Buenos Aires is a beautiful city in Argentina that has so much to see and do, and it’s also a great place for business! Ideoli recently established a team in the area and started working with local clients, so we brushed up on our history and want to share a few interesting facts we found: 1. The city has influences from many countries:From its indigenous roots, to the colonial era in the 16th Century starting with Spain, to large influxes of European immigrants during the 18th and 19th centuries, Buenos Aires has a multicultural background that is apparent in its current culture, such as with varied architecture that looks like what you might find in places like Madrid or Paris. 2. It’s a book lover’s paradise:By some measures, such as that of the World Cities Culture Forum, Buenos Aires has the most bookstores per capita among the world’s largest cities. One of the most famous is El Ateneo Grand Splendid, which National Geographic says is the most beautiful bookstore in the world. 3. The subway system is one of the world’s oldest:The city’s subway system started in 1913, making it the first in Latin America and older than Madrid’s network. Today, the city’s system known as Subte has 87 stations, and there’s so much beautiful, varied artwork that you can see across the network. 4. The nickname for Buenos Aires residents is porteños:In Spanish, this name simply means someone who comes from or lives in a port city, and though it’s used elsewhere, it’s particularly stuck as a nickname for the people of Buenos Aires. 5. The food is incredible: The city’s multi-cultural background is evident in its food, such as with Italian influences leading to great pasta and pizza. There are also so many great Argentinian staples you can try in Buenos Aires, ranging from empanadas to delicious steak. Buenos Aires is an amazing city, and we look forward to spending more time there as we grow our business!
There are three main metrics when it comes to measuring light output -Lumens, Candelas and Lux (Metric). Lumens: Sheer volume (amount of light that is radiated) Candelas: Intensity or strength (Narrow or Spread out). Narrower, higher candela. Lux: the illumination intensity of an area; customers usually care about this a lot. How the light hits whatever you’re shining it at. Lighting designers/architects ask for IES files because they want to figure out how the light is going to be delivered to the space Lumens: Benefits of LEDs is that you can integrate it into the fixture There can be 850 Lumens on a spec sheet but that’s not what can be coming out of a fixture. That is the lumens from the source. Ex: Incandescent Light bulb has 850 Lumens from the source but only delivers 450 Lumens because it lacks efficiency LED delivers 750 Lumens in this example because it’s more efficient LED Chip mounts to reflector, which focuses light into a lens, and the lens goes into a diffusor which softens it; makes beam angle wider but it is for the aesthetics of the beam Lumens that we put on our spec sheet are delivered lumens Every time you have light go through something else/different medium;you lose some of that light Beam Angle: Where you hit 50% of your maximum intensity; all based on your candelas If you have 1000 lumens focused, and maximum intensity is 2000 candelas, your angle is where you hit 50% of that intensity on either side (1000 candelas) Field Angles is based of 10% on either side Cutoff: Where there is no light Types of Beam Angles: Narrow Medium Wide Beam> Extra Wide Beam How do you change the angle? -Optic (Lens, reflector, etc.) will help focus lights in different ways, dependent on the Optic OpticFC/Lux: The farther you go;the less light hits the space. For example: 50 foot candles arewhat you want on an office desk. How do they measure all this? They take a giant sphere (integrating sphere) and put the light source in the middle. They close it and it gets measured, and that’s where you get the report. Integrating sphere also measures all your color and lumensoIt traps everything in the middle, nothing escapes, so you get a pure reading. In order to get a beam angle, you have a humongous system with mirrors called a goniophotometer and they measure the beam angle. These systems costa lot of money, which is why companies generally use labs to figure these things out, which is why labs are always backlogged and will take time to come back with results. LM79 is an official report that comes from a third party government approved safety lab. Therefore, even if we had this equipment, unless the government came and certified/inspected us, we wouldn’t be able to produce our own LM79. Wow, that’s a lot of information about lighting. Now you can go tell all your friends about it, let ’em know Ideoli taught you!
From our production runs in manufacturing facilities around the world to our global travels via a variety of transportation modes, we take safety very seriously in all forms. Not only is it the right thing to do to protect ourselves and those we work with,it also helps us meet our commitments to clients, as injuries and other safety incidents can cause serious delays. Fortunately, many individuals and businesses like us are participating in National Safety Month, which takes place in June and focuses on reducing the top causes of injuries and death at work, on the road and in homes and communities. This year, notes the National Safety Council, the focus is on: 1. Hazard Recognition2. Slips, Trips and Falls3. Fatigue and Impairment We recommend thinking about how these risks take shape in your own workplace or other environments, and see if there are ways you can take preventative action. Meanwhile, we’ll be sure to do even more to educate our employees and partners on hazards at our manufacturing facilities and project sites; usingthe right equipment and awareness to reduce slips, trips and falls; and recognizing the signs and dangers of fatigue and impairment and then stopping work as needed. Everyone can get involved in reducing the risk of injuries. Stay safe!
