Week 10: Site Specific Blog, The Spectrum

For the site specific study, I went to the Spectrum. It was an interesting time to go since they had put up all of their holiday lights! Overall, in the two areas I focused on, the designer's ideas seemed to be cozy, warm and comfortable. Their were chairs to sit in and lights with warm colors. In this regard, the overall feel of the area was successful to me.

I came across one shop, Anthropologie, that continued this look. While I may be a bit partial to this store, I can also see it offers soft colors with warm decorations. Not only did it succeed in this feeling with its lighting, but it seemed to fit in in this area of the Spectrum. (though my picture doesn't do it justice.)

I will say, however, See's Candies stood out to me and not in a good way. The harsh cool white lighting with little color didn't invite me to come in for candies or chocolates. While I saw the designer may be going for clean, fresh, modern looking, it looked uninviting. In addition, it seemed to not fit in with the surrounding stores that displayed warm looks.

This was definitely an interesting exercise to see realize why there have been certain stores I hadn't even noticed while others I've gravitated to. This had me looking at lighting in a stylistic way for stores instead of artistic ways for the stage.

Spelling of Choreographer in Dance 287 Blog Title

P.S. I have been trying to figure out how to change the title of the entire blog so "choreographers" is spelled correctly, and also kept forgetting to mention it in case we didn't have the capability as students to modify the title of the blog. So now that the course is over and it doesn't matter, I just remembered to mention it. That is all.

Week 10: !!!!!!! spectrum

For my final blog, and my site specific blog assignment, I went to the Irvine Spectrum. With the holiday season upon us, it was interesting to try and identify what the designers of the location had wanted to accomplish, not what the designers of the holiday lights wanted to accomplish.

 

These pictures embody the overall environment that I think the designers were trying to accomplish. From previous observations of the Spectrum, I realized the architectural design follows a fairy-tale light Arabic architectural pattern, from the large round archways opening to a paradisaical path. The general lighting at the Spectrum goes along with the same theme. In these pictures, the lights emphasize the circular shape of the expansive archway(s), and though not shown in these pictures, lantern like lights transport the visitor to a different place and an earlier time. During the day, Flag like fabric hung in chains prevents the sun from overheating, while at night, these fabrics are illuminated, expanding on the attempted Arabic feel. The holiday lights on the two rows of palm trees bejewel, create a feeling of wealth, and expands the path.

After roaming around the entirety of Spectrum, I found that this little Santa Shack is particularly successful. Assuming it is not up all year, this little show seems to attempt to create an imaginative, joyful, "North-pole-like" feel to the "store." Although not actually a real store, but a place decked out with Orange Country themed holiday things, and the place where I can meet the Orange County Santa, I thought that the set up and the lighting of the store really captured the carefree, fun, yet Chirstmas-centered feel the designers probably were trying to get across. The circular bottom of the spot light directed the attention of the passerby to the shop, and the gobo highlighted the holiday feel. The mini led Christmas lights on and around the shop created just enough color to be recognized from far away.

A store that I felt was unsuccessful in portraying what it appeared to have attempted to portray was this jewelry store (I don't know the name). I believe that the pearl like lights on the edge of the display cases was an attempt to give of a graceful and delicate impression. However, the overexposed look of the inside, and the direct light shining not only onto the jewelry but inside the entire store created more of a tacky feel. There was nothing intimate or personal about the store, and the abundance of sparkling jewelry heightened the exaggerated feel of the display. 

As a closing, I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Spectrum tonight. It took me out of my over tired state, and the lavish holiday lights along with the holiday music playing in the background lifted my spirit. It did help that I had good company :)

Week 10: Last one and done.

