Vertical notes start with the viewed face
Vertical illuminance belongs to an upright surface: a shelf face, sign, menu board, wall display, apartment number, seated face, mirror face, label or noticeboard. A horizontal floor reading can support movement, but it does not describe the light arriving on the surface people are actually looking at.
The vertical illuminance glossary defines the term. This guide turns it into a practical note: name the vertical face, write the height and viewing direction, note the active scene, then compare measured or calculated values only with that same face. The task-plane lighting guide and task-plane notes table keep vertical and horizontal surfaces separated.
| Viewed target | Vertical face to name | Note beside the value |
|---|---|---|
| Retail shelf | Shelf label or merchandise face at the viewed height. | Shelf height, aisle side, obstruction and colour-quality need. |
| Restaurant table | Seated-face plane, menu board or wall feature near the table. | Scene state, dimmed level, background brightness and glare view. |
| Apartment corridor | Apartment number, lift sign, notice or door-recess face. | Door depth, wall offset, night mode and measured point label. |
| Office or meeting room | Board, sign, display wall or face plane. | Viewing direction, screen glare, daylight condition and task context. |
| Home or hospitality wall | Artwork, mirror, shelf or feature wall. | Beam aim, wall finish, CCT, CRI/Ra and viewing position. |
Choose the user job before reading the face
Vertical illuminance searches usually start from a visible problem: a shelf label is dull, a sign is hard to read, a face is shadowed, a display wall looks flat or a mirror view feels poor. The note should name that visible job before a horizontal floor reading or room average is used as evidence.
| User job | Better first note | Boundary to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| Check a shelf, rack label or package face. | Vertical face, height band, aisle side and obstruction note. | Do not replace it with aisle floor lux. |
| Check a sign, apartment number or notice. | Sign face, normal approach direction and active scene. | A bright floor path does not prove sign visibility. |
| Check a face or mirror view. | Face plane, viewer position, shadow side and reflected source note. | The note is not a whole-room comfort result. |
| Check a wall display or artwork. | Wall target, beam aim, finish and colour-quality fields. | General room light does not describe the display face. |
| Compare a change before and after. | Same vertical point, same height, same scene and same viewing side. | Do not compare a face reading with a floor or desk reading. |
This split matters because the useful plane is often the surface people look at, not the surface they walk on. A corridor, aisle or room can look adequate in movement terms while the upright target still needs its own evidence.
Compare vertical faces before floor lux
When the user question is about a face, shelf, sign or wall target, floor lux is only a companion value. The primary note should be vertical. A bright corridor floor can still leave apartment numbers dull. A dining table can have readable plates while faces fall into shadow. A retail aisle can have acceptable movement light while shelf labels remain weak.
| User question | Stronger vertical note | Floor value role |
|---|---|---|
| Can the sign or number be read? | Sign face, height, viewing direction and active scene. | Path visibility only. |
| Does the shelf display look clear? | Shelf face, upper and lower rows, beam aim and colour quality. | Aisle movement only. |
| Are seated faces visible? | Face plane, background contrast and dimmed scene. | Table or floor context only. |
| Does the wall display have enough light? | Wall target, beam footprint, glare view and surface finish. | General room support only. |
| Is a mirror area useful? | Face-height plane, side shadows and reflected source view. | Circulation support only. |
The how to measure lux levels guide explains why plane and meter orientation matter. A vertical reading should be recorded with the meter on the vertical plane, not inferred from a horizontal reading nearby.
Note height, viewing direction and scene
A vertical target is not complete without height and viewing side. A shelf label at eye level, lower shelf, wall sign, seated face and high menu board all sit in different parts of the light field. Dimming, daylight and control state can also change the result.
| Note field | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Target face | Shelf face, sign, seated face, wall bay, mirror or door number. | The surface owns the reading. |
| Height band | Lower shelf, eye height, seated face height or high sign. | Vertical values can change across the same wall. |
| Viewing side | Aisle side, table side, queue line, corridor approach or seated position. | A target can look different from another direction. |
| Active scene | Normal trading, evening dining, corridor night mode, cleaning or daylight state. | The measured condition changes with controls. |
| Meter orientation | Vertical meter plane and point label. | The number should match the surface being judged. |
Keep these fields with the lux meter reading notes table. Where several vertical points repeat, lux meter grid notes can hold the point set.
Give each face point a stable label
Vertical readings are hard to repeat when the point name only says "wall" or "sign". A better label names the face, height and viewing side so the same point can be repeated after a fitting change, scene change or layout change.
| Weak label | Stronger label | Why it is stronger |
|---|---|---|
| Shelf | V1 upper shelf label, aisle side. | Height band and viewing side are visible. |
| Sign | S1 apartment number face, normal corridor approach. | The approach direction stays clear. |
| Mirror | M1 face plane, standing position, left side. | The viewer position and side shadow can be repeated. |
| Wall | W1 centre artwork face, normal viewing position. | The wall target is not confused with room background. |
| Face | F1 seated face plane, table side. | The social or camera view is named. |
If several points share one vertical surface, keep the labels short and ordered: V1 upper shelf, V2 middle shelf, V3 lower shelf, or W1 left wall, W2 centre wall, W3 right wall. The lux meter before and after notes page is the better companion when the same vertical point is repeated after a change.
