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ESTABLISH DESIGN CRITERIA |
LUMINANCE CONTRAST
The table below outlines the luminance constrast between focal to background to help attract attention and develop visual hierarchies in the built environment [1]:
| Perception of Contrast | Effect | Potential Application | Luminous Contrast |
| Negligible | barely recognizable focal effect | office artwork, retail sales rack | 2 to 1 |
| Perceptible | recognizable focal effect | task and adjacent surroundings | 3 to 1 |
| Marginal (subtle to moderate luminance) | meaningful focal effect | fine dining artwork, office lobby artwork, residential artwork, retail special displays | 10 to 1 |
| Strong (strong luminance) | strong focal effect; glary in most situations | between luminaires or windows and adjacent surfaces | 20 to 1 |
| Very Strong | glary | should not exceed this ratio anywhere within normal field of view | 40 to 1 |
| Dominant (very strong to intensive luminance) | strong significant centerpiece effect | retail high-end display, premiere architectural or artwork feature | approaching 100 to 1 |
References