DGA on the LUDE Master’s programme

Lighting in shop windows

In a shop window, space for lighting fixtures is often limited, and the light must fall precisely where it is needed: on the outline of an object, or on a detail that would otherwise go unnoticed. The size of the light source and beam control become crucial factors in design decisions.

This was the starting point for the lecture that DGA delivered at the LUDE – Lighting Design Master’s programme at AANT, at the invitation of the director, Alessandra Reggiani, as part of the workshop dedicated to visual design, lighting and shop windows.

Roberta Carafa and Irene Rettori brought two complementary aspects of DGA’s work into the classroom: lighting design and the development of bespoke luminaires. The presentation began with the creation of a luminaire, to demonstrate how a designer’s brief is translated, choice by choice, into light.

The central theme was miniaturisation. A smaller luminaire integrates better into the display, but reducing its size without losing control over the light requires precise work on optics and components. For those designing a shop window, this means greater freedom: where to position the light source, how to angle it, and what to highlight.

Then the luminaires were switched on. The miniaturised Nano Tini and Aria spotlights and the DGA linear systems became tools for observation and testing. The students were able to handle them, assess their size and weight, and observe the characteristics of the light beam in relation to the various requirements of a shop window. This direct comparison highlighted the link between a luminaire’s characteristics and the decisions made by those choosing it.

Thanks to Alessandra Reggiani for the invitation and to the students for their participation and discussion.