WHEN JOYCE KO visualises the future, her mind conjures up images of colourful clothing, offbeat artwork and eye-catching displays.
This is because she dreams of being a virtual merchandiser - a creative designer who lures consumers into shops to spend, spend, spend.
As a visual merchandiser, Ms Ko would like to play a key role in designing and setting up window displays for a variety of retail stores.
She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology at the State University of New York last spring. At the institute, her studies included window display, exhibition and store planning.
'I learnt about lighting, where the clothing racks should go and which mannequins to use. Visual merchandising is a different way of communicating. Compared with reading and writing, it's a more abstract form of communication. It's not as direct.'
While studying in New York, Ms Ko also worked as a studio assistant to the artist/owner of Textile Design by Mary Jaquer, a high-end clothing boutique. There she helped with the design and development of promotional displays, which were featured in design studios and associated stores. She also selected and prepared fabrics for the displays, handled customer concerns, received orders and scheduled deliveries.