are alike, so no two designs have ever been, either.


I've helped many business reach their 'Visual Impact Potential' across all visual media – through the way their store or booth looks, in the print ads & online presence they use, even down to the personal appearance of the staff. My services enable retailers to Tell Their Story consistently and effectively through every opportunity to reach new and existing customers - in a way that no other business can. I empower independent retail merchants to succeed.


Whether I work one on one with a client to redesign their store or style it for a photo session, am writing articles for retail industry magazines & blogs to share information, or educating audiences through seminars and panel discussions at trade shows, my goal is to empower retailers and assist them in putting their best visual foot forward in every area of their business. 

For over 35 years, I have worked in, studied, and was an educator & consultant for the retail industry. That includes stints as an employee for amusement parks, hospitality (hotels and event facilities), mall chain stores, big box stores, independent retailers, small businesses, big businesses, running retail 'pop-up' shops for churches and schools, and as an entrepreneur with my own retail boutique. From event & holiday/seasonal decorating to display styling & merchandising, I've had hands-on experience with the food, wine, fashion, home decor, furnishings, textile, and gift niches of the retail industry. I've been an active stylist since 1975.


My design clients include The Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, and Denver Gift Shows, and the Northwest Flower & Garden Show (exhibitor product booths and displays, several of which have won awards), Seattle’s Pacific Marketplace wholesale showrooms, major Washington State wineries Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia, and Hogue, Five-Star Hotel Willows Lodge, international retail trade publications and online resources, and independent niche retailers & artisans across the country.  

In May, 2010, I made the decision to discontinue pursuing new clients, and to focus on the furniture and home decor design business that my husband and I started three years ago. I am still available for writing assignments and seminar presentations. Please inquire at debi.wardkennedy@gmail.com.