To celebrate the 5 years of the LIT Lighting Design Awards, a curated photo exhibition of the LIT Awards winning designs took place at the “House of Lucie” Athens Gallery on Sunday, 29th of May, 2022.
It was a unique opportunity to see some of the most incredible Lighting Designs and Lighting projects of the last years, network with award-winning Lighting Designers and Lighting Product Designers, as well as meet the LIT organizers and jury members.
We will be celebrating the winners of the LIT Lighting Design Awards 2019, 2020, and 2021 at the prestigious “Museum of the Acropolis” in Athens on Monday 30th of May, 2022.
The new Acropolis lighting, realized by “Eleftheria Deko & Associates”, won the “2021 LIT Lighting Design of the year” – so on this special occasion, we have the illustrious privilege of hosting the LIT Awards event at the “Museum of the Acropolis” to celebrate the LIT Awards Winners and enjoy a magnificent view of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Over the course of the evening, the LIT Awards “Design of the Year” winners’ work will be projected in the auditorium, and the special prize recipients of the last three years will be introduced and will receive their trophies.
Attendees will have the chance to meet the LIT Awards winners, jury members, press representatives, and members of the LIT Lighting Design Awards organizing team at the Awards Ceremony, followed by a cocktail reception.
Zurich, Switzerland – The Three C Group (3C Group) has recently joined the World Design Organization (WDO)®, becoming a member of the globally recognized non-governmental organization that aims to promote and advance the discipline of industrial design and its power to enhance economic, social, cultural and environmental quality of life.
Founded in 1957, WDO services over 185 member organizations around the world, engaging thousands of individual designers through our innovative programming and initiatives that champion ‘design for a better world’.
The 3C Awards represent today’s diversity and innovation in lighting design, furniture design, sports design, interior design, and architecture. Each brand is a symbol of design excellence around the world, showcasing the work of professional and emerging designers to more than 100 expert jury members.
The company has three programs dedicated to industrial design:
“The 3C Group programs aims to celebrate Innovative Design, People, and their passion for the industry, through our rigorous judging process, we recognize those that have gone above and beyond.” Said Astrid Hébert, co-founder of the Three C Group GmbH, “becoming a member of the World Design Organization (WDO) is corroborating our company vision and mission to promote the appreciation of design excellence through education, outreach, and grants.”
More information on www.3Cawards.com
The LIT Design Awards catalog showcases the best of 2021 Lighting Designs and Lighting Product Designs! The brochure features exclusive interviews of Eleftheria Deko of Eleftheria Deko & Associates, winner of the “Lighting Design of the Year” for the “Acropolis of Athens and Monuments” and Charles Prograce with the “Opteris Chandelier”, winner of the “Lighting Product Design of the Year.”
Jay Burnett, a student of the Georgia Institute of Technology, won the “Emerging Lighting Product Designer of the Year” title with “Trinity”, speaks with us about his love for design and inspirations for his career debut. While Congrui Gao, a student at the California College of The Arts in San Francisco and winner of the “Emerging Lighting Designer of the Year” prize, shares his enthusiasm and future professional aspirations.
The annual catalog includes an introduction of the recipients of the 2021 “Lifetime Achievement” Award, Craig A. Bernecker, professor of Lighting Design at Parsons School of Design and Tony Lawrence, Lighting Product Designer at Concord Lighting. Last, discover LUCI Association, the international network of cities on urban lighting and winner of the “Spotlight” prize.
The catalog is available to purchase on Amazon and can be downloaded on the LIT Awards website.
Tuesday 15th of February 2022 – Hosted by John Bullock (The Light Review Online) and presented by Sally Storey (John Cullen Lighting & Lifetime Achievement recipient in 2020), the LIT Lifetime Achievement Trophy was presented to Tony Lawrence at Concord Lighting Head Office in Newhaven, United Kingdom.
Celebrating over 50 years in Lighting Product Design, Tony Lawrence has been working since April 1969 at Concord Lighting part of the Sylvania Lighting group. Tony has been designing products that brought accent lighting to the high streets, art galleries, museums, hotels, and more.
