I heard this statement from an integrator recently, and it was not the first time, nor will it be the last: “The manufacturer offered the clients lighting design services for free, so we lost the job.”
Losing jobs to competition is never fun and even less so when the competition undercuts the market by hiding the costs of services within fixture sales. While we need to make room for all levels of lighting design, we also need to learn how to distinguish those levels for ourselves and for our clients.
‘Free’ Lighting Design: What You’re Missing Without a Professional Plan
As an unregulated profession, anyone can call their services “lighting design” but there are many different flavors each with their own focus, product mix, level of detail, personnel, and, perhaps most importantly, results. It may prove useful to create distinct categories that allow us to talk about where our own services fit in without underselling (or overselling). Let’s consider four different levels of “lighting design:” permit layouts, product placements, professional lighting design, and elite lighting designs.
Permit Layouts
These likely account for 99% of the lighting plans we see in the residential sector. Their focus, as the name implies, is to get a building permit approved so that construction can begin. More attention is given to meeting code minimums than any aesthetic considerations: an architectural draftsperson adds in circles to the plan but does not call out precise fixtures or include much detail. This leaves the product mix to chance, making it quite likely that a home will be filled with wafer lights and the resulting glare.
Product Placements
These are easy to spot: they are done by anyone who wants to sell product. Many vendors offer this as a low- or no-cost service to integrators and to homeowners and this can be very helpful when a quick solution is needed. The focus of the “design,” however, is necessarily a fixture sale and not necessarily occupant comfort or wellbeing. There may be a decent level of fixture detail given, but rarely construction details for coves, slots, and the like. And the product mix? You are guaranteed to find the plans covered with products from the seller, regardless of their suitability for the application.
Professional Lighting Designs
These could be simply categorized as those completed by full-time, dedicated and skilled lighting designers. Many of these designers have spent years pursuing technical degrees, internships, and apprenticeships to other designers to learn the trade. Their plans look different because the focus is on occupant satisfaction, not selling a certain product or meeting the bare minimums of a building code. The product mix will also most often look decidedly different from the first two flavors and contain a carefully curated mix of fixtures from a number of manufacturers. This happens to be the category that my business, Light Can Help You, aims to deliver.
Elite Lighting Designs
At the top you will find what I like to call Elite Lighting Designs. These individuals (or companies) have decades of experience, are entirely focused on client needs, specify a dizzying array of fixture types, and provide astounding detail and care throughout the project. Of course, the fees represent this level of care and can be shocking to the uninitiated.
Final Thoughts
Ever in search of analogies to explain the complex, I think of these services as different kinds of ice cream. Permit Layouts are like orange sherbert pushups: cheap, mass produced, and not that great (but cold!). They are only the best choice when there are not enough resources to push up (ha!) to the next level.
Product Placements are like an Oreo Ice Cream Bar. Also, mass produced, some of the money is going straight to the brand but you know you will get the signature Oreo taste. These are best when you want a predictable experience or certain brand but are not heavily concerned with long-term comfort or the overall quality of the experience.
Professional Lighting Designs are like hand-dipped premium ice cream; you get to choose the flavors you like best. These are best for almost anyone with time and money as they will get a more personalized and high-quality experience.
And waffle cones with all the trimmings, sprinkles, and cherries you can find, maybe with some cookies thrown on top? That’s Elite Lighting Designs and can be quite the splurge. When cost and time are truly not a concern and the highest level of quality and customization are desired, this is best for the project.
Which is the right service? It depends on the job, the schedule, the client’s wallet, and their interest in comfort and beauty. So, the next time a client says, “But they will do the lighting design for free,” make sure you know enough to help them make the right choice. After all, anyone who gets an orange push-up after thinking they were getting a waffle cone full of super-premium ice cream will be an unsatisfied customer.
David Warfel is Chief Evangelist of Light at design firm Light Can Help You (lightcanhelpyou.com).
