Craft Booth Display Lighting

There is no magic about the attraction of proper display lighting. To a great extent, buying decisions are the result of seeing. The shopper's eye is drawn automatically to the brightest thing in its field. Therefore, the lighting in a craft show display should be two to five times stronger than the room lighting.

Consider brightness of detail. The more difficult it is to see detail, the more display light needed. Yet, strong lighting alone will not necessarily tempt customers to buy. Lighting also should have the quality and color that brings out the best features of the merchandise.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the purpose of display lighting is to call attention to merchandise. Expert craft booth display people use light in the same manner as a musician use sound. A musician varies the volume to attract attention and manipulates tones to create a mood. Similarly, a display expert varies the amount of light to pull shoppers over to a display. He uses colored lamps, soft light, and so on, to create a buying mood.

Remember that light is radiant energy reflecting from an object and acting on the retina of the eye to make that object visible. Intensity, in lighting, is the degree or amount of that reflection.

There are three distinct phases of lighting to consider when discussing display illumination: primary, secondary and atmosphere lighting.

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1. Primary Lighting - Primary lighting supplies the bare essentials of room illumination; also called existing lighting. Outside, it would be the sun or ordinary daylight. Inside, primary lighting provides general illumination for the building.
2. Secondary Lighting - In itself, primary lighting is inadequate for the specialized showing of merchandise. For this purpose, secondary lighting should be added: spot and flood lights augment basic booth lighting, brighten the shelves, the cases, the counters, and the merchandise so the customer's eye is attracted. In this second phase of display illumination, lighting begins to function as a definite sales force.

   This is called high-lighting and directs the customers attention to the products. Secondary booth illumination includes down-lighting from the top of your booth, showcase lighting, and valance lighting.

3. Atmosphere Lighting - The final element in your craft booth display lighting pattern is atmosphere lighting. This is the phase that plays light against shadow to create the distinctive effect in specific displays. Hanging lamps or floor lamps, color filters or colored lights, pinpoint spot lights and black lighting may be used to create dramatic effects and add warmth and serenity to your display.

There are two types of artificial light sources. They are incandescent and florescent.

In the incandescent, electric energy flows through a very thin wire (filament) that resists the flow of energy. This causes the filament to heat up and, consequently, to glow. This heat that is produced can, in confined, unventilated areas, be a definite fire hazard. It is flexible in use and, therefore, is very useful in special effects. This type of light is always used with a fitting or reflector, unless it is used in lines or batteries. Incandescent lamps give a warmer effect but are less diffused and much less economical than florescent.

Florescent lighting is actually electrical energy causing phosphors to glow in a tube. It is very economical and provides shadowless light that is valuable for general background or ceiling illumination. It is cool and produces little heat, making it good for small, enclosed areas. However, it does tend to make some objects look unpleasant and cannot be focused or be projected. Maximum efficiency is obtained when the tube is placed next to a flat white surface that reflects the light beams.

Light Sources As Selling Tools
Learn about the different types of lamps available and how to use them to obtain a desired effect.

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