It’s almost Christmas and days in Zurich are shorter than ever. Apart from my holiday spirit, much else has changed about my routine: I often overlook sunscreen, as I rarely encounter the big lamp these days, I am sluggish, but my 10k run time is faster, due to the freezing cold, and I stay indoors a lot.
The things that bring me joy also change with seasons: I am no longer excited about swimming in the lake or reading books at the cemetery. My interests rather gravitate either around my living room and dinners with friends or a nice restaurant for, well… dinner with friends.
There is clearly a pattern: food and indoor spaces. But I am a designer and by no means a chef, so here I will be sluggishly pondering on the importance of lighting on the spaces we occupy, while also venturing into the various ways lighting influences product design as a whole: from healthcare to automotive design.
- Interiors
Interior and product design often use light to bring an object and a certain space to life. The distinction between space conceptualization and products for interiors gets blurred when talking about lighting. Often times, an item, like the lamp, has a function that both relates to itself as an object: emanating light, and one that relates to its surroundings: lighting up a space in the right way.
Lamps and lights are two of the most important aspects to a space feeling like home. Hence, having commercial building and electrical plans regularly overlooking the ambient aspect of lighting, many design-savvy home owners swear off of the ‘big lamp’, referring to the commercially built-in overhead lighting in a room, in favor of multiple sources of ambient light, like side lamps and wall lighting.
By changing the lighting one uses, one can influence the visual parameters of a space too. Ceilings can, for instance, feel higher or lower, depending on the lighting settings, and rooms can feel smaller or bigger.
Not only the parameters but also the purpose of a space shows through its lighting: a bright, cold light, can indicate a warehouse or an industrial space, while softer light can, in turn, speak for a living area, or a space, mimicking a domestic environment.
One of the biggest contributors to a room feeling luxurious and cozy is the temperature of light. An indicator for this is the Kalvin (K) value on the packaging of light bulbs. The lower the K, the softer, moodier the light, and, vice versa, the higher the K, the brighter and bluer the light emitted will be. For a warm and inviting atmosphere, without the space feeling too orange, lighting designers recommend a value of around 2400K.
Further ways to create a luxurious ambience in a home, without overlooking practicality, are found in product design elements for interiors. Many furniture pieces use light to create a smooth and luxurious experience in one’s home. One such feature is found on some bed frames, for instance, where an integrated motion sensor light can guide the owner to bed in the dark, without waking up their partner.
Further examples are bespoke built-in shelving and kitchen lighting, as well as ambient fridge lighting.
If you are as savvy about your home space as I am this winter, you are probably going to find using a layering system of the different types of interior lighting quite a useful starting point in cozyfying your space and creating a coherent and pleasing atmosphere.
Types of light layers:
- Ambient light: the overall lighting of a room, which can be achieved through wall sconces, overhead lights or pendant lights;
- Task lighting: focusing on a specific area, connected with an activity, like kitchen overhead, wardrobe or desk lights;
- Accent light: designed to highlight a singular feature in a space, like an artwork or wall texture;
- Natural light: As its name suggests, this type of light comes from the outdoors and is let in through wall and skylight windows, patios, and other architectural structures that let certain amounts of light from the outside to the inside of a space.
Having fun with, as well as getting practical use of lighting, however, goes much beyond the realm of interior design. Many pieces of electronics and home appliances use light signals to connect and communicate with their user.
- Electronics
In noisy environments, in particular, lighting is an ideal way of providing information about features and functions. It guides the attention towards a certain action and makes complex devices more user-friendly. A great example of this is lighting in smart watches, computers, and home appliances, such as coffee machines and Wi-Fi routers. In those devices, and many more, light qualities, such as colour, intensity and frequency, often change, in order to indicate a certain level of loading, charging, or changing of functions.
Home speakers are another prime example of an electronic device, using light to communicate essential information, like battery and noise levels. Contemporary security systems also often use light signals to indicate whether a door, a window or a bike lock are open or closed. Light in electronic devices can also make them more visible if lost or operated in the dark, which further enhances its importance in product design for electronics.
From WiFi, through speakers, to lock systems, lighting plays a significant role in the design of vehicles as well.
- Automotive industry
Similarly to interior design, automotive interior can be personalized through its lighting. Ambient lighting systems and colour palettes can be customized by the owners, visualizing their personal preferences, while also delivering the least distractive atmosphere during the ride.
In cars and other vehicles, light is increasingly being used not only for ambience, but also to give information about function or safety. A prominent example are indication lights, which are used for drivers to communicate with fellow chauffeurs and pedestrians.
In semi-autonomous cars, on the other hand, light signals caution the driver when they need to intervene. A better, Adaptive Front-Lighting System (AFS) has been developed in recent car models, which allows the lighting to automatically adapt according to terrain, enhancing the experience of both the car owner, and the drivers opposite, who run a lower risk at being blinded by an incoming vehicle.
In terms of safety, both interior and exterior lighting are crucial in car design. Effective lighting, particularly on extended nighttime journeys, can postpone the onset of fatigue, thereby offering a driving experience that is both safer and more comfortable.
In other vehicles, lighting also plays a crucial safety role: in planes, for instance, strips of light indicate the nearest exit, while lit up signs lead the passenger to certain seat functions. Light signs also indicate availability of bathrooms in public transportation vehicles like busses and trains, where light signals are also used to caution for closing doors and alert travellers of important announcements.
