“Meanings” associated with lighting systems

One theme that seems to have recurred periodically in discussions of lighting is the idea that some lighting designs communicate impressions of meaning to the users of the space. Some of these ideas are traceable to Hesselgren's (1969) writing on this subject, and other researchers (Martyniuk, Flynn, Spencer, and Hendrick, 1973) have also stressed this theme.

The theory referred to here is the idea that some psychological aspects of lighted space can be recognized and perhaps documented if we are prepared to discuss and study lighting design as an exercise in visual communication. This theory suggests that we are dealing in part with a system of visual cues that tend to be recognized and interpreted in somewhat consistent ways by users who share cultural values and background. It further suggests that as designers change lighting modes (i.e., the character of patterns of light and color in the room), they change the composition and relative strength of visual signals and cues, and this, in turn, alters some shared impressions of meaning for the room occupants. While many lighting systems are intended to function in a “permissive” way (i.e., to permit performance or participation in some activity that involves vision, without attempting to influence user behavior or impressions), there is evidence that other lighting designs may function more actively as selective intervention in human visual experiences.