Is Your Light Box Too Bright?

Walk into almost any modern retail space and you’ll see them: oversized light boxes and glowing totems designed to grab attention. They’re meant to highlight products, but sometimes the lighting overpowers the very items customers are supposed to be looking at.

The Hidden Problem

A display that’s too bright doesn’t just dominate the space visually. It can actually work against your goal. When a light box is set at maximum intensity, it casts everything around it into shadow. That laptop, pair of shoes, or watch on the display table? Suddenly, it’s harder to see. Instead of directing focus, the lighting distracts and overwhelms.

The Quick Test

Here’s an easy way to see if your retail lighting might be a problem:

1. Take out your phone and switch to camera mode.

2. Manually raise the exposure so the scene brightens beyond normal.

3. Look at the screen—details hidden by the brightness become more obvious.

If your light box or totem looks like a glowing white rectangle and the products nearby are lost in shadow, the display is too bright.

Why It Matters

• Customer comfort: Harsh lighting causes squinting and discomfort, making shoppers less likely to linger.

• Product visibility: The brighter the background, the more difficult it is to see items in the foreground.

• Brand impression: Customers may remember the glare, not the product.

Adjusting for Balance

• Lower intensity: Many light boxes don’t need to run at full power. Reducing brightness keeps attention on the product.

• Spacing: Position the totem or light box so it enhances, not competes with, the display table.

• Contrast control: Aim for lighting that draws focus without washing out the surrounding environment.

Final Thought

In retail design, balance is everything. A light box or totem should highlight products, not overpower them. By testing brightness with a simple exposure trick on your phone, you can quickly see whether your lighting setup is helping—or hurting—your display.