Visual Merchandising Display - Fairchild Books

Figure 4.12 To create a more intimate, human-scaled feeling to a
space with a high ceiling, designers may paint the ceiling a dark
color, drop floating panels down from the ceiling, stretch panels
across the space, or even, as shown here, drop the lighting fixtures.
The white boxes with baffled bottoms light up the tabletop displays
while adding to the sense of intimacy. Note the dark brown canvas
baffles stretched across the shop and the dropped light tracks.
Stark & Whyte, Toronto. Design: Ruscio Studio, Montreal.
even, more diffused light, and nullifies areas in the
display space that are too bright or too dark.
4. The lighting in a window display should be checked at
night. Many imperfections, such as wrinkles, are more
apparent under the artificial light when the softening
influence of daylight does not enter the window.
Colored lights will also look different when there is no
other source of light with which to contend. What may
have seemed perfect during the daylight hours at night
may appear harsh or garish. It is also advisable to check
that the lights are not “flooding over” into the street—
into the eyes of passersby and the road traffic.
5. There is nothing particularly attractive about
electric wires unless they are meant to be part of the
decorative scheme. Find ways to “lose” them—hide
and disguise them.
6. Display lights 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 the
night after the street traffic has diminished and the
store lighting no longer serves any purpose of display
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P a r t 1 : G e t t i n G S ta r t e d — V i S u a l M e r c h a n d i S i n G a n d d i S P l ay B a S i c S
or image. Similarly, sensors that turn on the lights of
a display setup when they “sense” the presence of a
person nearby can be used to save energy—and as a
dramatic plus.
Just as you would seek help from a professional health
care provider if you had an ailment, so should you consult
with a professional lighting designer/planner when it
comes to lighting a retail space. The retailer needs help in
planning not only the most effective use of energy required
by law, but also the best way to use the energy to enhance
the merchandise presentation and displays and create the
desired image for the store. (See Figures 4.12 and 4.13.)
Let there be light: the best light you can afford. This is
not the place to economize.
Figure 4.13 Daylight, long kept out of the retail environment, is now
making a welcome entrance into stores, and not only through allglass
façades and storefronts—daylight is also coming in through
skylights and glassed-in ceilings. In an effort to cut down on energy
costs, designers are going “green” and adding natural light into
the lighting plans. Zara, Bratislava, Slovakia. Design: Gruschwitz
GmbH, Munich.