Every year, with the holidays approaching, we can observe how the places familiar to us are transformed: everyone is trying to decorate the space and create a festive mood. A huge role in this is assigned to festive lighting. What it is and how to create festive lighting, we will analyze in this article.
Festive lighting - this is the decoration of facades, landscapes and interiors with decorative light sources to create a festive atmosphere. Unlike conventional lighting, festive lighting is temporary and is done primarily with equipment that is always in sight. In other words, if, when creating ordinary facade lighting, it is planned to observe the lighting effects that the lamps create, then in the case of festive lighting we are looking at the light sources themselves.
If we classify equipment for festive lighting, then we can distinguish three large groups of light sources: contour (flexible neon, duralight, etc.), areal (light curtains) and figures (trees, animals, etc.).
There are many offers on the LED market, but if you want to get high quality and various lighting effects at an affordable price, then lighting decor from Arlight - the best solution.
- For festive contour lighting, choose the bright flexible MOONLIGHT neon wrapped in a silicone sheath with a delicate blue and white glow.
- For the creation of spectacular and large-scale decorative curtains on large-area objects, window openings, showcases and arches, curtain garlands with a flickering effect are especially suitable, which can be used in the open air.
- Use LED balls as lighting decorations. For example, the BALL 3D wireframe shape.
How to develop a beautiful and appropriate solution using decorative lighting equipment?
Let's take a look at the example of the festive decoration of a shopping center.
You can start designing by examining the concept of a shopping center. Ideal if you can connect New Year's lighting and its theme with existing design ideas. At the same time, you can study a brand book, a design project in order to understand the portrait of potential buyers - all this can affect the quality of a festive lighting project.
The next thing to look at is the viewpoints. What are the most popular directions overlooking the shopping center, which parts of the facades are visible from the road? It may turn out that somewhere the equipment does not need to be installed, but somewhere, on the contrary, you need to use the maximum number of LED decor in order to attract the attention of visitors.
This information will also help you determine the speed of your dynamic scenario. If the facade of a shopping center faces a busy road, then there are only a few seconds to attract attention, but at the same time not greatly distract drivers from driving. Such a luminaire can be designed, for example, with the help of the “Thread” pixel garland of the PRO series, which is controlled by the Arlight DMX K-1000D DMX controller. If the facade faces, for example, a park where people spend time leisurely or at the windows of residential buildings, then the dynamics should be minimal or completely absent.
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zooming 1/4 Photo courtesy of Arlight
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zooming 2/4 LED balls, 3D wireframe "BALL" Photo courtesy of Arlight
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zooming 3/4 Photo courtesy of Arlight
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zooming 4/4 Photo courtesy of Arlight
Also, before planning holiday lighting, it will not be superfluous to look at the existing facade lighting. It is necessary either to combine the festive lighting with the facade lighting, or turn off the usual facade lighting during the use of the festive lighting.
All of these factors can help determine the selection of equipment, its characteristics, quantity and location. For example, which color temperature should you choose - cold or warm? And here different experts give different advice. But if we take, for example, the Autumn shopping center, the design of which is made in autumn colors, and the existing warm white lighting, then the answer in this particular case will be obvious.
Let's move on from the facade to the lighting of the entrance group. Here it must be remembered that the entrance group is the face of any shopping center, so special attention should be paid to it. If there is a question of economy, it is better to invest in the lighting of the entrance group, than to “smear” the lighting all over the facade. This is where the first impression is formed and the decision is often made to go inside or pass by. Also, the entrance should stand out against the background of the general view, so that it is clear where you need to go to get inside.
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zooming 1/4 Photo courtesy of Arlight
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zooming 2/4 Photo courtesy of Arlight
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zooming 3/4 Photo courtesy of Arlight
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zooming 4/4 Photo courtesy of Arlight
Let's move on from the entrance group to the interior design. Here you need to carefully study some important issues before proceeding with the design and selection of equipment.
You can start by exploring the general concept and navigating visitors inside the mall. This can be useful for several reasons. Firstly, more attention can be paid to those areas where the maximum traffic and congestion of people. Secondly, in some shopping centers the most favorable consumer route is planned. Knowing it, you can direct the person who, for example, got off the elevator and decides to go right or left. Most people will go where it is lighter or where there is some attention-grabbing object. It can be a New Year's LED figure or an installation. The latter, by the way, are installed at points of attraction where people walk or take pictures. When planning and distributing equipment, it is necessary to be aware of all such points so as not to bypass them. In such places, color dynamics can be quite appropriate, unlike corridors, where visitors should first of all pay attention to shop windows, and not to New Year's decorations.
A few more important recommendations:
1. Placing festive lighting near glass or glare surfaces will double the effect of reflections.
2. Using various switch-on groups, you can turn off part of the equipment, the operation of which is invisible during the day, or make everyday and holiday modes of operation.
3. The equipment must be mounted in such a way that after dismantling it can be used again. Next year will most likely be New Years again.
4. When used outdoors, the characteristics of IP (dust and moisture protection) and UHL (climatic conditions) are important.
5. Safety - read the instructions carefully and use only quality equipment.
In conclusion, I would like to mention some composition rules, knowing which you can at least prevent annoying mistakes, and as a maximum make a beautiful and memorable design.
Highlighting the main
In any composition, there should be some main object that attracts attention. You can select an object either by making it brighter or by using a different glow color. It is also worth remembering that a person pays attention to the figures of humans and animals in the first place, therefore, such a figure will be a priori dominant. For example, if you make a large colored ball with a human height, and put small figures of Santa Claus and deer next to it, then this composition will not be harmonious, since it will be difficult to determine what is most important in it.
Location of objects
Symmetry is, on the one hand, a win-win, and on the other, boring and uninteresting. Try to arrange objects according to the rule of thirds or the golden ratio. In this case, do not forget about weight. If you have "loaded" one side, you need to balance the composition with some object on the other side.
Rhythmics
When it comes to large volumes, it is easier for a person to count one object and see its repeatability. Under this condition, even when using a large amount of equipment, order and harmony will be read. Vertically positioned objects are more likely to evoke a sense of calm and stability, while horizontally placed objects will tend to evoke movement and dynamics. By the way, if you have moving objects (for example, Santa Claus on a sleigh), then it will be more familiar if he moves from left to right.
We hope that this information will be useful and will help you in creating a truly beautiful, harmonious and festive lighting design. Remember that the main task is not so much to follow the rules as to convey the joy, happiness and atmosphere of the upcoming holiday.
