Designers are concerned with color appearance (measured in correlated color temperature, or CCT) and color fidelity, or color rendering compared to an ideal source (measured on the color rendering index, or CRI). It also tells a story about the space, whether a given store is likely to be focused on discounts or high-end products, or whether a restaurant is selling fast food or a fine dining experience.Ĭolor perception: For an object to be perceived a certain color, that color must be present both in the object and the content of the light striking it. Lighting, therefore, can impact satisfaction, visibility, task performance, safety, security, sales, mood and atmosphere, aesthetic judgment and social interaction. Not just light, but the lighting equipment itself can also affect impressions of the space and its owner. Where the light is placed, at what relative intensities, and in what direction, can have a major impact not only on vision and visual comfort, but perception. “Lighting” is the application of light to spaces.
Light is therefore the medium through which a majority of people perceive the world. The large majority of our impressions of the world come through our eyes, and light is necessary to vision. Light is a commodity that should be purchased at the lowest possible cost, but lighting is a business asset that should be carefully considered for investment with the right design and equipment. They can engage owners in a conversation that starts with application needs and ends with equipment sales. By understanding these principles, electrical distributors demonstrate expertise and differentiate themselves.
#STAGE LIGHTING DESIGN BOOK SERIES#
It’s often said that lighting is as much an art as it is engineering, but the art of design can be reduced to a series of guiding principles. Another contribution to the March issue of The Electrical Distributor provides a primer on lighting design.