It's difficult to overstate the importance of lighting design in creating a successful bar, restaurant or nightclub concept. This is no secret, as anyone who has stepped into a well-designed restaurant will attest that it's a subject the proprietors of these establishments take seriously. However, it begs the question: What makes for good lighting design in these types of businesses, and what role can a gobo image projector play in creating the right atmosphere?
There's no one right answer to this question. The lighting of a fast food diner will differ significantly from that of a three-star Michelin restaurant. The former may require bright, functional lighting that serves only to make the establishment look busy while the latter will usually have a dimmer, more intimate lighting scheme to set an appropriately subdued mood.
When it comes to gobos, clubs are the most likely to use these in their design. This is because so much of a club's success depends on the spectacle it presents to customers. And while a custom gobo can make a powerful statement in such a setting, that doesn't mean that other businesses, whether it's a bar, cafe or fancy restaurant, can't benefit as well.
One of the best ways to use gobos in these settings would be to install them outside the building as exterior lighting accents. It's easy to have a custom gobo made with your restaurant's logo, and with a quality LED projector you can have it display at night on the side of your building. This adds a terrific elegance to your exterior design, and it has the extra benefit of giving you more flexibility — if your logo or name changes, you won't have to repaint your building.
