GRAPHIC design student Chris Goodchild drew crowds of intrigued shoppers when he took over a Marks and Spencer display window as part of his thought-provoking final project.

The 22-year-old student of Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, encouraged shoppers in High Wycombe's town centre to explore the theme of graphic communication when he invited young and old to stand in Marks & Spencer's Church Street store last Saturday.

Shoppers used a form of semaphore, holding flags in different positions to spell out words, in one of the store's main windows.

Mr Goodchild said: "What I really set out to do was show how important graphics are as a form of communication. It's loosely based on how people are influenced by the way things look and the importance of first impressions and how that develops as people make an effort to find out what the flags actually mean."

A code was placed inside the store so that curious shoppers could find out the meanings of the signs.

Mr Goodchild added: "Community orientated words such as Nan and Family were spelt out but an especially effective one was where a young girl with her arm in a sling flagged 'Ouch'."

Store manager Phil Lyons was delighted with the extra numbers flooding into the stores wanting to find out about the display.

"Initially I wasn't sure what to expect but it went down incredibly well," he said. "It was definitely original and was wonderful how it brought the community together."