Experiential Landscape Lighting Initiative

Landscape Lighting Providers: How To Better Your Lighting Designs

I have been involved in the landscape lighting profession for over 30 years, and it amazes me that our trade profession hasn't figured it out yet. The question is, why are we not advancing as lighting designers?

In short, the answer is because we are NOT being trained properly from the beginning. Our industry and profession have relied on old, recycled educational materials that only take us to a minimum level. There is no incentive for the manufacturer, distributor, or associations to do so.

The biggest problem all landscape lighting designers have is that they either have not been exposed to 'composition', or they do not fully understand it. It is for this reason that I have developed a training course dedicated to understanding these principles. I have made it available through the Experiential Landscape Lighting Initiative (ELLI), which is an educational platform dedicated to this trade practice. Please visit: https://www.landscapelightinginitiative.org/

If you are tired of attending the same old annual conferences and learning nothing about "design", or if you are tired of only learning about sales techniques and installation practices, then ELLI is the place for you. Only a handful will honestly consider this, as most believe they know it all in design. However, I can guarantee you that 99% of the landscape lighting practitioners today do NOT understand composition, and this is why their work is not considered relevant...professionally speaking.

Lastly, it's easy to fake your way around design with a consumer/homeowner, as well as most project owners, but you can't fake your way against compositional principles. Landscape lighting is an art form, or at least it should be, and there are basic rules/principles to follow and understand. Contact me if you are serious about learning and advancing within this craft: [email protected], or 916-532-9699.

ELLI – Experiential Landscape Lighting Initiative “To Educate and To Separate.” This is a simple statement, but it reflects the purpose of what ELLI wishes to accomplish. The focus of ELLI is to teach new concepts that will greatly advance the discipline of Landscape Lighting Design.

Focal Point Separation

I wanted to discuss this topic just a little, as I see the majority of landscape lighting providers today not effectively performing this skill proficiency. It all has to do with lighting levels and having a defined contrast ratio between the emphasis (focal point) and its background.

The emphasis must stand out against its background, and this can only be noticeable when it is at a minimum of a 2:1 ratio. This soft difference is considered a moderate separation between the two, as it provides some depth and visual interest. When you provide a 5:1 ratio, you can create a distinct and clearly defined focal area. And a 10:1 ratio creates a strong focal accent with a noticeable difference.

Lighting designers must remember that it's not all about the amount of watts or lumens by the light source, rather it's about the 'reflected' value of light coming back to the eye...what we actually see (luminance). One must consider the reflectance value of the subject to be illuminated. Color plays another part in this...is it light in color or dark (another aspect of reflectance).

Let's look at a quick example that will provide you with a better understanding of this. Theoretically, and not considering actual reflected values of materials, you have a background that is providing 100-lumens of reflected light, then your focal element must have 500-lumens of reflected light to exhibit a 5:1 ratio.

The last thing I'll say about this is that there are varying levels of contrast that "should be" based on the mood and atmosphere that is desired by the designer. Before I start any design, I identify what the intended space is and how it is to be used. I call them "Use-Spaces". Are these spaces to be used for relaxation and calm, or activities and joy? There is a big difference in how you illuminate these spaces.

I hope this post helps lighting designers to take more time to understand the spaces they are working with, and to consider how to make focal points be very prominent or to subtly stand out within these spaces.

Say 'NO' To Free Designs!

The landscape lighting community has fallen victim, like many other trades by giving away design work at no charge. Many will say that the design time is included in the installation, but this is just a false claim when you consider all the time allotted to this provision.

Our profession is not the only one experiencing this dilemma, as it runs rampant even in the interior design community. Recently, I read an excellent post by Ed Mun of # # # who made several great points about unpaid work. He stated, "Every time you say 'yes' to free work, you hand over your dignity and intellectual property. You cannot demand respect while begging for scraps." He was referring to how our clients treat us, as if throwing scraps to feed us. He also said, "We've accepted 'Hunger Games' as business development."

Ed likens 'free labor' to 'slavery', as it essentially is. He says, "Every unpaid pitch you accept keeps the chains locked for the next designer. Stop helping clients exploit you."

Another part of this problem is related to our professional bodies and associations. Ed says, "Associations are asleep at the wheel, happy to collect your membership fees while ignoring your exploitations. These bodies claim to 'protect the profession' but are complicit when they stay silent. Stop letting associations stay comfortable while you starve."

These comments are very telling, and it's something we all have to come together on to fight for our profession to better itself. Collectively, we must say 'NO' to this unpaid work. Our professional bodies (associations) must begin to enforce 'No Free Design' standards.

The Problems Most Don't See In Landscape Lighting

I recently saw a great post on LinkedIn by a highly experienced interior designer...discussing one of many problems seen in their discipline because of architects and others competing or taking away business. The landscape lighting profession is equally problematic by having landscape architects and other trades dipping into our work specialty.