Zurich, Switzerland – The 2022 LIT Lighting Design Awards is now accepting entries into its two major categories, Lighting Product Design and Lighting Design. It welcomes submissions from professional, emerging designers and students until the 22nd of October 2022, the program promises to attract entries from some of the most forward creative lighting firms and independent designers from all around the world!
The LIT Lighting Design Awards was created to recognize the efforts of talented international lighting product designers and lighting implementers. We believe that lighting is both an art and a science, and is one of the most important elements of design. The LIT Awards were envisioned to celebrate creativity and innovation in the field of lighting products and applications.
This annual program aims to celebrate Projects, People, and their passion for the industry, through our rigorous judging process, we recognize those that have gone above and beyond.
In 2021, the awards received over 500 submissions from 33 countries, the range of work was as astounding as always, with honorees including Eleftheria Deko & Associates for the new lighting of the Acropolis of Athens and Monuments, Expolight based in Ukraine for the Madison Business Center and SPEIRS MAJOR and LEOX design partnership for the Tianan 1000 Trees project in Tianan china. Lighting Product companies such as CENTRSVET, A-Light, and Delta Light have also been awarded… just to name a few.
The 2022 jury, composed of 35 experienced designers, lighting experts, academics, and media representatives will select the winners in each category in November 2022. Past jurors have included Orlando Marques & Thiago Gaya from L+D Magazine, Yah Li TOH, Principal at Light Collab in Singapore, Sally Storey, Creative Director at John Cullen Lighting, and Martin Klaasen at Klaasen Lighting Design and Lighting Design of Things.
The “Lighting Design of the Year” & “Lighting Product Design of the Year” professionals and students will receive the coveted LIT Design Awards Trophy, their winning projects will be showcased to the global audience and be featured in the Annual LIT Awards catalog. Winning the LIT Design Awards is an opportunity to step into the global spotlight, elevate the company profile or boost a starting career. Enter here!
Registration for the LIT Lighting Design Awards is now open and will close on October 22nd, 2022. Those who register before April, 24th, 2022; will receive an early bird discount of 10%.
The awards received over 500 submissions from 33 countries, the range of work was as astounding as always, with honorees including Eleftheria Deko & Associates for the new lighting of the Acropolis of Athens and Monuments, Expolight based in Ukraine for the Madison Business Center, and SPEIRS MAJOR and LEOX design partnership for the Tianan 1000 Trees project in Tianan china. Lighting Product companies such as CENTRSVET, A-Light, and Delta Light have also been awarded… just to name a few.
The jury composed of 35 experienced designers, lighting experts, academics, and media representatives has selected the winners in each category. Jurors included Orlando Marques & Thiago Gaya from L+D Magazine, Yah Li TOH, Principal at Light Collab in Singapore, Sally Storey, Creative Director at John Cullen Lighting, and Martin Klaasen at Klaasen Lighting Design and Lighting Design of Things.
We will be hosting the 5th Annual LIT Lighting Design Awards winners celebration online at 4:00P M (UTC) on Friday, 18th of February 2022.
We will be honoring the winners of the LIT Awards 2021, showcasing a selection of outstanding lighting projects and honoring those whose contributions to the lighting industry are tremendous.
The event will be streamed online via Facebook, Youtube and on the LIT Awards website, make sure to set up your alarm and follow us on social media.
Congrui Gao has a creative, futuristic, imaginative, and artistic approach to design! His design “Immersive Gestures” was mainly inspired by Balenciaga’s 2020 autumn and winter fashion shows, Congrui shares with us his enthusiasm and future professional aspirations.
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Congrui Gao. I was born in Shanxi, China, and I am currently studying Interior Design at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. I believe I have a creative, futuristic, imaginative, and artistic approach to design. Interior designers can have an impact on the lives of people in a given environment. I like the challenge of blank spaces, and I get excited about imagining the space we will inhabit in the future. I am extremely sensitive to colors. As an Asian, I have a unique perspective from the East. I love nature, the outdoors, travel, photography, and everything about art.
