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.