11-18 I E S LIGHTING HANDBOOK

Commercial buildings may have their entire front luminous or have only
certain areas luminous, such as fascia signs, panels, pilasters, or spandrels.
There is no limit to the variety and diversity of treatment which a
luminous front may receive, particularly that type of front which employs
transmitted light. Close co-operation between illuminating engineer and
architect is recommended.
Luminous front design. Usually the design of a luminous front is a four-
fold function. It concerns the show window, signs, and luminous elements.
The factors influencing the design of lighting for show windows are given
on pages 10-73 to 10-74. Data on signs are given on pages 11-1 to 11-17.
The design of luminous elements concerns the characteristics of the
materials to be made luminous with respect to the light control and light
pattern which they afford, and also the characteristics of the applicable
light sources. Formulas and tables will be found on page 8-34.
For the purpose of attracting maximum attention, it usually is desirable
to have certain portions (fascia signs, important advertising areas, show
windows, etc.) brightest so that these portions will retain their function
of attracting customer attention.
For any given position of an element of constant size, the glare effect
increases with its brightness. For this reason, extra care should be exer-
cised in selecting the value of brightness for very large luminous areas.
Large elements may have a lower brightness than smaller elements for
equal advertising effectiveness.
Table 11-4
(page 11-11) gives recommended brightness values for a
variety of signs and elements applicable in the design of luminous fronts.
The higher an element is above eye level, the brighter it must be for
equal effectiveness. Luminous decorations at the top of a four-story
building, for example, should be at least double the brightness of the same
element located at eye level.
EXTERIOR FLOODLIGHTING
Outdoor areas may be floodlighted with utility, advertising, or decoration
as the primary objective. Utility floodlighting such as for modern airports
and similar areas is discussed in Section 13. Sports floodlighting is covered
in Section 12. Floodlighting of public, commercial, and industrial
buildings, monuments, museums, etc., covered here, usually is considered
to be for advertising purposes. Floodlighting for decoration (advertising
value may be associated with it) includes that of gardens, exhibitions,
fairs, fountains, waterfalls, etc.
Floodlighting for decorative and advertising purposes is essentially an
art rather than a science. No matter how carefully equipment is placed,
unless it is properly adjusted after the installation is complete the results
will not be satisfactory. When color is used it is frequently advisable to
use a blend of colors in order to produce the desired effect.
Under certain conditions changing color has been used effectively. Such
effects are most readily secured by using a dimmer on the white light to
wash out the colored light gradually, at intervals.