LED Sheet Lighting!

The term innovation dates back to the 15^th century and means “the introduction of something new, a new idea, method, or device” (Merriam Webster dictionary.) In other words, it is a new way of doing something. It refers to revolutionary alterations in thinking, products, and processes. “A distinction is made between invention, an idea that is thereafter manifested, and innovation, ideas applied successfully with a significant result” (Mckeown 2008). In many fields, something new must be considerably different to be innovative. The goal of innovation is positive and substantial change, to make something better. An innovation is not always created to fit a particular frame but to expand with a wide range of possibilities. Grote’s new LightForm technology of paper-thin LED technology will change lighting in advertisement in ways we haven't even begun to imagine and shift the evolution of illumination with this totally new branch of publicity. Steeve Angers, a sales representative of Lumi-ere Media, who uses this clever technology for publicity and advertisement in restaurant menus, is also a pioneer in this new business. He had come to restaurant Quartier dressed “to the T” with a smile up to his ears grasping on to a rectangular menu. He approached me and my father, saying “Are you ready to see the best menu in the world?” With this he showed us an illuminated menu that made my gears grind and think of all the possible opportunities.

To understand the concept of LED sheet lighting, it is substantial to first have an idea of what simple LED lighting really is. A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that converts electricity into light, which has been around since the 1960s in America, but is just now beginning to appear in the advertising and communications market. LED lighting was actually invented in Russia in the 1920s and then later introduced to the United States as a practical electronic component in 1962. It is an electronic light source that has several advantages over traditional light sources. The advantages are lower energy consumption, greater longevity, improved robustness, and a noticeably a smaller size. LEDs mostly fail by dimming over time, instead of an abrupt burn out of traditional light bulbs. LEDs can have a long life span. One report estimates a recorded 35,000 to 50,000 hours of life when compared to fluorescent light tubes which normally last about 10,000 to 15,000 hours, both depending on their conditions of use including temperature and time of usage (switching on and off). Thus, LED is efficient and this is why it should be chosen for advertisement lighting (news.thomasnet.com).

Grote’s newest edition to LED technology will significantly alter the advertising world through its innovative ways of being used for various facets of publicity. Grote industries is a manufacturer and marketer of vehicle lighting and safety that was founded a hundred years ago and has remained family owned, starting from when William Grote opened the doors for business. Grote Industries gave a conference on March 19^th 2009 in Louisville, KY stating, "LightForm is a game changer that will dramatically alter the way the industry uses lighting, while challenging all of our imaginations in the process," (Grote, Dominic). The engineers already subjected the product through stress tests including heat and cold, extreme humidity levels, and salt baths to examine its capacities. Grote also claimed “LifeForm is already hardened and robust-far beyond the mere prototype stage.” LED sheet design not only contributes to the vehicle and safety business but also has leaped into the creative media spectrum, such as Steeve Angers has demonstrated with his involvement in Lumi-ere Media. LED paper lighting could refresh existing media options by illuminating static ads. This implies marrying with existing technology. It can go beyond traditional media by being wrapped around columns, illuminate floors, and being used in concave walls. LightForm increases advertising effectiveness and brand visibility by making it possible for publicity to be seen through the clutter and making people stop and stare. All in all, the possibilities of advertisement opportunities are endless with LED paper.

LED sheets change the illumination aspect of advertising with their breakthrough new design that makes décor and publicity easy and convenient. LED sheets are an Illuminated spread of paper-thin material, similar to plastic that can be flexed, bent, twisted and rolled. They are highly malleable and can be installed pretty much on any type of surface whether concave or convex. This product requires very little energy and can be fully illuminated by a small handheld battery pack. For example, the lit up menus have to be charged a total of twelve hours to run for two whole weeks. This proves that it is convenient and practical. Measuring less than one millimeter thick, LightForm is a highly advanced, thin-film, solid-state lighting device. “When one considers the weight, energy use and aerodynamic advantages associated with an exterior application of LightForm, we've really accomplished something significant but when you consider that you can now bend your lighting around corners, over contoured areas and into complicated shapes, we've simply changed the entire lighting equation,” claims William Grote, CEO of Grote Industries, at a press conference. Its dimensions make complicated lighting easy instead of putting let’s say a housing for neon light bulbs behind a poster. By replacing this technology with that of LED sheet lighting it is possible to place a sheet of illuminated paper behind the poster or just print on the sheet itself. Altogether, the practical design of this new technology makes it an innovation, which without a doubt will sweep the nation.

Moreover, Grote’s new LED sheet lighting, that numerous media companies such as Lumi-ere Media have used to expand their horizons, is perceptibly shifting and molding the communications field in ways that are continuous and everlasting. With this technology’s history of simple LED illumination, its new form, and its wide range of capabilities make it an innovation to the media domain.