How did you discover your passion for lighting design? Why did you choose to study lighting design at the California College of the Arts?
The reason I love lighting design and am passionate about it is my sensitivity to color. The nuances of the color of light seem to me to have a huge impact on the environment, the atmosphere, the objects presented, and the senses of the experiencer. Reasonable control of light color, color temperature, intensity, atmosphere, type, and other elements, is a great challenge for designers. I like to explore the subject of lighting, so I chose to study at the California College of the Arts, which has a professional team, faculty, and abundant resources in the Bay Area.
Can you please share your creative journey behind “Immersive Gestures”? Where does your inspiration come from?
The idea for my work was mainly inspired by Balenciaga’s 2020 autumn and winter fashion shows. The original setting was at the Cité du Cinéma film studio complex in Paris, with the Balenciagas on a central runway submerged underwater and surrounded by an oblong amphitheater of seats. Although only a few centimeters deep, the water created the illusion of an almost bottomless abyss at the center of the show.
An LED screen suspended from the ceiling shifted between natural scenes of crashing waves, churning clouds, swarming crowds, and bright red glowing lava, which were reflected in the water below. In my work, “Immersive Gestures” will be used as a key set of oriented words for the creation and design of my performance space for Balenciaga within the context of the Z Space theater and performing arts company located in the Mission District of San Francisco, California. Each environment is connected through layers of immersive experiences.
The truncated cone form is the basic core element of the performance space, which is evenly divided and rotates around a series of center points within the site. The interior of the performance space is composed of a single strip-shaped LED screen, and the audience will stand along the arc edges to experience a 360-degree immersive experience. The video projected on the screen will physically respond to the model’s fashion clothing, creating a sense of mystery, oppression, structuralism, and powerful visual impact.
Instead of maintaining a fixed relationship between the stage and the audience, the relationship between fashion, model, and audience will evolve. The entire fashion show experience is not a static vision; it is an immersive experience of moving gestures between the audience and performer.
What does it mean to you to become the LIT 2021 Emerging Lighting Designer of the Year?
First of all, thank you, LIT, for affirming me. This was the biggest encouragement for me in the beginning stages of my journey as a designer. It made me realize that I am talented, and I am also capable of creating my dreams, and I am more convinced than ever that I will go further and further down the road of lighting design.
What are you working on now? Can you share a glimpse of your next lighting design project?
I just recently finished the design of the restaurant. Of course, lighting design is a very important part of it. This project is also a renovation of the old site in San Francisco. Lights play various roles in my new designs, such as guiding functions, layering functions, spatial functions, transforming functions, etc. I am exploring the relationship between light and different roles in space. I’m very excited to break through and challenge myself.
You are just starting your career as a lighting designer… What do you want to do next?
I want to have the opportunity to get in touch with a variety of excellent lighting designers and to learn from, collaborate with, and gain experience with them. In the beginning, I always thought that experience was the best teacher.
Last, what should we wish you for 2022?
To maintain a healthy and active life, and wish everyone in the world peace and happiness. I’m looking forward to finding a job and starting real physical projects for any of my design careers this summer.
Jay Burnett, a student at the Georgia Tech College of Design won the LIT Design Awards 2021 in the Lighting Product category with a chandelier design called “Trinity”. To produce Trinity’s concrete hub, Jay developed a 3d Printable concrete mold which increased re-usability, enabled highly accurate dimensioning, and allowed mounting hardware to be cast directly into the part all white decreasing cost & machining time when compared to reusable silicon or foam mold at this scale. Jay shares with us his love for design and inspirations for his career debut.
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m 21, an Atlanta native, when I am not designing, I enjoy making music, staying active through competitive sports, and cooking!
How did you discover your passion for Lighting Product Design?