Choosing the right lighting can be a difficult endeavor, as you not only have to consider energy usage and style but also how the color of the light source will illuminate your space. However, lighting color is not absolute but rather based on a complicated set of factors such as how much energy the bulb emits, which affects what color you ultimately perceive. Still, one way to benchmark lighting color is to use the color rendering index (CRI), which quantifies the ability of a light to reveal colors accurately in comparison to an ideal light source. CRI involves a scale from 0 to 100 percent, with 100 being the same as daylight. Thus, you often want to find a light source with a CRI of 90 or higher, which is considered excellent and will reflect the objects in your space close to how they would appear in natural light. While in certain instances you may not want natural light, it’s often beneficial to keep colors as relatively true as possible. For example, a grocery store might think it’s a good idea to use an LED light source that has a lower CRI but which spikes the amount of red emitted so that their meat look better than it actually does. However, once the customer gets home and looks at the meat under their own light source, the meat may not look as good and they may think it’s starting to spoil or something else is off with the quality of the product. That’s why we often recommend aiming for a high CRI, barring special circumstances. By understanding CRI, you can find lighting that better illuminates the colors in your space, which can ultimately help you please clients.
When you’re looking for the right lighting color for your space, whether it’s a soft yellow or a daylight white, it’s important to remember that there are no absolute colors per se. Instead, color is perceived by viewers based on the energy of the light source and other factors such as the position of the light. Scientifically, there is only a small window within the electromagnetic spectrum where humans can perceive visible light. Depending on how quickly a light source emits electromagnetic waves within this range, you can see different colors of the rainbow, with white light being all the wavelengths of the rainbow mixed as one. Moreover, the color you ultimately see is simply a reflection of wavelengths that are not absorbed by matter. For example, a leaf looks green because it absorbs all wavelengths except green, and by reflecting this wavelength back it looks green to you. So what does this all mean for commercial lighting? Rather than just looking for a specific light color such as white or yellow, it’s important to consider how the color of different objects will appear under your light source. Fortunately, the Color Rendering Index (CRI) provides a useful reference. The higher the CRI, the closer colors look as they would when under daylight, whereas a light with a low CRI may alter your perception of the colors of the objects in your space. As you can see, lighting color is not so straightforward, but there are ways to get a good sense of what colors you’ll perceive, such as by looking at CRI. Ideoli’s team is here to help if you’re unsure how to choose a light that will display colors the way you want.
Singapore is not only an impressive city-state full of amazing architecture and food; it’s also a strategic market for Ideoli as we look to expand our presence throughout the world. Recently, our LED lighting products became certified and compliant in Singapore, which will allow us to add our products to commercial spaces throughout the market. As both a commercial hub in Southeast Asia and a global financial powerhouse, getting our products in spaces in Singapore will help us expand throughout Southeast Asia, Australia and beyond. We’re very excited about the potential that Singapore holds, both by increasing our presence throughout the city-state and by serving as an entry point into the broader region. Stay tuned for more details on our expansion in Singapore, along with neighboring markets such as Thailand, Vietnam, and more!
As a global company, our team gets to travel to countries all over the world and experience unique cultures, which often includes sampling local cuisines. Recently, that included traveling to India on business, where we fell in love with all the amazing fragrances and flavors of Indian food. Not only are the tastes unbelievable, but the dishes look amazing too, with so many vibrant colors. From Biryani to Tandoori, and Samosas to Dosa, the list of unique, tasty offerings is huge. To say Indian food is mouthwatering is an understatement. Getting to experience this cuisine in India was an amazing experience, and we look forward to indulging in it more both back home and when we return to India. Next time you get the chance to try Indian cuisine, we highly recommend you dive in and sample multiple dishes so you can get a deeper experience of how incredible this food can be!