Common vertical targets
Vertical targets appear across many Australian lighting notes. The terms may be different by sector, but the note shape stays similar: target face, height, viewing side, light state and comparison basis.
| Sector or room | Vertical target | Companion page |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | Shelf face, wall bay, fitting-room mirror or window display face. | Retail display lighting notes and fitting-room mirror notes |
| Hospitality | Seated face, menu board, bar shelf, wall feature or reception sign. | Hospitality lighting page |
| Apartment shared area | Door number, lift sign, noticeboard or intercom face. | Apartment common-area lighting |
| Home living area | Artwork, shelf, media wall or mirror face. | Living room lighting |
| Office or meeting room | Display wall, face plane, whiteboard or sign. | Office lighting guide and meeting room notes |
| Warehouse or storage | Rack label, shelf face, loading sign or dispatch board. | Warehouse rack aisle notes |
Calculation and measurement stay separate
A vertical note can sit beside a calculation, but it should not pretend that a simple room average answers every upright target. The lumens to lux calculator can estimate average illuminance for a defined area, and the lux to lumens calculator can estimate output for a named target. Field readings then show what was actually measured on the vertical face.
| Evidence type | Good fit | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Calculated estimate | Early comparison for a named wall, sign or display area. | Does not prove every point on the face. |
| Single vertical reading | Complaint point, label face, sign centre or face-height note. | Does not describe full uniformity. |
| Vertical line of points | Upper, middle and lower shelf or wall target. | Does not lock future layouts. |
| Horizontal floor reading | Companion movement or room context. | Does not replace the vertical target note. |
| Before and after pair | Same point, same plane and same scene repeated. | Does not describe unrelated scenes. |
The lux meter before and after notes guide is useful where a wall, shelf, sign or face condition is checked before and after a layout, fitting or scene change.
Beam aim, colour and glare
Vertical targets are often sensitive to beam direction and surface finish. A narrow beam can miss a lower shelf. A wall wash can brighten the centre while leaving edges dull. A glossy sign, mirror or display case can reflect a bright fitting back toward the viewer.
| Design note | What to write | Related page |
|---|---|---|
| Beam aim | Target face, aim direction, beam angle and missed-edge note. | Beam angle coverage table |
| Surface finish | Matte, glossy, dark, light, textured, glass or mirror finish. | Surface reflectance planning |
| Colour quality | CCT, CRI/Ra and the surface being judged. | Colour quality notes table |
| Glare view | Observer position, reflected surface and visible bright point. | Glare glossary |
| Control state | Scene, dimmed level, daylight state and active group. | Lighting control notes table |
For display lighting, keep vertical readings beside colour and glare notes. A target can be bright enough as a number but still hard to read because reflection, contrast or colour rendering is poor.
Keep owner notes distinct
A vertical face note can mention colour, glare, daylight and controls, but it should not own all of them. The face row should carry the measured point, plane, scene and viewing side. Related topics should move to the owner page that handles them with the right context.
| Related issue | Owner page | What remains in the vertical row |
|---|---|---|
| Shelf or display colour | Colour quality notes table | CCT, CRI/Ra and surface being judged. |
| Reflected bright source | Glare check lighting notes | Observer position and reflected-source note. |
| Beam reach or missed edge | Beam angle calculator | Target face, aim direction and beam note. |
| Daylight on the face | Daylight vs electric lighting notes | Time, sky, shading and electric-light state. |
| Scene or dimming change | Lighting control notes table | Active group and scene name at the reading. |
| Floor or path support | How to measure lux levels | Floor value only as companion context. |
No mandatory target value from this page
This page does not set vertical lux targets. It gives a note shape for naming and comparing vertical surfaces. Project criteria, specialist standards, workplace notes and public-space requirements need their own evidence and review path.
| What this page can support | What remains separate |
|---|---|
| Naming the vertical surface and viewing direction. | Setting a mandatory target for every sector. |
| Recording a vertical measured value. | Formal workplace sign-off. |
| Keeping floor lux and vertical lux apart. | Emergency, public-space or specialist assessment. |
| Comparing the same vertical point before and after a change. | Whole-building conclusions from one reading. |
| Linking colour, beam and glare notes to the face being viewed. | Full photometric modelling or commissioning notes. |
Compact vertical note
| Note item | Vertical illuminance detail |
|---|---|
| Target | Shelf face, sign, seated face, wall display, mirror, notice or apartment number. |
| Height | Lower shelf, eye height, seated face height, high sign or full wall band. |
| Viewing side | Aisle, table, corridor, queue, doorway, seated position or normal approach. |
| Scene | Normal, dimmed, night mode, cleaning, daylight-assisted or after-dark state. |
| Measurement | Point label, vertical meter orientation, lux value and daylight condition. |
| Quality | CCT, CRI/Ra, surface finish, beam aim and glare view. |
| Boundary | Vertical note only; targets and formal outcomes remain in project criteria. |