Every morning when we open our eyes we see it and take it for granted. Enter any building and it’s there. Photographers know how to manipulate it. Physicists know how to concentrate it. Bar owners know to diminish it. Designers know how to accent with it. Yet, no one pays attention to it unless it’s poor.
Visit your favorite retail store and you likely won’t notice the lighting. You’re not supposed to. Lighting designers, whose skills are employed by a range of businesses from the movie industry to all types of retail stores, work behind the scenes to subtly affect our senses, our decision-making and our focus. Lighting design is an art and a science.
Yes, there actually is a psychology of lighting. In the 1970s pioneer Dr. John Flynn studied how lighting affects our retail decisions, work production and social interactions. Since a funeral home’s business encompasses all three areas, let’s see what we know and don’t know about our respective facilities light design.
What we all know is that lighting can:
• Affect emotional and cognitive responses; (mood and thoughts)
• Encourage or distract a focus; (task or relax)
• Excite and energize; (casinos)
• Induce or prevent mild depression; (light affective disorder)
Target and Walmart, which tout a lower cost shopping experience, are designed with good overall lighting. Shadowy spaces are not acceptable as everything needs to be easily viewed. Most shopping areas are bathed in the equal light intensity.
Contrast that with higher end stores which use spotlights to highlight featured merchandise. Dramatic lighting draws attention and encourages a look at details. A finely woven fabric, beautiful wood tones and precise craftsmanship benefit from better lighting.
Often, the most noticeable difference between an older funeral home and a new one is lighting. When I walk into a dimly-lit business space, it makes me feel sad, tired, disinterested and disengaged. A well-lit space makes me feel alert, energized and welcomed.
What we may not know is:
• Light intensity impacts a visitor’s sense of comfort and well-being.
• Well-lit pathways invite exploration and lingering.
• Illuminated walls welcome merchandise scrutiny.
• Paint, carpet and fabric change colors under different lighting.
• Shadows encourage a dismissive look.
It is especially important to note that light bulbs can alter color. Think about the colors used in your facility. Are they enhanced or diminished by the light bulbs’ influence?
o Incandescents, with their amber tone, make reds, oranges and yellows more vivid, but mute blues and greens
o Florescents’ flat, cool light enriches blues and greens
o Halogens resemble natural light and make all colors more vivid
o Compact Florescent Lights (CFL’s) can produce a warm white, neutral or bluish light
o Light Emitting Diodes (LED’s) – Warmer or cooler LED’s are available, plus a smart LED bulb whose color can be controlled wirelessly. Amazingly, the color in the smart bulbs can mimic any color in the light spectrum
To ‘do it yourself’ – if you don’t have access to a lighting engineer or designer, employ these practical suggestions:
• Use spotlights for special areas or products.
• Display all merchandise in good lighting. Light shelves evenly.
• Dispel shadows with proper light positioning.
• Enhance common areas with table lamps, wall lighting and light-filtering window shades.
• Hide LED ropes inside crown molding to illuminate ceilings as well as spaces below.
• More light is almost always better than less light.
As you wander through your facility or through life, walk in the light – and work at increasing your light. It will be good for business and good for you!