LIGHT

As each individual reacts to the environment differently it is understandable that some elements are more predominant than others. Lighting, or lack of, is always present in architectural design. Therefore, it is not unexpected that many designers exploit its use to manipulate the user to exert an emotional or physical response.

 

Lighting is most commonly known to effect human emotions, this can be seen with such syndromes as seasonal affective disorder. Even as early as 1998, bright light therapy was used by Michael Terman to combat such conditions (Terman, Terman, and Ross, 1998). This connects to the idea that within design it ‘is essential to influence people’s behaviour upon arrival’ (Heydarian et al., 2016) if the method is going to have significant influence. While researchers such as Helson (1970) and Flynn (1973) proved the best luminous environment consisted of multiple lighting outlets, offering optimal peripheral vision at high contrast combinations (Bennett, 1977d, pp. 102–107), the way this information is used within the leisure sector has become a tool to gently persuade.

 

In terms of store presence lighting contributes to producing an overall atmosphere and therefore the personality created in a ‘retail environment is precisely to try to elicit an emotional effect in the customer in order to achieve some desired behaviour result.’ (Kotler, 1973) (Quartier, Vanrie, and Van Cleempoel, 2014). This emotional psychological approach has been used for decades after being developed on a scientific level. This theory can be seen in comparing the two retail spaces in Figure 11 and Figure 12.

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Drawing on the natural selection memory theory by Holden (2000), the use of psychological association has become a widely used method with regards to lighting. By mimicking a path, or highlighting a specific space through the use of artificial (as shown in Figure 13) or natural light the human brain instantaneously recognises that relationship and often impersonates that stimuli through movement. Therefore, a directional force is created, holding influence over the user, persuading directional movement decisions. This is often used by businesses to entice the user to an area of high value product or deter from dim lit areas for staff only. Alternatively, the use of artificial lighting can be closely connected to the disorientation method whereby it ‘obscures rather than defines boundaries’ (Venturi et al., 1977b, p. 46) in a space. This light method is particularly effective in high octane leisure environments for example casinos such as Rio Casino (See Figure 14) where the desired outcome is ‘privacy, protection, concentration and control.’ (Venturi et al., 1977b, p. 49).  

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Since the concept of light in design is not directly attached to surfaces it is sometimes looked at as ‘anti-architectural’ (Venturi et al., 1977b, p. 49) however it is clear that environmental psychology and lighting in design coincide with each other as a natural interaction. It is just a question of whether designers implement it to persuade the users for another’s gain or not.