Page 242 - DMGT552_VISUAL_MERCHANDISING

Unit 12: Visual Merchandising – Hands On

Incandescent Lamps: In the incandescent, electric energy flows through a very thin wire (filament) Notes
that resists the low of energy. This causes the filament to heat up and, consequently, to glow. The
heat that is produced can, in confined, unventilated areas, be a fire hazard. Incandescent light is
flexible and therefore very useful in special effects. It is always used with a fitting or reflector,
unless it is used in lines or with batteries. Incandescent lamps give a warm effect but are less
diffused and much less economical than are fluorescent.
Incandescent lamps have sharply defined beams that are easily directed to emphasise
merchandise. They come in a great variety of types, shapes, beams, wattages, and colours.
Reflector Lamps: Most widely used for spotlighting interior displays. The reflectors are sealed
in and never need cleaning. They are available in 75, 100, 150, and 200 watts and in spot and flood
beams. For higher intensities, 300-watt lamps produce spot, medium flood, and wide flood
patterns.
Colour spot lamps of 150 watts produce concentrated beams of amber, green, blue, yellow, and
red light that can be used at increased distances from the merchandise. They can be used as
primary lighting, but they are generally used as secondary lighting.
Cool Reflector Lamps: These reduce deterioration of perishable displays and fading or
discoloration of merchandise, as well as boost customer and clerk comfort. A dichroic coating
on the built-in reflector removes mot of the heat from the light beam yet retains high light
output and good beam control. Smart, decorative lamps in 10- to 100-watt sizes and in a variety
of finishes, shapes, and colors can add sparkle to your displays. For example, early-American
chimney lamps lend colonial charm to a display of wigs.
More and more stores are combining incandescent lighting with fluorescent lights to create
their primary lighting. The incandescent is used for warmth, for emphasis, and for highlighting
as well as on the merchandise beneath them.
Because of their lower lamp efficiency, shorter lift, and high heat load, incandescent lamps are
not recommended for general lighting where cost is an important factor.
High-Intensity Discharge Lighting: HIDs are relatively small in size (compared to fluorescents)
and, like the incandescent, provide shadows and highlighting. Mercury-type HIDs may be too
green, the metal halide type may appear too blue, and the sodium type is quite yellow, but
research is producing warmer and more flattering types of light. General Electric’s Multi-Vapour
II is an improved metal halide type lamp that produces a light similar to a standard cool white
fluorescent that is satisfactory in some areas. It is however, still cooler and bluer than an
incandescent lamp.
Since HID lamps do provide so much light, they are best in areas where the ceiling is at least
15 feet high.

Lab Exercise Go to website http://www.hid.com/# and information on HID ultraviolet

Other basic types of lighting that work together in your home:
1. Ambient Lighting: Ambient lighting provides an area with overall illumination. Also
known as general lighting, it radiates a comfortable level of brightness without glare and
allows you to see and walk about safely. In some spaces such as laundry rooms, the
ambient lighting also serves as the primary source of task lighting.

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