Lighting design is an interdisciplinary field, where one must understand the basis of other fields of design, their objectives and goals, and based on them, be able to make propositions in a form, on which others can take a stand. A lighting designer establishes collaboration between different quarters, designers and policy-makers.
The main field of expertise of a trained lighting designer is managing a space with light and mastering lighting techniques in such a way that the desired visual outcome is achieved. The lighting designer’s job is to define the aesthetic and technical entity of the night-time environment in cooperation with other designers, while understanding and taking account of the objectives of the one who commissioned the project.
Therefore, a team consisting of an architect, a lighting designer and an electrical designer, often achieves the best possible results particularly in pioneer projects. The lighting designer’s job is to adapt the thoughts that the principal design office has regarding lighting, and to offer options and alternatives, which are then shaped into a concrete, illustrative presentation, including technical solutions and costing, which finally serves as an exhaustive visual and technical plan. This can be passed directly on to the electrical designer, together with whom matters related to control technology and arrangement are solved.
The demand for lighting design has been emphasised in the past decade, since different ways of aesthetic lighting, as well as the adjustability and flexibility of lighting in even more diverse ways has been enabled. Lighting designers have thus been welcome and necessary professionals in design projects.
A lighting designer coordinates and processes the aesthetic and technical requirements into a logical and coherent plan, which eases the contribution of everyone participating in the project, helps each party involved with design and commissioning focus on their own skills, and is in charge of the success of the lighting in the project.