Lisa Kline Stores

Students in FIDM's Visual Communications program have many opportunities to explore their industry and make important connections through various internship programs, including a chance to work with Lisa Kline Stores, a Los Angeles boutique frequented by Hollywood stars and celebrity stylists. Under the direction of Visual Designer Nancy Kline, FIDM Student Interns learn every aspect of window design, including creative design, measurement, graphing, space planning, color, proportion, dimension, and balance. “Retail display windows are works of art designed to tell a story and capture the interest of the customer,” explains Kline, who also shows interns how to find and make props, budget for displays, and work with store personnel. 

"Working with Nancy was my favorite part of the internship,” says Michaella Ahn, who recently finished an internship for the Fall quarter.  “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and I didn’t know if window design was something that I was even interested in.  My Advisor told me that an internship with Lisa Kline Stores would be very hands-on, and it definitely was.  Nancy let me participate in finding props, creating designs, and installation.  I had the opportunity to be really creative,” she adds. 

Elisa Fernandez, one of FIDM's Graduates who interned with Lisa Kline Stores, agrees.  “I had a lot of fun with Nancy.  She was very structured and always had a plan to execute a design.”  In addition to showing them the ropes, Nancy offers students advice on building a successful career in window design and provides valuable tips on maintaining strong client relationships.  Michaella Ahn shares, “Nancy gave me good advice on how to design for big corporations, small boutiques, and other types of businesses. I feel like I’ve got the courage to do this if someone asked me to design their window.”  It is with this confidence that Nancy hopes each student intern will walk away from the experience.  “The goal of the intern is to develop, design, and implement a theme window of their own from the idea to the finished product,” she says.  With her expertise and insight into window display design, Nancy is helping FIDM Student Interns to achieve their goals while under her guidance and well into their own careers in Visual Communications.