Like moths to a flame: The lightbox fabric system that dazzles

Lighting is an extremely important tool that shapes the way we see the world — both in a literal sense and a figurative one.

At the most basic level, it illuminates our world and lends power to our sense of sight — but when it’s manipulated in the right ways, it can drastically change the way we perceive the things that it bounces from.

The orchestration of light can be the difference between an amateur photograph and a professional one; in art galleries, different lighting can elicit different interpretations of masterpieces; and if lit well, an object can become much more enticing and attractive than it otherwise would have been.

The power of good lighting is its ability to make people stop, look, and notice the subject of its illumination — and this is something that New Zealand-based company OneFrame knows well, and this knowledge is made manifest into a product that is designed to make people stop, look and notice.

The product in question is the LUCENT™ - ILLUMINATED FABRIC SYSTEM, a solution that incorporates a dye-sublimated silicone edge graphic fabric, which is stretched to fit a lightweight aluminium frame. Within this frame, a top-quality LED lighting system delivers clear, even, and bright illumination to the entire graphic area.

The possibilities for this technology are boundless: from brand displays in commercial lobbies, to alluring artworks flowing down a hotel hallway, to advertising at large — all custom made to suit any application, no matter the size or imagery.

Using the same tension system as OneFrame’s other products — including the resonate™ sound-absorbing stretched fabric system — the Lucent system is also designed, developed and manufactured locally in New Zealand.

OneFrame director of client services Jacques Swanepoel says the product has several features that are unique to the system.

“The system can be flat-packed, it’s scalable because of the fabric skin, and the lighting has been designed specifically for illuminating fabrics to facilitate an even glow across the image face.”

This design means that a Lucent™ lightbox can be installed by one person in 25% of the time it would take with a traditional acrylic system, requires less installation resource and equipment — and as a result the product is easier to transport delivering more cost effective logistics and the product is less prone to damage during transportation.

Another primary benefit is saving on the time and costs usually associated with changeouts.

“On an old system, if a graphic needs to be updated you need to ring the contracted signwriter to come and peel it all off… It’s quite an evasive process,” says Jacques. “But with our system, the tool-free fabric changeout is done within minutes.

“It is that easy and fast that many customers change these seasonally or to be event specific. They don’t need to involve another contractor to change it out.”

Its materiality is another big plus: historically, lightboxes similar to Lucent’s are fabricated from acrylic, which can be costly and labour intensive to work with. But OneFrame’s Architectural Fabric Tension Systems are extrusion based with patent protected aluminium profiles, which are designed and extruded locally.

The simple to use, unencumbered nature of the product means it’s easier than ever for retailers with seasonal campaigns to change to new branding and updated messaging.

Buying into the hardware is a one-off cost, Jacques explains: the custom-built lightbox frame and its installation is a one-time investment, with only the graphics needing to be replaced — sent direct via courier or post.

This customisation, while still delivering on colour and image reproduction, can scale up to the size of 3m x 50m with no seam, is a gamechanger, he says.

From boardrooms and corporate showrooms to hotel foyers, the Lucent™ system is also an eco-friendly solution.

Low energy LED lights are used throughout, delivering clear, even and bright illumination to the entire graphic area. The locally designed and patented lightweight frames are constructed from aluminium — a highly recyclable metal — and the many of the fabrics are made from recycled plastic bottles (RPET) whilst the print technology also being green, uses vegetable-based inks with no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

Through its partnership with One Percent for the Planet, OneFrame also donates at least 1% of its annual sales towards environmental causes across New Zealand.

“We’ve partnered with Sustainable Coastlines as our primary partner, and it is great to have an offer that is not only built around green product, but that we can also invest back into our local environment.”

It’s commonly known that good lighting has the power to attract customers in retail environments. But lightboxes like this system are becoming increasingly popular in residential settings too.

“It’s like attracting a moth to a flame,” says Jacques. “And if you look at galleries, they do exactly that — they reduce the ambient lighting, and then punch up the lighting on the art pieces to get the maximum look and feel out of them. It is all about creating ambiance.”

OneFrame has the ability to bring colour to life using their LUCENT - ILLUMINATED FABRIC SYSTEM. So for the homeowner wanting to take their interior to another level, be sure to talk to the team at OneFrame about your next project.

Find out more about OneFrame and its innovative products.