During this years London Design Festival Alex Bittiner and I took part in a live speaking event called Darc Room : Live which was organised by Light Collective and Darc Magazine.

Over 40 of the lighting industries leading professionals took part in the two day event which was streamed live over Light Collective’s TV channel on YouTube.

Titled ‘Lighting Design: weighing lightly in a heavyweight construction industry?’ Our topic focused on how lighting designers can spread the message of good lighting design.

We asked ourselves and the audience - ‘What can we do as designers to improve awareness of lighting design and increase its role in the construction industry?’

We discussed how lighting design is currently being promoted and how it gets recognized outside the industry. – and also ways in which we as designers could contribute to this.

Areas of research included:

-           Pushing the boundaries of what is possible to create visually stunning spaces

-           Recognition in awards

-           Getting credited in articles and publications

-           Presence in social media

Caption: “A recent example of a project where lighting design played an important part in the initial concept of the project is the fine watches department in Harrods. The high profile project has featured heavily in the media. However, despite lighting being a key feature in describing the project the lighting designer is rarely identified in the articles. By requesting for the lighting designer to be referenced in the article we are helping to increase awareness of our industry and inform a wider audience of a lighting designers involvement in projects.”

Caption: “Striking images of projects shared on social media reach across a wide audience through apps and other programs. Therefore a good image is potentially a great way to catch somebodies attention and with a bit of searching can lead the viewer to the designer. This can be a powerful tool in making a connection between the lighting designer and a potential client.”

Caption: “This was a good example of software providing a platform where an image provided a link to information on the designer. Here is an example of a typical search done everyday by interior designers, architects and potential clients which promotes lighting design.”

Caption: “Just recently Instagram has been mentioned in two projects briefs: For a hospitality project, the interior designer mentioned that the client wanted the space to feel “instagrammable”. Harrods Roast and Bake is another project which was recently completed where the client specifically mentioned Instagram during the briefing. The objective was to create an impact in social media by creating interest in the new space in Harrods through striking images.”

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Client’s, contractor’s and architect’s awareness of lighting design is critical in determining the timing of a lighting designer’s involvement in a project and their ability to influence the overall appearance and impression of a space.

So we feel that increasing awareness of good lighting design outside the industry - especially through social media is an opportunity for designers to increase the impact of our work.

To watch our talk please go to Light Collective’s TV Channel on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr8Cjz4zQTI)

Words by Karen Smart & Alex Bittiner