To make matters worse, we have several newer faces acting to be the guru's in landscape lighting, teaching practices that are hurting the whole profession. These speakers or trainers only care about how much money they can personally make, no matter what damage they cause the landscape lighting industry. This is another topic in itself, so I'll stop there.

Back to the post, I wanted to share the bullet points provided by Ed Mun of Space Utilization Analyst Interior, as they are very relevant to our profession:

THE BATTLE NO ONE WANTS TO ADMIT
“Collaboration” is the PR line.
Colonisation is the practice.
What happened
• Architecture fees collapsed → interiors became the profit patch.
• Interior bodies didn’t hold the line; architects expanded “by default.”
• Free design normalized client entitlement.
The result
• More interior firms fold.
• Pretty pictures, poor performance.
• Accountability disappears in the grey zone.
• “Multidisciplinary” = quiet cannibalism.
Call it what it is
A broken industry, weak protection, blurred lines—survival sold as success.

Are we overshadowed?
Yes—because we let the lines vanish.

Fix it
• Stop free work: use paid evaluation sprints with clear IP.
• Protect titles: if you can’t carry the liability, don’t wear the name.
• Draw the line: exclusive scope; co-sign where scopes overlap; advise elsewhere.
• Reform associations: firewall sponsors, enforce titles, give interiors equal standing.
• Hold baselines: light, sound, accessibility, durability—no “value engineering” below spec.

Brutal truth: Collaboration without boundaries is occupation.

If we exchange 'interior designer' for 'landscape lighting designer', as well as 'architect' for 'landscape architect' or any other trade, then this is where we can see the problems we face. Pay particular attention to the "Stop Free Work" and "Reform Associations", because these are big concerns. Many are giving away design work for free...why? Ed states, "Free design normalized client entitlement."

Associations and organizations do next to nothing to enforce titles and to ensure our equal standing against other trades. Additionally, none of them have a plan to educate the general public/consumer groups...why is that?

We, as a discipline and profession have allowed our boundaries to be crossed and that is why we are seeing more and more providers stepping in and lowering the bar...lowered standards and practices in order to win jobs. It's time to wake up and put corrective measures in place.

Lighting Design Maturity

I've been a landscape lighting designer for about 3 decades, and I'm realizing more and more that there's a process of maturity that takes place in our discipline. For many years, it would upset me to see younger designers over-illuminating structures and spaces, as well as under-illuminating these spaces to create nighttime confusion.

With that said, this is part of our journey to mature as seasoned landscape lighting designers. However, and unfortunately, many with time in service never advance in design growth. Why do I say this? Most fail to consider design equally in their business endeavors. Most fail to set aside dedicated learning time and/or budget for this aspect of the profession. Therefore, they remain stagnant and accepting of mediocre concepts and applications.

Once again, I'd like to share some thoughts from an international colleague that I truly appreciate. His name is Michael Bamling, and he recently released his book, "Chiaroscuro: A modern guide to lighting outdoor spaces with soul". In this context of maturing, he makes the statement, "Start treating light like sound. Would you blast music into your garden every night without considering volume, direction, or timing?"

Michael also asks, "What feeling are you trying to achieve within these spaces? We must use the minimum amount of light necessary to 'support' that feeling." This approach to lighting design displays "maturity". He also states, "When you design this way, your lighting becomes quieter, but more powerful. You start to understand the difference between drama and presence. Between spectacle and soul. You begin to create moments, not monuments."

This last statement is so true. There are a lot of "monuments" in display by many landscape lighting designers today. This can be a sign of maturity that many don't realize. Personally, I believe it's a way to identify who is truly skilled or not.

Commitment--How does this apply to Education?

I wanted to share some thoughts about people and their commitment levels. In particular, I am addressing this from the perspective of education.

Currently, I am spending time with my parents, who are in their 80's. I mention this because I am hearing similar comments, as I do with many tradespeople. They will say, "Yes...I need to do that...I will think about this and make a plan to move forward." Yet, the reality is that nothing ever gets done. I see many within my specialty trade, landscape lighting, say the same things.

The issues with my parents are that they are experiencing memory loss, an inability to make a decision, and a fear of change. However, with tradespeople, it always comes down to the "I don't have enough time" excuse. Personally, I don't buy this most of the time. Everyone can or should be able to manage their time, as well as set aside a minimum of 1 hour per week. Honestly, is that too much time to ask for?

What are the benefits of including education in your priority schedule? Obviously, it's growth and advancement. Ask yourself this: how do you expect to advance without education, knowledge, or hands-on training?

This consideration is one area I look at to see who is truly committed to the craft. It's also a means to measure who is only a talker versus a doer.

Finally, I would suggest that you determine what is truly needed to get ahead of your competition. Most trade practitioners today seem to be only focused on sales and making money. This is important, but it's never going to grow your skill sets in 'Design' or in 'Installation' techniques.

I've mentioned this before, but the biggest weakness for all landscape lighting practitioners is Design. Making money is another big problem, but how many hyped up sales presentations can you go to? Our trade and industry greatly lacks any good training or education in design advancement. I hope you will take some time to consider this.