Commercial Lighting - Product Information and Lighting News for Commercial Applications

Cherry blossoms bloom in ESI Designs light display

Historic D.C. Building Comes Alive With Light

August 11, 2016August 11, 2016 Renee Carlson 1 Comment

A renovated Washington D.C. office building renowned for its historical significance as a civil rights landmark now captures attention with magnificent displays of reactive light.

In 1951 Mary Church Terrell led a civil rights protest at the lunch counter of what was then Hecht’s department store. Over 60 years later the aptly named Terrell Place, now a renovated office building, is making history again.

An Interactive Experience

Imagine that every workday was like walking into a virtual reality. Outside, you might trudge through snow and sleet, but inside, cherry trees blossom and fade, fireworks blaze and butterflies flutter with the ebb and flow of activity in the building’s lobby. Read More

Man walking into bathroom stall with tooshlights installed

Lights that Made us Say WHAT? – Tooshlights

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 Renee Carlson

Lights that made us say What? Tooshlights

Sometimes in my search for lighting news to share with my readers, I come across a new lighting product that stops me in my tracks, causes me to raise my brows and even makes me chuckle. Tooshlights® are definitely one of them.

The Los Angeles start-up recently brought to market an automated lighting system that uses glowing red and green LED lights to signal patrons when a bathroom stall is available. Quite literally in this case, “green means go.”

You can install Tooshlights in any size restroom, but the advantages really come into play in large venues like stadiums, airports, theme parks, and performing arts centers, etc. There are some nice benefits for the end-user (no pun intended) and for the venue: Read More

LEDs Hit the Streets

July 30, 2015July 28, 2015 Renee Carlson

Cities everywhere are jumping on the LED street light bandwagon and trading in their outdated fixtures for new & improved models. We’ve known for years that LEDs have many advantages over their incandescent counterparts, so why the sudden push to make the switch?

LED street lights compared to conventional street lights in Sacramento County — This image from Sacramento County’s recent lighting upgrade reveals the vast difference in color temperatures between LED and Conventional street lights. (Photo credit: saccounty.net)

Why are Cities Getting Rid of Conventional Street Lights?

Take a look at some of the benefits LEDs offer over conventional High Pressure Sodium (HPS) street lights:

LEDs are 10x more energy-efficient
LEDs last 25x longer (less maintenance, reduced lamp toxins in landfills)
LEDs offer advanced lighting controls (dim or power off when not in use)
LEDs offer better visibility (less glare for drivers, better images for security cameras)
LEDs reduce light pollution by not diffusing light in all directions

Trade Show Lighting Techniques to Draw a Crowd

Trade Show Lighting Strategies to Draw a Crowd

March 10, 2015March 19, 2015 Renee Carlson

Trade show lighting strategies to draw a crowd
Are you attracting customers to your trade show exhibit with a killer lighting strategy?

There are plenty of ways to discourage people from approaching your trade show booth (overwhelming salespeople… underwhelming salespeople…annoying gimmicks) but how do you encourage people to come look at the product or company that you’ve worked so hard to build? When it’s you against hundreds of other companies that are all vying for attention, an eye-catching, interest-generating trade show booth has to have the right lighting strategy to draw a crowd.

Know your venue lighting situation in advance.

Having a head start on the lighting guidelines of your trade show venue is as important as knowing who your competition will be. Some convention centers have very strict regulations that will hamper even the most brilliant exhibit. The last thing you want to find out is that your track lights exceed height requirements or the wattage of your bulbs violate fire safety regulations, leaving your well-thought-out booth design fading into the background. Contact your venue ahead of time so that there aren’t any last-minute surprises.

Once you’ve got the logistics nailed down, you can start diving into the details of your lighting strategy.

Knowing the lighting situation before arriving at your trade show is crucial.

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Design Experts Link Hospital Lighting to Patient Wellness

July 8, 2014July 8, 2014 Tom Sowders

human eye

Have you ever had the misfortune of staying in a hospital for an extended time? The nights are the worst part, aren’t they? It seems like only in hospitals can nights last for SO LONG. If prolonged inactivity and medication weren’t enough to make sleeping difficult, all through the night well-intentioned and hardworking nurses have to come in and flick on the fluorescent lights, which, in older hospitals, flicker to life feebly and cast a greenish light. Wouldn’t it be great if hospitals were a little more optimized for healthy sleep patterns? Lighting, it turns out, may be the key to this kind of improvement.

What Is a Light Box?

February 27, 2014February 2, 2017 Tom Sowders 1 Comment

The term “light box” can mean a few different things, but from a lighting perspective it typically refers to a backlit display panel. Light boxes are most commonly used for advertisements or other commercial displays. You’ve probably seen them in trade show booths, restaurants, airports, nightclubs, offices, hotels, museum exhibits, and retail shops. That’s right, light boxes are everywhere.

One of the most common uses for light boxes is the commercial advertisement. You see these in large spaces like terminals or outdoors at bus stops. They capture the attention of passers-by and create lasting impressions. The light box pictured below is one of the biggest I’ve ever seen.