Light and luminaire design 2006

The dependence of humans on light is immense. Light is an essential part of our visual environment and fulfils a variety of functions. It is important for orientation and safety; it is used to stage objects, rooms and architecture, and it has an immediate effect on the human psyche and our biorhythm.

The influence light has on us and our well-being is becoming increasingly significant. Even small and medium-sized businesses are becoming more and more aware of how important light design is for our well-being at work, thus increasingly investing in innovative lighting concepts. The significance of light as a marketing factor has also been recognised in the development of city centres, which has led to a growing number of high-quality lighting solutions. It is therefore hardly surprising that the lighting industry is one of the most dynamically growing industries. According to experts the turnover of the lighting industry will rise to US$ 18 billion by 2008 in China alone - it will thus more than double in comparison to 2004.

According to the international Energy Agency IEA, on average 19 percent of the worldwide requirement of electric energy is used for lighting. In the face of rising energy costs and drastically increasing environmental pollution resulting from high energy consumption, energy efficiency is playing an increasingly larger and more important role.

Today holistic lighting solutions which meet human and economic as well as ecological requirements are needed. This is a great challenge, which the lighting industry faces with intelligent and exciting lighting concepts. Here, the factor design has a particularly important role in several respects. Good design – particularly against the backdrop of globalisation and the increasing sensitivity to environmental issues – can bring consumers to make necessary changes in their consuming behaviour. Furthermore, high design quality is not only a decisive factor for the commercial success of a product – and thus the company that produces it – but it is also indispensable when it comes to conveying the technical innovation of a product in such a way that it is accepted in the market. It is only with a distinctive design and a clear positioning in the global market that companies can successfully manage to have their products perceived accurately today.

The spectrum of colours, forms and materials used in the production of lamps today is very diverse. Against this backdrop clear-cut trends are hard to define. However, there are two opposing main trends discernible with regards to design: On the one hand the tendency towards minimalist design, which focuses on the light itself; on the other hand the trend towards artfully, partly sculptural light objects, which almost stage the light.

New products in the field of “Lights and luminaires” are mostly the result of new technologies, therefore more and more manufacturers are investing in research and innovation. The “light emitting diode” (LED) has become an omnipresent topic. It has enormous innovative as well as growth potential because our mental well-being can be influenced much better with LED light than with conventional artificial light. The topic “Light and well-being” now plays an important role in the lighting industry. Systems which automatically adapt to the changing physical and mental human needs and which are highly energy-efficient at the same time are thus becoming increasingly important.

We have compiled an overview of the current design trends in the field of “Lights and luminaires” for you in our trend gallery:

>>Trend gallery “Light & Luminaire Design 2006”