The Fabric of our Society

April 2023

Don’t Say No: Renfro Communicates Light with Cartoons!

Angie Ohman
Project Manager, Renfro Design Group, Inc.

Sometimes I feel like I have to say “no” a lot in design conversations. For instance: “Lighting that green wall pink for Valentine's Day is not going to work how you think it will.” It’s much more fun, for all parties, to be reminded of some of those peculiar qualities of light in illustration form. And what’s more approachable than a cartoon?

For the 20th Anniversary of Renfro Design Group in 2018 we wanted to give a “thank you” to everyone who came to our anniversary party, and to those with whom we work who were far away. Many architects we collaborate with have given us beautiful books of their work, but they rarely come off our shelves unless we want to reference a particular project. I thought a book that’s more of a practical resource would be a better gift for those we work with: architects, interior designers, building managers, and owners.

NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette by Nathan Pyle, which I thought captured the dos and don’ts of New York life that visitors likely don’t know, heavily influenced the concept for the book. Similarly, lighting features its own vocabulary, attributes, and experience that the lighting community knows well, but is foreign to others.

I illustrated Lighting Intuition for Architects and managed most of the content, but each person from our office contributed various lighting tips and concepts that they felt were important. We have all had experiences grazing light on less-than-perfect drywall, or have had materials switch out to something specular mid-project. Overall, the goal of the book is to communicate some of the common questions that come up in our conversations with people about light, and to communicate those answers in a fun way.

Wider reach
Though originally developed for our anniversary 5 years ago this September, we added it to our website to make it easily available, and we’ve shipped copies requested by students, teachers, and designers nationwide. After we depleted our run of printed copies, we made it available to print on-demand. This way, people beyond the reach of the US postal service can purchase a copy.

Light forms a vital part of any built environment. Whether designed by a team of professionals or by a single residential occupant, I think light is often underrepresented and misunderstood. So I’m always looking to promote awareness and excitement around light. I hope you find something useful in Lighting Intuition for Architects. And I’m always interested in fresh, friendly, easy-to-digest ways to communicate light to new and existing audiences.

© RENFRO DESIGN GROUP, INC.

© RENFRO DESIGN GROUP, INC.

© RENFRO DESIGN GROUP, INC.