Qualitative lighting design for worlds of shopping
The grammar of light
Qualitative lighting design for worlds of shopping
ERCO lighting tools offer the design flexibility needed for differing shop segments and versatile methods of display. The basis for this purpose during product development is a perception-orientated lighting approach. The American lighting designer Richard Kelly (1910-1977) subdivided light into three categories for qualitative lighting design: light for seeing (ambient luminescence), for looking at (focal glow) and viewing (play of brilliants). This "grammar of light" enables boutiques, car dealerships and shopping malls to be optimally illuminated. Experience shows that lighting concepts are judged to be particularly successful if all three components—general lighting, directed accent light and decorative light—are combined in a balanced ratio. The "grammar of light" offers a proven method of analysing rooms, structuring lighting concepts and selecting suitable lighting tools. The luminaire system applied in the ERCO product spectrum consists of various light distributions, colour temperatures, construction sizes and lumen classes and is ideal for the implementation of highly differentiated shop concepts.
Light for seeing
Light for seeing means simple general lighting. This lighting method, using uniform vertical lighting for example, is ideal for illuminating products on shelving and also supports orientation in the room.
Light for looking at
Light for inspecting is concerned with accented light that highlights products, surfaces and spatial zones and also creates hierarchies in perception. It is a central means of guiding the attention of observers when displaying merchandise and architectural elements.
Light for viewing
"Light for viewing is decorative light, light for admiring or an aesthetic end in itself: it also includes light effects with coloured light and decorative luminaires.
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Richard Kelly
The U.S. American Richard Kelly (1919–1977) was a pioneer of qualitative lighting design, combining facets of perception psychology and stage lighting to create a single concept. Kelly replaced the issue of light quantity with the approach of qualities of light. In his profession as a lighting designer he worked on important buildings such as the Glass House (Philip Johnson), the Seagram Building (Mies van der Rohe) and the Kimbell Art Museum (Louis I. Kahn).