Week 6: Lights at the Spectrum [Sierra]

Overall Feeling:

One of the things I noticed about the lighting at the Spectrum was that it's not overwhelming or excessive. I've only been out there a handful of times and I generally never paid much attention to the lighting fixtures or effects, but I was surprised by how subdued it was, with the exception of the giant color changing Christmas tree and Ferris Wheel of course. Some of the fixtures were very pretty (i.e. the middle eastern hanging lamp fixtures) but overall, I feel like the lighting is very underwhelming in a good way. There are a lot of stringed lights under canopies and sections with themed fixtures, but much of the lighting seems to come mostly from the store fronts. I found this to be a really effective strategy because the string lights give a very casual and welcoming atmosphere which make you want to stay since it's not an assault on the senses, and because the walkways aren't brightly lit, the light bleeding out from the store fronts is much more effective in grabbing your attention and making you want to look inside.

For my two individual stores, I went to Hot Topic and MiniSo:

I felt like out of the two, Hot Topic is more successful in conveying the overall theme of the store with its lighting fixtures and directing attention to their products. Hot Topic locations always give off a grungy, kind of industrial feeling and I think they're very specific about the mood they're trying to convey with their lighting because they have a particular aesthetic that they're known for. The Spectrum Hot Topic was very dimly lit and their fixtures were bare bars with bulbs which, along with the concrete floors and metal hardware, emphasized the industrial tone. What I found really effective in Hot Topic is that despite having dim and simplistic lighting, many of the bulbs were strategically placed to highlight and draw attention to the products. It gives the customer a sense of direction and focuses the guest's attention exactly where they want people to be looking - on the current sales and promotional products that will make the most money.

In contrast to Hot Topic, MiniSo has an excessive amount of lights and I don't think it serves them in a positive way. Whereas Hot Topic's lighting is tied to the aesthetic and mood of the store, MiniSo is just overwhelmingly bright and doesn't serve any purpose in setting a mood or defining the aesthetic of the store - it's just bright and boring. It gives the store a very sterile feeling, especially in combination with the white walls, and it reminded me of being in a grocery store or a hospital. The light didn't seem to have a function beyond simply illuminating the space. There's no sense of direction and the lights don't help to focus the customer's attention on anything in particular, which isn't an effective marketing or product-promotion strategy. I didn't know where to look when I walked in and with the sheer amount of things they sell, it was quite a sensory overload. I was overwhelmed and frankly didn't want to spend much time in the store. While my personal bias probably has something to do with how much time I spent in Hot Topic versus MiniSo, I do think the lighting contributed in how quickly I left MiniSo and my lack of desire to go back.