Singapore is not only one of the world’s most powerful markets, it’s also one of the most beautiful and inspiring! This vibrant city-state has so much to see and do, with so many iconic buildings and monuments. The Tanjong Pagar Centre is the tallest building in Singapore at 290 meters tall, and there are over 8,500 high-rises in the city-state, mostly located in the downtown core. All of these architectural marvels motivate us to design and create beautiful products and spaces for our clients, and, put simply, sightseeing in Singapore is a lot of fun! If you haven’t been yet, be sure to put Singapore on your must-visit list, and take time to appreciate all the sights around you when you go.
When we decided to host our first reveal show to display our products, we were blown away by the amazing support received from all of our clients, partners and friends that came by to experience the event. We decided to host the reveal show in the city where it all began for ideoli —New York. It’s an awesome city full of energy and creativity, which make it such a great environment to start an innovative company like ideoli. It was also a great environment to unveil some of our new, innovative products, such as our backlit mirrors and adjustable desks, and we got great reactions from a wonderful mix of people who came by to see our offerings. We really appreciate everyone who came out to show their support, it means a lot to us! Missed us this time? Don’t worry, we will be coming to a city near you for more reveal shows. Stay tuned!
To help invigorate more spaces, Ideoli partners with distribution companies who help match our products with clients that benefit from what we have to offer. One of those partners is Susie Hammer, based in sunny San Diego, California. Susie’s company has been a leader in the design and distribution of lighting products for more than a decade, and Susie’s role on the outside sales team is to educate clients and help them find the best materials for their projects. She is passionate about working with clients to design their ideal spaces, starting from the beginning stages of a project’s design. She then bridges the gap between what her clients need and which lighting suppliers can help them achieve that, working with partners like Ideoli along the way. “When dealing with custom lighting suppliers typically what we look for is what materials they are best at working with,” she says. “If our client is looking for a wood fixture or metal fixture, [for example], there’s different manufacturers that specialize in making those.” Ideoli is fortunate to partner with Susie and support her on key lighting projects for her clients. “I’ve really enjoyed seeing [Ideoli’s] passion for the business,” she says. “There hasn’t been a project we’ve brought to them that they really haven’t attacked and have gone the full length to make it happen. They don’t cut corners, they really do it the right way the first time.” In addition to having a keen design eye, Susie and her company know how to balance work and fun, just like Ideoli. “We really have a great team and collaborate together, from the warehouse to accounting. We have a lot of balance,” she says. “We have yoga every week in our office and also enjoy drinking some fine beers in San Diego.” Cheers! We look forward to working on more projects with Susie to help clients get the lighting products they need to make their spaces shine.
We love to take in the local culture whenever possible on our business trips, and recently we got to explore the Yu Garden (Yuyuan) in Shanghai. Located in the Old City, this area includes a beautiful garden and a massive, stimulating bazaar. It’s an absolute must when visiting Shanghai, and we want to share nine recommendations for what to do when you visit: 1. Read About the History: Yu Garden was built in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty. 2. Skip the American Franchises: Do yourself a favor and don’t visit the US franchises. They’re on every corner here, but there are more unique places to try. 3. Eat Soup Dumplings: Such a delicious treat —drink it, then eat it! 4. Buy Souvenirs: Everywhere you look, you’ll see all sorts of interesting souvenirs to purchase. 5. Walk the Pond Bridge: It’s crowded, but it’s a cool experience! 6. Visit the City of God Temple: Whether you’re religious or not, this temple is very interesting. Swing by, show respect and take in the sights. 7. See the Black Market: While we value originality, it’s still interesting to see all the fake products for sale here. 8. Drink Tea: There’s so much great tea for sale here, and it’s good for you too! 9. Try All the Food Stand Stands: Tucked between the franchises like McDonald’s and Burger King are the tastiest food stands. Yu Garden can be a stimulus overload, but with this handy guide, you’ll be able to enjoy this exciting area!
If you know us, you know we love to indulge in local cuisine when traveling for work, and one of the best places to do that is in Singapore. This bustling Southeast Asian city-state has fabulous hawker centers, which are essentially food courts or street markets full of food and drink that incorporate flavors from all over Southeast Asia and India. Our CEO and Co-Founder George Stroumboulis recently had a couple hours to kill after a meeting in Singapore before heading back to the airport, so he checked out the Market Street Hawker Centre, a staple in the center of Singapore’s business district. With over 300 vendors to choose from and so many tasty dishes at affordable prices, you can’t go wrong. George tried a little bit from several vendors to try to get a full sampling of the cuisine, and it was all delicious! Singapore has incredible food markets that display the vibrancy of the country’s cuisine, and we highly recommend you check one out if you find yourself in Singapore.