Industrial Design Alum Wins Lighting Competition

Industrial Design alum Channing Nelson (BsID '21) was recently awarded Third Prize in the prestigious Robert Bruce Thompson Annual Student Light Fixture Design Competition.

This year's competition challenge was to design a light fixture for a university bookstore apparel area. Entrants were required to consider how the lighting would effect the appearance of the customers, staff  and merchandise in equal measure. Energy use, durability and ease of maintenance were important considerations as well. Entrants were required to document all major components and materials of the system and fully describe the user interaction (how the system would be controlled).

For his entry, Channing created "Halo": a modular, scalable multi-function lighting system for retail space. The design integrates three different types of lighting: a diffuse ring to provide gentle ambient light, spot lighting to highlight and accent clothing and other merchandise, and tunable RGB lighting to create visual interest and attract attention. The hanging loop forms provide lighting that can wrap around specific store fixtures and displays without glare or shadowing. The system is designed to harmonize with natural light during the day and at night become a beacon to attract attention and interest to the retail space.