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Bert Ford, AIFD, talks to the audience
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Dec. 16, 2010 - The Kirby/Signature Holiday 2010 Gala in Burnaby, B.C., was held at the end of September. The show format was an interactive shop makeover for the holiday season. The program included many new, trendy and helpful ideas to enhance shop displays.
The event was produced by Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD, and the Design 358 team, with Telefora-sponsored designer Bert Ford, AIFD, from Salem, N.H., and Tony Alvarez, AIFD, from Ventura, Calif. The Platinum Education sponsor was Smithers-Oasis.
During his design segment, Ford showed his love of nature by adding a touch of natural materials such as bark, branches or pine cones to his designs. He expressed his artistic flair by creating a structure out of stacking boxwood frames or incorporating a punch of red to a large silver armature. Ford's popular flower shop design was a harvest basket that had a beautiful textural mix of dried and fresh materials. To incorporate fresh materials such as orchids, he advised the audience to trim the blooms off their stems and seal them with Oasis floral glue - this prevents further moisture loss and increases longevity of the bloom.
Ford's presentation was enthusiastic and informative. He reiterated the importance of pricing correctly for profit. He has a formula for markup on hard goods of two to 2.5 times, fresh goods of three to four times, and labour charges of 25 to 50 per cent. This formula depends on demographics, occasion and profit margins.
Ford also emphasized the importance of keeping current on trends, showing clients the
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A design from the show
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possibilities and, if you don't have what the client is looking for, making other suggestions. Don't ask the client "how much do you want to spend?" It's more effective to give them three different price ranges to choose from.
Alvarez's flair for design showed in his love of sculpture and architecture. His designs were labour intensive, but that demonstrated his penchant for detail. There were many layers to his designs. For example, his large suspended structures were made from heavy gauge wire, wrapped in wool and then shaped into large spheres to house haleconias and gingers - there was lots of depth and movement to his work.
Alvarez loves to use materials in interesting ways, such as taking a decorative glitter star and transforming it into a "cage" to house red roses in a stunning linear bouquet. His designs were meticulous, thoughtful and introspective, as in the case of his origami cranes hanging from a "swag" or his Dutch folklore piece, which included wooden shoes. He was enthusiastic to share his knowledge and expertise. The designer continues his journey in floral design education and encouraged the audience to do the same.
What a wonderful jump-start to an exciting holiday season! I hope everyone tries some of the ideas and techniques that were shared and has a prosperous and happy new year!
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