Week #10 Spectrum of Sugar: A Comparative Critique

I went to The Irvine Spectrum on Saturday evening thinking it was just another Saturday. When I arrived there I got an immediate reminder that it is close to Christmas. I  stood outside and observed that  the entire mall was adorned with lively Christmas lighting. I was captivated by the avenue of palm trees that had small Christmas lights wrapped around them. Walking on this path with the omnipresent lights on either side made me feel like I was in gliding in dream-land. It was a familiar feeling that I always associate with the holiday season. I was also drawn by how subtle they lit the architecture. They have lights on the wall that are covered with lamp-like covers, the covers refract the light and create a pattern on the wall. The pattern looks well-conceptualized over all. I noticed that each store had its own design element and there was an open ice rink with flashing lights that changed color. it went from blue, to orange, and pink. The water-fountains were lit with down-light sources that brought them a sense of grandeur and a 3-D quality. All of these pieces worked individually, but as I looked at the overall picture I did not see any correlation. The lighting was too busy and disconcerting. The over-all color combination was overly optimistic and it made the whole place like it was made of candy.

Individual Store Displays:

H&M

The lighting in this H&M clothing store display is not successful in my opinion. The primary function of lighting is to illuminate. Another important function of lighting is to focus or highlight certain areas of space or objects. The lighting on display fulfills neither of these two functions. The main reason for having displays is to show the products that are on sale in a way that catches the eye of the potential customer. I feel that the lighting on this display is dark, dull, and not eye-catching. In fact, the only light is angled towards the wall on the right hand side instead of the clothes that are supposed to be on sale. As a result the clothes appear boring, one dimensional, lacking texture, lifeless, and unattractive. There is more emphasis on the boxes than the clothes. Furthermore, the angle of the light makes the light hit the glass window, giving it a harsh appearance. I think that this store needs to re-conceptualize it's lighting for this display as it is making the product look lifeless. I am the store's target market and I feel that this display did not hit the target.

Hollister Clothing

I was drawn by the simplicity of this display at Hollister Clothing. I liked how the entire store appeared dark and they had small mood lights on the clothes. This is a significant display because it is outside and not inside a  glass window. It is dark behind the display and the customers can only see the clothes. The clothes in the picture are lit by two down lights at an angle. The light is appropriate for the fabric textures and colors that they have chosen. These pictures do not capture the objective depiction of what I witnessed. Hollister aims to attract a young trendy clientele and I think they achieved that with this display. I also find the contrast between deep darkness and subtle warm light very clever, it makes them stand out, since almost every store in this mall has colorful christmas lighting. I feel like this lighting was simple, well-conceptualized, and it gave the store a sophisticated image.