The selection of lighting for your retail store displays is an important consideration in planning the look of your store. Here is an overview of some of the more common lighting schemes used in retail store fixtures.
Perhaps the most ubiquitous form of retail store lighting is the flourescent fixture. These fixtures are the most affordable to install and maintain. They have a high energy efficiency and provide even brightness over a large amount of floor space. These can be surface mounted inlays if using hung acoustic ceiling. A more dramatic effect can be delivered by using these fixtures as indirect lighting, by placing them behind a sconce or other obstruction which serves to block the direct path of the lighting.
Track lighting can be used to add dramatic accents. Traditionally used to highlight artwork hung on walls or specific, individual displays such as a mannequin, this type of lighting is becoming increasingly popular as the main lighting source in retail stores. Track lighting is available in a variety of types, including both incandescent and halogen. Halogen lights give a modern feel to a store and come in diverse designs. Designs include halogen bulbs at the end of a flexible neck, with opaque fixtures in a variety of colors. Such lighting becomes a form of decor in and of itself, and adds a nice, futuristic touch to your retail store displays.
Spot lighting is also popular. Spot lights can be mounted on a ceiling, a wall, or the floor. Movable floor spotlights are also common. This type of spot light is not a permanent fixture, but rather plugs into a standard 120 volt outlet and can be placed as desired for any particular store display. Spot lighting can use incandescent flood lights for a wider splash of light, or halogen bulbs or focused spot lights with lenses for a narrower field of illumination.
It is important to remember that when using spot lighting or track lighting that multiple sources of illumination should be used from a variety of angles to prevent unwanted shadowing and to allow full illumination. When overhead lighting is used in conjunction with floor spot lights, vertical shadows can be virtually eliminated, such as the shadow that might project below the nose or chin of a mannequin if lit solely from above. Similarly, by implementing lighting from various angles across the x axis (horizontal axis), sideways shadows can be eliminated.
Luminescense or brightness can be customized via the use of varying wattages of bulbs or better yet the use of a dimmer. Additionally, colored bulbs or gels can be used to provide an atmosphere that you desire or to bring out specific colors you wish to highlight in your display.
About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online provider of retail store displays, retail fixtures, mannequins, and lighting. For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com.
Ron Maier graduated from the University of Florida in 1987 with a bachelors in business administration. Mr. Maier is currently the vice president of S & L Store Fixtures, based in Miami, Florida. For more information please visit retail store displays, hangers, and kids hangers.
