Even though there can be many stunning lantern festival displays at an exhibition, it may still look as a mere set of disconnected elements. From the point of view of a lantern company, it mostly depends on choices made way before starting the production process. Whenever the elements of the show are planned, bought or placed independently of the whole installation, the discrepancies between them become very evident.
For commercial lantern festival displays that happen on a large scale, these problems can influence the entire process of visiting the event. The following are five possible reasons for visual disconnection of lantern exhibitions.
Individual Lantern Groups Are Designed Without a Unified Theme
Another issue that can occur is that individuals will select lantern groups on how they look like instead of how they fit into the theme of the whole event.
For instance, one project can have a large dragon, realistic animal lanterns, Chinese architecture, and bright flowers. While these things can look great individually, when their artistic direction is totally different from each other, they do not work together as a whole.
Such issues arise from the fact that people organizing the project buy separate groups of lanterns or create something new without having in mind the initial idea of the design.
It is also impossible to fix the situation even if the same colors are used since shapes, artistic direction, and theme are unrelated.
Too Many Main Attractions Compete for Attention
One other problem is the lack of a sense of hierarchy in terms of visuals.
There are instances where efforts are made to make each group of lanterns equally spectacular. Multiple huge installations, highly decorated lantern structures, and elaborate lighting systems are used in close proximity to one another.
This can end up making the display cluttered instead of being spectacular.
The exact opposite is also true where a huge landmark lantern can be surrounded by decorations which are too small in comparison to balance the transition from one installation to another.
This is more than an issue of size. It is an issue of scale, height, and visual complexity.
Different Zones Have No Visual or Story Connection
Most large-scale lantern festivals are comprised of many thematic sections. Yet, sometimes, those sections do not seem to be an integral part of one event.
Namely, one section could portray traditional Chinese mythological characters, another – contemporary cartoon characters, then some flowers and animals will follow.
Shifting from one theme to another is not a problem in itself. The problem lies in the lack of any transition or link between the sections.
It occurs when each section was developed separately, especially when several design groups or suppliers were working on them.
Due to the absence of any visual links and matching colors, visitors might think that they are at different exhibits instead of one big festival.
Lantern Installations Are Positioned Without Considering the Site Layout
A lantern festival display design can seem spectacular in the product drawing but fail miserably in the real-world location.
This problem frequently arises when creating large outdoor lanterns where the choice of installation precedes a proper site evaluation.
For instance, there can be an installation of a landmark lantern that visitors cannot see properly from the central path. There can be an illuminated tunnel leading to an uninspiring place while many important lanterns are concentrated in a small part of the venue.
All these issues frequently arise due to poor coordination between the design of the lanterns and the planning of the site itself.
Such aspects as the viewing angle, distance walking, trees, existing buildings, space for installation, and movements of visitors affect how the installation of lantern groups works.
Visual Highlights Are Distributed Unevenly
In certain lantern festivals, there might be a great visual effect upon entering the venue that eventually pales in comparison to the subsequent journey through the place.
This usually occurs if the majority of funds and design elements are directed to one particular point such as the entrance.
There might also be other spaces where there are small unrelated pieces of installations which lack any focal points and visual interest.
Sometimes, it might not be a lack of lanterns but rather an imbalance in visual points of attraction.
The experience of attending a lantern festival is seen as a combination of different fragments of a journey lacking any transition from one major point to another.
Why Overall Lantern Festival Design Matters Before Production
However, most of these issues cannot be easily addressed through a simple transformation of the appearance of the individual lanterns since they are due to poor coordination during the project design phase.
Here at AuroraGong, designing lanterns is done through the overall picture perspective rather than on an individual lantern basis. Prior to production, it is essential to consider the project concept, the themed zones, the landmark installations, other display items, and the spatial relationship between all these elements.
These include analysis of the visual effect of different lantern groups, their size ratio, location, and the visitor experience in each of the areas. The 3D renders and overall planning of the layout will also give insight into the possible visual conflicts prior to the production process.
When it comes to commercial locations, theme parks, botanical gardens, and large cultural events, this approach will allow you to achieve harmony between different lantern festival displays.
Organizing a big lantern festival? Let our AuroraGong designers create custom lantern festival displays and manufacturing for you, taking into account the overall theme and visual composition.