How to develop a lighting-design competition concept
Begin with the people and the place. Show what your lighting changes, how it works and what still needs testing.
A convincing lighting concept gives a clear answer to a particular situation. Start by observing what people need to see, how they move and where light might help or get in the way. A dramatic image is more useful when the design decisions behind it are easy to follow.
Describe the place before choosing the light
Write down what happens in the space, who uses it and when. A shared entrance might need to be recognisable from the street, comfortable to approach and easy to navigate. Those needs can differ for a resident, a first-time visitor and someone who reads visual cues differently.
Sketch the routes, thresholds, viewpoints and nearby windows. Record what you know and what you are assuming. If you cannot visit, make the limits of the available photographs or plans explicit. Do not present an imagined observation as measured evidence.
Choose one change you want to make
A narrow problem can lead to a more coherent proposal. Instead of “make the square safer and more exciting”, define a change you can explain: help someone identify the accessible entrance, make a temporary event route clearer, or reveal the form of a feature without lighting every surrounding surface.
Use a short before-and-after statement. For example: “The entrance is difficult to distinguish from the service doors; reflected light would draw attention to the public threshold.” This is a concept to investigate, not proof that the design will achieve the result.
Explore alternatives before polishing one image
Try at least two different ways to answer the same need. Compare direct and reflected light, continuous and timed operation, or a fixed source and a temporary intervention. Sketch how the light reaches the intended surface and where it might spill.
Consider people outside the main view: a seated visitor, a neighbour looking out, or someone approaching from the opposite direction. Describe trade-offs rather than claiming a solution is perfect. What would you give up if you used fewer components, a different position or shorter operating hours?
Explain the experience and the practical questions
Show the idea at the scale needed to understand it. A site diagram explains placement; a section explains direction; a view from the user’s position explains what is seen. Use captions to connect each image to the brief rather than repeating the title.
List the questions that would need professional testing or development: glare, accessibility, maintenance, controls, energy use, weather exposure and effects on the surrounding environment. A conceptual competition drawing is not a construction specification or evidence of compliance with lighting standards.
Build a clear submission
Give the panel a short sequence: the need, the proposal, the experience and the unresolved tests. Check that annotations remain readable at the requested size. If an anonymous submission is required, inspect filenames and document properties as well as the visible pages.
Use the design and lighting practice briefs to rehearse this process. Keep the requirements in the entry planner and trim your explanation with the word counter.
Looking for the former CLUE lighting competition?
This is a newly written practical guide. It is not a restored article from the former competition website. Our lighting-competition background page explains the domain’s earlier use and links to published sources.