For the past few years at the Georgia Tech College of Design, the sophomore capstone project has been to design and fabricate a light that explores materials, scale, and experience. This was my first exposure to the field and is the project for which I created Trinity. As I worked, I discovered the power that furniture and lighting design have to create experiences & shape the story of space both passively and actively. I learned that Lighting Design is a mix of engineering, design, and art that I find extremely compelling. So much so that I am now pursuing a career in it!
Why did you choose to study Lighting Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology? When will you graduate?
My road to design begins similarly to many in recent generations- with Legos & the influence of an engineer in my family. FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Robotics got me hooked as a child on Lego robots & then as a high schooler on 120-pound metal ones. I learned how to CAD, how to make rough prototypes and then fabricate high-quality parts, how to code, & how to creatively and iteratively problem solve. I was mentored along the way by the Robojackets- Georgia Tech students who loved building robots too and wanted to teach kids like me how to do what they did!
Led by their example I applied to Georgia Tech, but I wasn’t sure what I’d major in. I liked creating things, I liked drawing, I liked leading design meetings and debating minute details of each part. Mechanical Engineering was the obvious choice, but my mom happened to find the GT School of Industrial Design webpage, called me over, and said “this sounds like you!” She was right, as she so often is.
Can you please share your creative journey behind “Trinity”? Where is your inspiration from?
Trinity is born out of a few core design ideas.
One, I wanted to explore what I could do with concrete. I knew I would be able to get much more complex smooth shapes with the tools I had by using a cast material instead of a solid one, & I thought this was as good a time as any to try it out!
Two, treatment of light. I was fascinated by designs that treated light as a solid that could either fill in negative space to complete a “solid” geometry or could act as an extension of a rigid limb.
Three, smooth material transitions. Finding a way to move from concrete to metal to glass with no visible fasteners was critical for two reasons. One is because I wanted this design to look sleek and professional, not like a flimsy prototype. Two is that it draws people in. I wanted to make people wonder “how does it do that? What’s holding it together”. That interaction takes it from a background piece to a focal point and a conversation starter. Good design is worth talking about.
What does it mean to you, to become the LIT 2021 Emerging Lighting Product Designer of the year?
I am very honored to have received this award, and It honestly could not have come at a better time. All designers face imposter syndrome at one point or another, and as I search for jobs it has been easy to doubt myself and my skill. But receiving the LIT 2021 ELPD of the Year reminds me that I am talented and passionate and my future is bright! It also reminds me that I am just emerging. I have a lot still to learn and explore in design, which is daunting but also very exciting! So, thank you very much for selecting my work!
You are just starting your career as a Lighting Product Designers… what do you want to do next? What are your dreams?
Over the past four years, I’ve gained an education in Industrial Design; I have learned sketching and modeling communication skills and prototyping and rendering; basically all the stuff one must know in order to say “I have a degree in Design”. But what I’ve really learned is how to serve others. How to put the user first, to try & understand their needs, that I should strive to design such that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability, & to be selfless in my designs because it’s not about me.
In short, I found a profession worth devoting my life to. That is why I stand on the edge of a precipice ready and excited to begin a career in design. This may sound cliche because I am sure most young designers hunger for the same thing, to improve lives and make eyes shine brightly. But I am proud that I am not unique in this goal. My heart swells to know that my peers and I truly want to make this world better, & I wholeheartedly believe that even if all of us don’t achieve such lofty things, a few of us will. So, having secured my Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design this December, I’m excited to start! I don’t know where I will work or what I will make, but I know I do my best to try and become one of those few.
Last, what makes light magical to you?
Light sets the mood. With light, you can take one space and make it feel like two. You know what I mean if you’ve ever been to a bar or club near closing time. When the tired staff turns off the soft, warm lights that leave ample shadows and accent the face of that person you met at the bar so well in favor of the bright, aggressive fluorescents. Nothing looks mysterious and sexy anymore… you realize that everything is dirty & wet & that the room resembles a warehouse more closely than anything.
With the click of a switch or a turn of a dial, we can change everything about an environment. Something that powerful can only be magic.
Read more about the “Trinity” light.