This picture represents the overall feeling of The Irvine Spectrum for me because there is a lot going on, especially because of the holiday season. I have been to this location once before and there were already a lot of lights. Now that Christmas is upon us, there are extra festive lights. I think the designers were trying to create a spectacle for the shopping or eating experience. People like lights. There are lighting ceremonies to which people flock, i.e. the Christmas lighting ceremony in downtown Chicago draws a huge crowd every year no matter what the weather is like. Lights can add a special feeling to the atmosphere, and I think that is a big part of the goal. Shoppers of all ages only need to go to one place for an evening out for a full experience. Whether or not it is successful will depend on the individual. Personally, I, like many others, enjoy seeing a variety of lights. I think the lights were cohesive in many of the common areas, i.e. all palm trees had same type of lighting and matched the ferris wheel. In this picture, the movie theater is a bit much and doesn't mesh as well with the rest of the environment, but I am assuming the designers there wanted the theater to stand out, and it does. I am a "less is more" type of person, so I think that overall the Spectrum is nicely lit, but I wouldn't mind a little less.

 This window display for Anthropologie works really well for me. I am quite familiar with this store.........and I think the display is an accurate representation of the feel of it. It is unique, eye catching, detailed, and pleasing to look at. It frames the clothing in a manner that is cohesive with the products sold. From the shape of the window and it's line details to the lights in the decorative element, this store appropriately and successfully designs the aesthetic of the company. And being familiar with it, I can say they are also consistent in their designs.

 The design of this children's store was unsuccessful for me because of its plain nature. More simple designs can definitely work for certain retail stores depending on the product, but I think that there is a lot of room to be creative when it comes to products for children. I think children's clothing and other items necessitates a louder design than this. If I had a reason to buy something for a child, it would not be the design that would entice me to enter the store and purchase something, but rather a need to buy something for a child. I think that is a mistake on the company's part because a well-designed storefront will absolutely catch the eye of potential customers and draw them into the store.

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This picture is more of a postscript...

I actually thought this one was the best, but I think Boroka is using it, so wanted to choose something different. It's so fun! Where is the gobo coming from?!?!?! haha.

Week 10 - Unnerving or soothing? Bright light in shop designs

Southern California Christmas. That's the feeling that one gets when visiting the Irvine Spectrum at this time of year. Palm trees covered in twinkle lights, loud, catchy Christmas music, and even a beach hut photos-with-Santa booth. There is not one sparkly light spared in this set up, and final impression works very well in conveying the Christmas spirit.

The visual displays of the shops at the Specturm vary wildly. Old Navy is the typical budget department store with generic window displays and harsh lighting. Although the store may be aiming, with cheerful, if generic, colors and photos of smiling children, to entice shoppers to enter, the sharpness of the florescent lights any positive effects the other aspects of the window displays might have. The contemplation of the entering the store is accompanied by the feeling of  a chore rather than the therapeutic retail experience that one wants to encounter while shopping. 

The Skin Food shop, a few doors down, presents an interesting contrast to Old Navy. The overall lighting for the shop is still "white" and bright but a more natural feel is achieved by manipulating the lights. Instead of being cold and exhausting, this lighting is inviting and calming. The designer managed to create a gentle feeling with the lights even though the level of the lights is bright. I think that this is achieved partly through the type of light used (nor florescent) and partly through the use of intermittent, circular pools of light that make a kind of dappled effect, like sunlight, on the furniture and floor of the shop. All-in-all the lighting for Skin Food inspires a feeling of crisp cleanliness while, at the same time, remaining soothing and inviting, all of which connects well to the concept of beauty products.

Week 10: Turns Out I'm a Terrible Photographer

On Sunday I went to Disneyland with my family! After about 8 hours of some intense family time I felt it was time for a little homework break at Downtown Disney.  Maybe it was the Christmas displays but as I walked around I found many good example of lighting.  I had many stores to choose from for good lighting but I really wanted to find an impressive bad lighting example.  My pictures of good/bad business lighting didn't turn out that clear but I'll try to explain thoroughly what was good and bad about each experience!

