GE lighting conference in Budapest: light as innovative design driver presented by Crea International

The use of light in retail service design greatly affects the environment and "mood" inside the space : Barwa Bank branch presented as distinctive example

Lighting design has become a creative extension of interior design, improving its success. A lighting design practice brings sensitive advantages to today’s design processes and the value-added that it provides to a project can make or break its success and therefore it plays a key role within the realization of a design project. An interior designer can provide an overall lighting plan that follows the design goals of whole space as well as making recommendations for general lighting solutions.

On march 21st in Budapest, at General Electric lighting centre, “Meat customer event 2012” took place and Crea International has been hosted to make a presentation on lighting topic. Libero Rutilo, design director of the retail-service-design company, trough the exploration of Barwa Bank branch, where illumination played a fundamental role to emphasize the experience within the space, gave a lecture on lighting applied to Physical-Brand-Design methodology.

Among the audience the most important lighting international distributors and local managers who showed great enthusiasm and participation. After a general overview on Physical-Brand- Design mission and working areas, mr. Rutilo emphasized how light can be considered as a marketing tool, supporting communication strategies, increasing brand identity and contributing, together with an appropriate retail-service-design, to create a unique and memorable shopping experience within a store, as in Tim’s project where he was able to integrate light within a space, giving a new space mood.

He presented Barwa Bank project as emblematic example of how light was protagonist in customer’ s experience within the branch. Designing an islamic bank in a country deeply anchored to its traditions with a retail approach, giving a perception of luxury fashion brand, was an attractive challenge for the italian-retail-design company. Challenge even won thanks to the introduction of an innovative lighting system, that allowed to realize the particular service design journey that broke all the traditional retail-banking-design projects.

As a matter of fact the whole experience inside the branch store is controlled by lighting : through the ceiling illumination system, with four colors displayed, customers know when it’s their turn for assistance, through the task lighting customers have focus on the workstations and the whole wall perimeter is back lited highlighting the desert flower, strengthening the brand identity.

Even the iconic ATM, recalling the desert flower and the mobile branch emits light asserting its presence and giving high visibility to the bank.

The design director’ s presentation closed showing how, in Physical-Brand-Design strategy, designer plays a meaning role as point of reference among the actors of the process, both for the client and suppliers and contractors too. In Barwa’s lighting realization the great difficulty was to select products that were readily available on middle east market and Crea International design director showed the importance of being eclectic and adaptable to face problems and to give ready solutions, following brand’s expectations.

Libero Rutilo comments his participation to the conference : “ very interesting opportunity for me to speak about how the lighting can change the perception of the space and create memorable and unique experiences. On the other hand , a nice chance to improve contacts around the gulf area."

martedì 3 aprile 2012