Holography is an immensely versatile medium, both in the underlying technology and in the applications for which the output of the technology can be used. This is reflected in the number of industries in which holography is now used and the purposes it serves – from authentication and decorative packaging to diagnostics, imaging, visualisation and data storage.

Wherever holograms are used they have proved their worth many times over. For the document and product protection sectors they are now the overt authentication feature of choice, with a holographic element incorporated into a product or valuable document more than paying for itself in reducing counterfeiting and the associated costs.

For packaging and promotional purposes, the versatility of holographic products, which can supplied in a wide variety of designs, materials and format to integrate with existing packaging design and production processes, are providing stunning visual effects way beyond the capabilities of conventional techniques for pack enhancement and brand differentiation. As a result, holographic materials have consistently and repeatedly performed successfully, delivering above-target performance to customers and adding percentage points to market share.

In the retail environment, holograms attract attention as eye-catching items for giftware, gift-wrap and stationery, as well as in-store décor, while the same visual appeal and novelty value is promoting growing markets for the use of holography as a display medium.

Finally, a new and growing area for holography is in so-called industrial applications, where the manipulation of light is opening up new markets in display and instrumentation enhancement, lighting, architectural and interior design, data storage, diagnostics and medical imaging, 3D visualisation, modelling and mapping, and interferometry.

To find out more about these markets, including examples and case studies, click on one of the options in the left hand menu.