El papel de la mujer en la historia de la imagen visual de las tiendas a lo largo del siglo XX y principios del XXI

The visual image of shops has changed considerably over the years. The pro-liferation and variety of retail spaces has encouraged a concern for image care to make businesses more appealing to consumers.The architecture and visual image of retail spaces have helped to create a story through shop design, making it easier for brands to capture the attention of customers and draw them into their world. In this area, visual merchandising plays an important role as a tool for brand communication and company positioning, through the presentation of the vis-ual identity in the shop it enhances the customer’s shopping experience. In this sense, the shop becomes an essential element of brand communication and marketing.Throughout history, there have been many architects and designers in charge of working on the visual image of commercial spaces, with few relevant women in this field. This research proposes to review and highlight the role of women architects and design-ers of commercial spaces throughout history. It will analyse 20th and early 21st century designers, from Leïla Menchari, who became the first and most emblematic ‘visual mer-chandiser’, designing shops for Hermès, or the 20th century Italian architect Gae Aulenti, who designed the Olivetti shops, to Elsa Urquijo, a 21st century architect who designed many of Zara’s shops. To do so, a bibliographical review will be carried out focusing on the role of architecture and shop design, to address the work of women architects and designers in the field of commercial image and its repercussions in history.