Display Rating

This rating concerns the truth or representative nature of lighting - in other words the quality of lighitng intended to depict objects, such as artifacts in a museum or products in a shop, in their true shape and form. 

Drama Factor

This rating concerns the degree of impact or drama that the lighting offers - for example the lighting of objects in a gallery or shop window, so as to create points of exceptional interest or effect, which may or not necessarily be truthful to the object's original form or condition. Used as part of an overall lighting, a high drama factor can add the necessary delight associated with good lighting design.

 As rule of thumb, the higher Drama Factor you achieve, the less well lit will be the objects, in terms of revealing their entire form. However the reverse is not true: you can and should expect to achieve a high Drama Factor with excellent Display Rating.

Display Rating (DR)
Drama Factor (DF)

	DR = 100 DF = 100 Display Rating - Poor; Drama Factor - Very High Here a Pin Spot directed from above, right and forward of the object has immense impact. However, without spill light or background lighting, very little of the statuette is revealed.
	DR = 30 DF = 80 Display Rating - Fair; Drama Factor - High Here an Accent Spot also directed from above right and forward of the object, but with a wider beam and some spill light, reveals more of the statuette and its mounting surface. However, the presentation of this three-dimensional object is still not good.
	DR = 100 DF = 50 Display Rating - Excellent; Drama Factor - Good Here is the best example of display lighting. Three different sources are used: a Pin Spot from above right; an Accent Spot from above left and a Flair Spot from the left rear. The object outline is clear as are its lower contours. Additional luminaires may be necessary for objects viewed from more than one direction - and in such cases one must be careful of glare.
	DR = 25 DF = 20 Display Rating - Poor; Drama Factor = Low The object is lit with an overhead, linear fluorescent source in a louvre luminaire. It appears bland and, except for the top, is poorly defined. Some directionality in the lighting is badly needed.
	DR = 40 DF = 10 Display Rating - Fairly Good; Drama Factor - Very low Here indirect lighting, equating to an illuminated ceiling, is used. Because of the very diffuse nature of this light and the amount of inter-reflected lighting from the mounting surface, the result is moderately effective. Indirect lighting can be an excellent solution in museums, where there may be a thermal or conservation issue.

Achieving a High Drama Factor

• Maximize the color contrast between object and background.
• Minimize the ambient lighting in the immediate area of the object.
• Use a single Pin Spot to shine onto the object, at the most oblique angle possible, from any direction.
• Don't light from more than one direction.             
• Use beam with a maximum Intensity Factor.
• Try to introduce a color hue with high chroma, without reducing the lighting intensity.

Achieving a High Display Factor

• Maximize the color contrast between object and background, as above.
• Graduate the ambient lighting downwards towards the object, while retaining a reasonable background illuminance.
• Select one point or several points that you wish to use as the centre focus. Direct the beam or beams, preferably from above right or left, using Pin spots or narrow-beam spots.
• Backlight the object to shape the outline, using Flair or Flood beams, taking care to avoid glare towards main viewing positions.
• Finally, bring some infill lighting to the picture or object with Accent and/or Flair beams to re-establish the balance.

Remember that whereas some objects are only viewed from the front (e.g. in shop windows), others display objects may be viewed omni-directionally. This may demand additional attention to luminaire position, beam selection and the possible use of anti-glare attachments.

The Final Golden Rule of Display Lighting

Use more than one luminaire, select more than one beam type and light from more than one direction - and watch out for glare.