Even in daylight, Nike logos made with ACRYLITE® LED optimized letter block are clearly recognizable.
© Röhm GmbH – Acrylic Products
Shining Brightly and in Good Shape: Illuminated Signs for Nike
Even the best-known brands need to constantly reinvent themselves in order to stand out among the competition in large shopping malls. Sporting goods manufacturer Nike is pursuing an innovative shop fitting concept with its Nike Live stores: digital, local, and dynamic. In early 2021, the first Nike Live store in China opened in Shanghai, followed by a second store in Beijing.
ACRYLITE® for illuminated signs
ACRYLITE® acrylic from POLYVANTIS is among the leading materials for illuminated outdoor advertisement as it scatters light particularly evenly, offers huge diversity when it comes to colors and shapes and is durable. ACRYLITE® has consistently been developed alongside the innovations in light technology in the sector and is also suitable for backlighting with the latest generation of LEDs.
Nike Live stores are also visually different from other Nike stores. The design concept includes large façade claddings with graphically designed sports motifs that cover the entire width of the building. An almost 10-foot wide, illuminated Nike logo stands out from this background with a brightly lit white outline. The striking illuminated signs for the Nike Live stores in Shanghai and Beijing are made from ACRYLITE® LED optimized letter block (WM51) by POLYVANTIS Sanford LLC.
"The ACRYLITE® LED product range was specifically developed for the light spectrum of LEDs," explains Weimin Wang at POLYVANTIS. "The balanced property profile offers good transparency as well as even scattering of light – without distracting differences in brightness, also known as hotspots." This is why the logo shines homogeneously and appears to have been drawn from light.
Prominently visible during the day and at night
"Thanks to the excellent optical performance of ACRYLITE®, we were able to implement our design concept perfectly."
- Andy Zheng
Project manager at Auxi Industrial Solution Co., Ltd.
In the dark, the logo is so brightly lit and sharply defined that it can even stand out from the flickering spectacle of illuminated advertisements. Despite its extraordinary brightness, ACRYLITE® LED ensures soft, evenly scattered light. Thanks to the radiantly white color impression, the logos of the sporting goods manufacturer are very clearly visible during the day, even at a distance of 328 feet.
Suitable for any design concept
ACRYLITE® LED is easy to process and provides extensive freedom of design when it comes to illuminated signs. Even with complex or winding shapes, the light is emitted evenly without any differences in brightness.
Auxi Industrial Solution Co., Ltd. produced the illuminated signs for the Nike Live stores in China from 1.18 inch ACRYLITE® LED optimized letter block (WM51); a white acrylic material specifically developed for illuminated letters.
"Thanks to the excellent optical performance of ACRYLITE®, we were able to implement our design concept perfectly," says project manager Andy Zheng. The almost 10 foot wide logo was laser cut from the block material with the highest precision. In contrast to milling, the laser cutting process has the benefit that the cut edges remain smooth and glossy. A channel was milled into the backside of the block for the LED modules.
ACRYLITE® LED ensures even scattering of light
The balanced property profile makes ACRYLITE® LED acrylic products suitable for a multitude of lighting applications such as edge lighting, side lighting, or backlighting. In addition, ACRYLITE® LED ensures a higher luminous efficiency for illuminated signs than other sheet materials under the same conditions. As this means fewer LED modules are needed to illuminate logos or letterings, the material also contributes to energy efficiency.
ACRYLITE® acrylic signs withstand UV damage
Thanks to the extraordinary weather and UV-resistance of ACRYLITE® acrylic, illuminated signs retain their high-quality appearance. The material’s inherent UV protection prevents the acrylic from yellowing even under intense sun exposure. This becomes even more important if radiant white is part of a brand’s appearance, as is the case with the Nike logo.
