Lighting Flashcards
How to use light effectively
1. Mannequins
Avoid bright, white lights directly on a mannequins face, elbows or shoes.
Save the brightest light for merchandise and avoid anything that will detract from the merchandise.
How to use light effectively
2. Coloured lights
Use coloured light to create the right setting for the merchandise. Save it for props and background.
If the coloured lights are used on a garment to intensify the colour, use pastel filters.
Pale pink for red and red-violets.
Pale straw for yellows and oranges.
Daylight blue for cool colours.
Nile green for greens.
How to use light effectively
3. Crossover of light
It is more effective to light across a display than directly down on it.
Direct downlighting can create unpleasant and unattractive shadows.
The upper left light can be directed over the lower right side of the display; the upper right light is then directed over to the lower left.
This creates a crossover of light, a more even, more diffused light and nullifies areas in the display space that are too bright or too dark.
How to use light effectively
4. Light at night
The lighting in a window display should be checked at night. Many imperfections such as wrinkles are more apparent under artificial light when the softening influence of daylight does not enter the window.
Coloured lights will also look different when there are no other source of light with which to contend.
What may have seemed perfect during daylight hours at night may appear harsh or garnish.
It is also advisable to check that the lights are not flooding over into the streets- into the eyes of passerby and road traffic.
How to use light effectively
5. Electrical wires
There is nothing particular attractive about electrical wires unless they are meant to be a part of the decorative scheme. find ways to “loose” them, hide or disguise them.
How to use light effectively
6. Saving Energy
Display light are expensive to use. They use up energy. It is wise to set up a timer device that will automatically turn off all lights sometime during night after the street traffic has diminished and the store lighting no longer serves any purpose of display or image.
Similarly, sensors that turn on the light when it “sense” the presence of a person nearby, can be used to save energy and as a dramatic plus.
Lighting for an open-back window
The lighting up front must be strong enough to keep the shoppers eye from going past the display, into the interior of the store.
Lighting for a closed-back window
The display person can use a range of lighting effects, including coloured lights and light filters to create a more theatrical display.
Store’s interior lighting
A variety of light sources and lamps can be used to create a particular interior lighting “palette” and to draw shoppers to various areas within the store.
Most effective source for window display lighting
Incandescent lighting
MR16
General or Primary Lighting
The overall ceiling light of a selling area. It does not include the accent or decorative lighting.
Secondary lighting
The accent or decorative lighting. Chandeliers Scones Wall washers Indirect lighting Spotlights Light under shelves Lights in cases Lights in counters
Fluorescent lighting
Efficient and relatively inexpensive to install and maintain.
The tubes are available in a range of “white” light, from cool blueish to warm white deluxe which has more of a peach tone.
Smaller tubes can be used in showcases, under shelves, and behind baffles as wall washers.
Incandescent lighting
These bulbs produce warmer and more flattering light than the fluorescent, but emit more heat. The lamps do not burn as long or as efficiently as the fluorescents.
They are available in a wide range of sizes, shapes and wattages. The lamps can be decorative as well as useful. The incandescent spotlight is a display “must”.
The HID lamp
An efficient and relatively inexpensive light source that is being colour improved for use inside a store.
