# Lighting design resources



## Howard Moon Thoughts (Jun 24, 2020)

Hey there everyone,

I would like to expand my, and my employees understanding of lighting design concepts and practices. Rudimentary design and light level recommendations are easy to come by, and I feel we do a pretty good job of lighting our installs. What I'm looking to do is add value to our clients experience, and empower my guys to be confident in their choices. We operate in a relatively remote area, so much of the design falls to us, rather than a design firm or architect.

With the above in mind, what resources, books, websites, programs, or other information have you found useful?

Cheers


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

Either a lighting store or interior designer would be the best solution, but being in the boonies that probably won't be a local option.
Would you be able to work with a lighting supply store in the next largest town, with the understanding that they design and supply the fixtures?
It's best if the store could meet or at least talk to the customer to get a feel of what style or atmosphere the client wants in their building.
Zoom or Teams may work due to your location.
The stores have way more information on the product lines than a contractor would. 
Basic layouts and fixture types, we can do.
But if your customers want something to stand out, I would get help from the people who do this for a living.
And, you get to make a markup when it goes thru your books.


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## Howard Moon Thoughts (Jun 24, 2020)

Our local wholesaler works well for more utilitarian applications, but we're finding the designers through the nearest lighting stores seem overextended and uninterested.


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

Howard Moon Thoughts said:


> Our local wholesaler works well for more utilitarian applications, but we're finding the designers through the nearest lighting stores seem overextended and uninterested.


That sucks.
Today, distance doesn't mean much. Maybe go further afield for your lighting supplier.
Remote work is now acceptable and super easy.
What about Robinson in Kelowna. It's quite a distance but Zoom doesn't care


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## Howard Moon Thoughts (Jun 24, 2020)

Worth a shot, but I think our remoteness and low to mid-level sales aren't attractive to them


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## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

I feel the days of lighting guys are gone. I have several very good commercial customers that rely on me to design / build their projects. Previously I would go to one of the agencies I delt with to discuss the project and we would come up with options. They were happy to make the sale. I was happy for their help. The customer was happy to see samples and to have a job that suits his needs. Recently one of those jobs came up and I went to several places for recommendations. They wanted make and catalog numbers. ?? That is why I went to them in the first place. All the seasoned lighting guys are gone and the replacements want to sell LED flat panels and strip lights. They want to know the architect, the customer, project, location before they help you. Why? So they can adjust the price accordingly? I finally found a guy I worked with years ago who is retired but still active and he came through, made recommendations, and we sold the job. I miss the old days when things were simpler.


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

There was a guy here, I think his name was 3D electric, that used “Chief Architect” design software to illustrate his designs. The software seems affordable compared to software like Revit. Maybe something like this might help if lighting is a big part of your sales?





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Working with Lighting


You can use light sources to help produce dramatic, realistic 3D views. The two types of light sources in Chief Architect are Point lights and Spot lights.




www.chiefarchitect.com


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

I took the IES Level 1 course but that was in a classroom. I don’t know what they offer online. That was before LED’s and I haven’t taken training since. Sometimes I think LED lighting is just an opinion and the technical aspects of lighting don’t matter anymore. For example, how do you account for lumen depreciation with a fixture that has little history of long term performance?


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

Lighting design is not just illumination. 
Style of fixture, placement, color temperature are equally important, specially in residential


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Last thing you want is your living room looking like an operating room or an operating room looking like a living room.
There's much more to it than fc.


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

I took some courses in lighting design and at one point that was going to be my field. I've done theatre in addition to residential an commercial. Never done film, did a little television. This was all before LEDs so now everything has changed.

Doing it beyond the basics and bare minimum is an art more than a science. I can usually walk into a space and visualize what it needs rather than using formulas. The biggest issue is not everyone likes the same thing. For example, some people DO want their living room or kitchen operating room bright.

The best advice I ever learned I got from my wife which is: have light at every level i.e. something at the ceiling, something at eye level (sconces or table/floor lamps) something at floor level (uplights).

When you can see the light source, indirect light is usually tacky unless the light source is meant to be decorative. 

Cove lighting is coming back.


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## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

It used to be getting the photo-metrics of a given fixture at a given height was common. Not so much now. If you can get the drawings of the light spread and keep a folder/binder it will be come easier as everyone gains experience. However if the person has poor spatial understanding nothing will help until it is finished. I have always been good at taking a 2d drawing and seeing it in my mind in 3d. My partner never had that ability.
One thing I learned is can lights/down lights even with spot bulbs do a poor job for reading in the living room. IF the ceiling is over 9 foot save your time and effort. I had great success with wall washers and when I remodeled my home I used 20 of them. Did a great job of background lighting and accenting the movie posters I have on the walls. 
I refused to deal with track lighting to many issues and the ability to add just one more fixture to put it over the line.


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## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

Color, foot candles, placement and other photometrics are pretty much straightforward. It is the product styles or choices and what brands to use.


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## CADPoint (Jul 5, 2007)

> Hey there everyone,
> 
> With the above in mind, what resources, books, websites, programs, or other information have you found useful?


This is a nice site to play with: Visual Interior Tool
Somewhere you can find a Foot candle chart to use verses for your clients demands.


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## Houyam (Dec 18, 2021)

Hi,

Actually lighting manufactures offer some educational ressourcesin their website. You can check on their learning materials. Here are some linkes that could be useful for you:
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Designing light with ERCO LED luminaires: tips and know-how | ERCO


How to plan with ERCO light for museums and galleries, office and administration buildings, public buildings, outdoor areas, shops, hotels and restaurants.




www.erco.com




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https://www.zumtobel.com/PDB/teaser/EN/lichthandbuch.pdf


*Signify offers also webinars and courses on topics about light*









Lighting Academy | Signify


Signify Lighting Academy offers a comprehensive range of educational resources like webinar and online courses to expand your lighting knowledge.




www.signify.com




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Hope this will help you and your team
Good luck


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