The Word Is Used Loosely
True holograms in the scientific sense are rare and not what most suppliers sell. The products marketed as holographic are really visual illusions using screens, mirrors or spinning lights. They can be impressive, but it helps to know what you are buying.
The Main Types
These are the main approaches you will meet when briefing an installation.
- Pepper's ghost — an angled transparent surface reflecting a screen to seem like floating imagery
- Transparent screens — LCD or OLED panels letting you see products behind the image
- Gauze and projection — images projected onto a fine, nearly invisible mesh
- Spinning LED fans — rotating light strips creating a floating image in the air
- Light-field displays — specialist screens with a sense of depth without glasses
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Set Expectations Early
Each one has limits. Illusions depend on viewing angle and lighting, small spinning fans make noise and need safe guarding, and specialist displays cost far more. Content designed in flat video often looks poor, so it should be made for the technique chosen.
Ask for a demonstration in conditions like your venue.
Choose for the Job
A well-lit product on a transparent panel can be perfect, while a large stage effect may need a different approach. Agencies can work through the options with us via our partnership service before content is commissioned.
