LIGHTING TRENDS
By KENAN HANHAN
Profile 11 faux neon letters.
THE FORM OF
LED letters Photo: Albrecht Sign Company (Fridley, MN).
Explaining European LED-illuminated sign spec for North America.
T
he rapid advancement of LEDillumination technology over the course of the past two decades has allowed for incredible innovation within the signage industry, especially in Europe. From LED-illuminated letterforms milled from translucent cast block acrylic to trim-less fabricated aluminum letters that have seamless “infinity” edges (face flush to returns), designers love the opportunity these technologies offer to stretch the possibilities of typographic and experiential graphic design intent.
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And in the post-COVID world, where e-commerce, online banking, and workfrom-home practices are trending everywhere, it is all the more important than in any time in history for brick-and-mortar retail stores, banks, and branded office environments to offer more than just a place to transact but rather pivot to additionally offer an intimate environment to experience. This is why many retailers are going more and more toward small pop-up retail store concepts that precisely offer that intimate experience.
Leveraging the latest in low-profile, trim-less, LED-illuminated signage that looks like jewelry when viewed close up is a big part of that placemaking trend. Yet when we look at the European technology platforms that lead innovation in this space, the landscape can be very daunting to understand. That’s because European illuminated signage technologies that are now increasingly being called out within signage design standards are based upon German nomenclature that can be very confusing. For example, how does one differenti-
February 2021
Sign Builder Illustrated
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