Researching the perfect finish
We know that light is an influential design tool affecting how consumers experience and interact within their environment. But a significant factor that’s often overlooked is how people are made to look and feel, and in retail, specifically the beauty industry, it can be a deal breaker. The retail lighting in this particular sector should flatter the customer but sadly the opposite often happens: we’ve all walked past a mirror in a store only to take a few steps back for a double take and thought “ouch!”
After experiencing repeat problems at one of their retail concessions, a high-end cosmetic brand asked us to take a look at the lighting installation. The artificial light wasn’t performing to its best; merchandise wasn’t prominent and skin tones looked unhealthy. And, that’s where our journey began with skin tone and lighting… resolving a beauty issue at Selfridges, which led to the development of a whole new module.
April’s edition of FX Magazine has a great feature on our research work with UCL and Xicato and the subsequent creation of the LED module “Beauty Series” – you can find the article here.
And, if you’re at Clerkenwell Design Week next week, then come and see us to learn more about our work first hand. We’ll be showcasing our groundbreaking research process through talks and workshops – find out more here.
Image: © James French
