Lighting Engines
Project 4
Goal: create objects that modulate light
Materials: lamp socket and a variety of white paper(different thicknesses)
Task: Reading while in bed
Nov. 11
Types of Lighting:
- Ambient
- Task
- Accent
- Decorative
An effective reading lamp to me should generally be a warm, dim light that is directional and easy for your eyes to adjust to the page.
The Psychology of Lighting- I found these two interesting articles that talk about how lighting how we relate and respond to our environment.
Nov. 12
Librocubicularist- fancy word for someone who reads in bed
Things I associate with reading in bed:
- comfort/warmth
- relaxing/stress relieving
- nighttime/rainy day
Nov. 16
Exploration 1:
Through this first exploration, I experimented with printer paper, bristol, drawing paper, and watercolor paper. Layering the paper helped to achieve different tones and with the printer paper(different colors). I didn’t expect the layered printer paper to change to a pink tone. I really enjoyed the warm tone of the watercolor paper and so far, I think this is the best to create a relaxing environment. For fun, I just crumpled some paper to create some interesting forms. For the final project, I want to incorporate some kind of organic/natural structure into my design.
Nov. 17
Sketch models #1
Nov. 18
Notes from Class:
- exposed bulb can strain your eyes, so it’s important to reduce the intensity of the light
- how does the bulb fit?
- using surfaces to bounce light
- keeping these lighting engines on the smaller side so they are not too distracting(scale?)
Criteria
- warm lighting(encourages sleep)
- low light/decreased intensity of bulb(less strain on eyes)
- balance between encased and open bulb
- being able to adjust the brightness for different times of day or how much ambient light is in the room(dimmable)
- evenly distributed light across the page(no hotspots/glare)
Questions
-Some things to consider when making my next set of sketch models:
How do I use light reflected off other surfaces(bounce light)?
How is it positioned?(should look pleasing from different perspectives)
Where should the light be in comparison to the people in the space(placement-above, eye-level, or below)?
How can I have simplicity of form while it still accomplishes the task?
Sketch models #2
This next set of sketch models, I focused on creating some bounce lighting by using a strip of bristol board to reflect some of the light. Although I liked this first form, there was two much light coming out of the sides creating a very intense light. The strip of paper helped to redirect some of the lighting but it was still too intense. The second model was made of layered printer paper and as the layers build up, the light gives up a pinker tone. Ultimately, the light was not bright enough and it is directed upward so it creates more of an ambient light in the room. The third model, I focused on using bristol and printer paper to create an organic form that was similar to a shell. I wanted to create a lighting engine that allows the user to adjust the amount of light by moving the strips. I attached the strips with brass fasteners and layered them to allow some of the light to escape.
Nov. 20–23
Sketch models #3
I expanded on my last set of designs but also tried a few new forms. The first one I wanted to resemble a flower by layering the pedals. The user is able to maneuver this model to direct the lighting to the page. The second model is a continuation from my last exploration but in this one, I added more strips of paper. The last model is the layered printer paper, and I used different types of paper attached to the top to redirect the light.
Nov. 24–30
Peer Review:
- reminds them of a bug
- paper has too much of a pink tone
- they also want to see a book in the pics for more context
Sketch models #4
Dec. 1
Notes from class:
- hide the socket
- make the base and lighting engine more cohesive
- shell like design
Dec. 2
Final Project:
Final Images:
Dec. 3
After the final review, we discussed what makes a lighting engine most effective. Some of the main points that came up were about the scale of the light based on the area that it is in. For example, eating at a table and lights in a living room are generally larger than lights that would be sitting on a desk or used a a night light. My breakout group talked about how appropriate the form is relative to the context. It’s very important to create lighting is an interesting form but still simple enough so that it fits in with the rest of the room. Another important thing to keep in mind is the placement of the lighting engine. Table lights generally hang above the table while reading lamps are close to eye-level. When I was creating the final lighting engine, I was mainly experimenting with how I want to hide the light socket and how to make the base of the light more cohesive with the top design.
Questions:
1. How appropriate is the form of the light engine relative to its context?
2. How well does the form of the light engine describe its use?
3. How well does the light engine support the defined task?
4. How cohesive is the form of the light engine from various perspectives?
5. How pleasing is the form of the light engine in on and off states?
6. How well is the light engine crafted (including the integration of the socket)?
7. How novel, yet appropriate, is the design approach?
Reflection:
By the end of this project, I now have a better understanding of my working process. I also learned the importance of exploring a lot of different ideas early on, in order to have a wide range of ideas to expand on. Just starting this project, I was really unsure of how to go about this, but creating a list of criteria to follow helped me further my ideas to accomplish the task. I’m happy with the design I have now which was achieved through a series of explorations. In doing this project, it was interesting to see the differences from one model to another. Overall, I was able to create a simple yet cohesive design that accomplishes the task at hand.
