Discover the commercial lighting solutions that can easily elevate lighting design

When it comes to modern commercial lighting design, it is most important to pay attention to the details. Lighting is an often overlooked element of architecture, but is often one of the first things people notice when they enter a room. For lighting designers, this presents a challenge that requires extremely detail oriented individuals to accomplish. As a lighting designer, there are so many different design elements that you have to take into account and continuously alter. To name a few examples, designers have to plan around surface finishes, structural restrictions, and client preferences. When encountering these potential roadblocks, it can make a lighting design project seem impossible.

That’s why, we’re here to discuss some of the most important aspects of lighting design that can make or break your lighting design. Keep reading to find out a few of the different, subtle details that take commercial lighting solutions to the next level.

1. Hide Lighting Fixtures as Much as Possible

One of the best tips for implementing commercial lighting solutions is to makes sure that the mechanism is nearly invisible

Hiding any unnecessary wires is a must.

There is a lot of room in the lighting design process for visible lighting fixtures. Often, these are the focal points and are meant to draw attention in a commercial space. However, these visible lights are often not able to provide sufficient lighting for a whole space. In this case, lighting designers need to prepare commercial lighting solutions to supplement any visible lighting. 

When it comes to supplementary commercial lighting, the goal should be to hide any wires or fixtures as much as possible. There are several ways to do this by employing specific paint color, recessed lighting, upstands, and downstands. The goal of commercial lighting should be to go virtually unnoticed. 

2. Keep Your Lighting Profile Consistent

Varied lighting colors, temperature, and consistency is distracting and detracts from the overall design

Uniform lighting is the hallmark of intelligent lighting design.

Designing and maintaining lighting consistency during and after installation isn’t easy. But, just because it is difficult doesn’t mean that it is impossible. During the installation process, it is important to ensure that each design element is being properly implemented. For most designers, this process is out of their hands. 

What designers can control is the color temperature and lighting quality. These factors hinge on the type of lighting chosen and the purpose each light serves. For example, if you are employing task lighting as a commercial lighting solution, then all of the task lights need to be the same color and quality. One way to guarantee that you can achieve consistent lighting color and quality is by checking the manufacturing number to ensure that all lights were produced at the same time.

3. Holistic Lighting Design

Commercial lighting solutions require big picture thinking to achieve an appealing and seamless end result

Good lighting designers can envision the end result during the initial stages of design.

One of the biggest considerations to make when planning commercial lighting solutions is the end results. It may seem counterintuitive to think about the end result during the planning stages, however, this is actually beneficial to the final product. 

For example, there are other architectural elements that need to be considered in the planning stages like overall lighting ambiance, decor, and paint color choices. If designers fail to take this into account during the planning stages, it can be difficult to correct during installation.

4. Use Smaller Lights to Create Detail

Using smaller lights to create detail in a lighting landscape add interest to otherwise regular lighting packages

Several smaller lights add more detail than one large ambient light.

Commercial lighting solutions applied in retail spaces need to create lighting levels that showcase products. In order to achieve this layered and detailed look, designers need to implement smaller, yet still uniform lighting that achieves even levels across shelves and display cases. Recently, mini track lighting has become a go-to for lighting designers looking to establish levels and add extra detail to their commercial lighting packages.

5. Ensure that Lighting Systems are Easy to Maintain

The final step in commercial lighting design is installation, so it is important that lighting is easy to assemble and maintain

It is inevitable that fixtures and fittings will need to be replaced after a certain period of time.

Lighting design and installation may seem complicated, but one of the major tenets of lighting design is actually simplicity. In order to keep lighting functioning properly, it needs to be easily maintained. Beautiful lighting design is wonderful, but if it is too difficult to maintain, it won’t stay beautiful for very long. To ensure enduring lighting design, luminaries need to be easily removed and replaced. It is also important that as many lighting fixtures are accessible to lighting technicians without the need for special assistance.

And there you have it, the 5 key elements of commercial lighting solutions that can make or break a lighting installation. Though every lighting package is different, it is important for designers to keep these tactics in mind and use them as frequently as possible to ensure detailed and enduring lighting design.