In terms of safety, in particular, the function of lighting design goes beyond the confinements of the automotive industry.
- Safety and healthcare
Many products in safety use light for guidance, as well as a movement indication to others, occupying a certain space. A rather unpopular example of alert lighting are illuminated ski poles. They signal the speed of the skier as a caution, and announce their presence to fellow winter sports practitioners on the slope.
One of the most popular examples of safety lighting, on the other hand, is often times located indoors: the green exit sign, which is present in any public building, planes or underground facilities. Further such examples are traffic lights, safety indicators, used in construction sites to illuminate hazardous areas, and the light beams on top of light houses and skyscrapers. I was recently in New York and I was mesmerized by all the small red dots lighting up the Manhattan skyline, making a light safety feature into a recognizable landmark.
On a more localized level, many healthcare devices, such as the thermometer and the blood pressure and blood sugar meters, all use lighting to communicate vital information as to the well-being of their users.
When referring to a broader space in healthcare, hospital lights appear as one of the biggest safety factors in a medical facility. They not only prevent accidents, but also aid patients’ sight and awareness. According to the American National Institute of Health, ‘a 60-year-old needs three times more light han a 20-year-old’. Good quality lighting, therefore, helps the elderly with their decreased colour vision and difficulty seeing at low light levels, trouble with glare, and other issues.
Another study, this time conducted by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, shows that patients, exposed to direct sunlight, experience decreased levels of stress and pain, and recover faster. It also suggests that natural light, when unavailable, could be mimicked by corresponding artificial lighting systems.
Apart form one’s health, their mental and physical wellbeing, as well as their mood, are hugely influenced by the lighting quality of their surroundings.
- Mood and productivity
Lighting is an essential contributor to how a person acts and feels. Because it can be so personal, adjustability in common areas, like offices and studios, is essential. One of the metrics to mind when personalising lighting are the following:
- Intensity: It is measured in lux and its standard value for studios and office spaces is 500 lux. Depending on a person’s vision and ambience preferences, it can be scaled up or down.
- Brightness: Levels of brightness are crucial when it comes to synchronization. In order to achieve a coherent, stress-free lighting, interior designers advise for a similar value throughout a space, as differentiation in values can often cause distress and headaches.
- Colour: I previously spoke about choosing a warmer light for one’s living space. Soft and warm tones are also suitable for kitchens or residential hallways, as they create an ambiance of relaxation and comfort, however, conference rooms and brainstorming areas could benefit from colder lighting. The cooler tones prompt alertness, productivity and lower melatonin, which decreases fatigue.
- Glare: Glare is the reflection of light that interferes with our vision and can cause fatigue and migraines. A way to reduce light glare is to ensure matt surfaces in a space, and angle a computer monitor in a way, which doesn’t accommodate the effect.
- Flicker: Flickering is the result of low frequency electrical light. Due to regulations, it is unlikely that a new bulb would flicker, however, with time, bulbs and light tubes might develop flickering, which causes eye strain and headache. Checking light sources regularly is, therefore, crucial to maintain a good quality of lighting and ensure a comfortable work environment.
- Contrast of Brightness: In a space, there are often more than one light sources. It is, therefore, advisable to balance the light, coming in and being emitted, to a similar brightness value, as too much contrast interferes with vision and wellbeing. A great way to match the brightness of the light, coming from the outside during daytime, for instance, are tuneable lights, which can be adjusted to the exact equivalent of incoming daylight.
- Colour Rendering Index (CRI): CRI measures the colour render accuracy of an artificial light body compared to natural light. The higher the index the better the quality of light render.
- Circadian design: A person’s circadian rhythm constitutes the internal workings of a body, which balance sleeping time and productivity time. With the switch of seasons and daylight, our circadian rhythm changes, which puts a strain on our physical wellbeing. Lighting has one of the biggest influences on a person’s circadian rhythm with its intensity and colour, therefore, being able to maintain a consistent timing of lighting through smart lighting and timers, as well as limited screen time, can improve a person’s mental and physical wellbeing immensely.
Ligh is incorporated in every sector of design from coffee machines to airplanes. In all of its representations, it acts as a means of safety and communication, improves our health and well-being and simply makes life more beautiful.
In design and in life, lighting serves both its literal purpose, to expose the world to our vision, and its metaphysical purpose: to guide us through seeing our world in a more wholesome, coherent and beautiful way.
Light is not only the ultimate source of life in nature, but it also defines our perception of every other element of design and any object of the world in general.
Resources:
https://www.mentor.de.com/lichtloesungen/en/design-2/light-within-the-product/
https://hbreavis.com/en/blog-article/10-principles-of-lighting-design/
LIGHT AND SHAPE: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF LIGHT DURING THE PRODUCT DESIGN PROCESS Harald SKULBERG Institute of Design, The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), Norway
https://www.synopsys.com/glossary/what-is-automotive-exterior-lighting.html
https://www.interact-lighting.com/global/iot-insights/healthcare-lighting-3
https://www.johncullenlighting.com/the-importance-of-lighting-in-interior-design
The Effects of Natural Daylight on Length of Hospital Stay – PMC