Gobos, Stencils, gogos, monograms, designy thingy…we’ve heard quite a few names for these. Gobos are some of the most common lighting design elements. Department stores to DJs use them at nearly every event. When watching television, shows like “Project Runway,†“Face Off,†and “American Idol†use them in their productions as well. Brides and grooms often dance under the light of their monogram or names projected in light. Like with many design elements, there are abundant options. Hopefully this entry will help shed light on the sometimes overwhelming options that come with selecting a gobo. For our purposes today, we’ll be discussing custom gobos.
MaterialGobos are traditionally available in steel or glass. New technology has made plastic gobos available for some LED fixtures. Not all fixtures can accept a cool ink gobo, please check with this list or with the manufacturer. Glass gobos offer clear and crisp projected images that are able to be projected in color or grey scale without the “tabbing†or “bridging†necessary in steel gobos. Plastic gobos can perform similarly as glass gobos, but are meant for temporary applications. They will not be as crisp or clear as a glass gobo. Apollo Design Labs has some amazing graphics to help illustrate the main difference between glass and steel – tabbing.Glass is on the left and steel is on the right. The red highlights the tabs used to hold the image together, much like in a stencil.If glass gobos or projecting an image in color is important to your event, stay tuned for next time when we will talk about colors and gobos. As always, you can ask us anything about gobos. Call, email, or chat us.
Glass is on the left and steel is on the right. The red highlights the tabs used to hold the image together, much like in a stencil. If glass gobos or projecting an image in color is important to your event, stay tuned for next time when we will talk about colors and gobos. As always, you can ask us anything about gobos. Call, email, or chat us. 