What you see above is an example of good lighting.  The store is the Build-a-Bear Workshop store.  The first picture is the one that I took and the second is a little bit clearer picture that I found on yelp to help illustrate my point!  As you can see from the photo the store looks very inviting especially to little kids.  They use bright colors and lighting that focuses on the fun display.  The lights used on the inside of the store are very warm as opposed to the cooler neon lights that are used on the outside of the store. Perhaps the lighting designer was trying to create that warm comforting feeling you get when you are a little kid and you cuddle with your teddy bear!

Okay…so this photo doesn't really do this bad lighting example justice but if the person who designed this Sunglass Hut was trying to recreate the brightness of the sun in a super-small space then they succeeded!  The brightness of this store was so overwhelming that I knew when I saw it that it was some bad lighting.  I guess it could be a marketing ploy…as you walk into the small kiosk you physically need to try on sunglasses so you don't go blind from the many florescent lights that are shining on you and reflecting from the mirrors!

And here is a picture of Steve (he did silly photos in every ride photo!), my sister and I on Space Mountain!  Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!

Week 10 - From Classy to Trashy

I went to the Irvine Spectrum to do this lighting evaluation and just before going to write this post I looked at the blog to see what other had been done so far. The first one I looked at was Christian's and guess what. . . I DID THE EXACT SAME STORES AS HIM!!!!!! What are the chances?!?! I saw the pictures he posted and decided not to read what he wrote so that I can give my uninfluenced response to what I saw while at the Spectrum. Here goes. . .

Casey's Cupcakes

This store is the epitome of elegance and charm. And the lighting definitely compliments and completes it! There is a lot of pink in the decor of the store and the lighting designer was smart to use warm white light to soften the pink and brighten the atmosphere. The lighting fixtures add to the elegance of the store. The chandelier and marquee style lights around the menu are bright and inviting so that potential customers walking by will be drawn to the store and want to peek inside. The hanging lanterns create a more subdued effect over the countertops so that the customer's experience with the employee has more of an intimate and personal feeling.

One of the most important things I have learned from this class is that cool colors are needed to balance out warm colors in lighting and I think the lighting designer of this store did this brilliantly! The display case housing the beautifully crafted cupcakes stands out with it's icy blue lighting that contrasts the warm pink tones in the rest of the store. Your eye is drawn to the product they are selling, which is exactly what is needed in order for this store to thrive and succeed in business!

I give the lighting designer for Casey's Cupcakes an A+!!!

Charlotte Russe

Oh, Charlotte Russe. . . Based on the lighting and decor of your store, you should be out of business. Alas, you lure customers in with your cheap prices and deceive those with an untrained artistic eye into thinking you are stylish with your ill advised attempts to create appealing store front window displays. I shake my fist at you! 

What seems to be happening in this display is a representation of the flashiness of the holiday season. Gold and glitter is the look I think they are trying to pull off. Unfortunately, it did not work. The gold advertisements representing tree ornaments are lit with yellow tinted light to try and enhance the gold effect. In fact, these lights are used all across the front display - on the ads, on the bald mannequins, on the wall, it's everywhere. And there is nothing contrasting it! It's just flat down lighting across the board! Behind one of the mannequins are a few strands of lights hanging down, which I imagine is trying to aid the flashy holiday season look. But why would you just hang that one set? Why not add more  strands across the back to create a separation of the front display from the rest of the store behind it? 

What is not evident in these photos is something that struck me as very odd. In the pictures the light seems yellowish, however, in person there also seemed to be a green tint going on. I thought that perhaps they were trying to slightly match the green Charlotte Russe logo and if that's the case it was a mistake. The mannequins looked slightly sickly and it just felt off as a whole. These pictures look a lot better than what it was like in person. 

Overall, I give the lighting designer of Charlotte Russe a D. 

This was a really interesting assignment and it really helped me to think about lighting in terms of what it can relate to potential customers. As choreographers, audience members are our customers, and given that knowledge, we need to be able to work with lighting designers to create lighting that matches our choreographic intentions and relates our intentions to our audience. Gotta leave them wanting more! :-)