What is a Lighting Designer?

A lighting designer (LD) is the person who creates the look of a show with light, designing the lighting rig, choosing colours and effects, and building the cues for each moment. Many also design video content or work closely with the video designer. Lighting designers work in theatre, concerts, festivals, TV and corporate events, and their work shapes how an audience feels about a show. On a tour, the same design must work in every venue, from clubs to arenas.

What a lighting designer does

A lighting designer's work moves from idea to show:

  1. Develop the concept: agree the look and feel with the artist, director or production designer.
  2. Design the rig: choose fixtures and positions and draw the light plot.
  3. Program: build looks and cues on the lighting desk, often using pre-visualisation software.
  4. Rehearse: refine the cues in production or technical rehearsals.
  5. Hand over or operate: run the show themselves, or hand it to an operator for the tour.

A touring lighting designer's needs must be agreed with every venue, which promoters and venues handle through advancing in Crescat.

Lighting designer vs lighting engineer

A lighting designer decides how the show looks. A lighting engineer or technician installs, maintains and often operates the equipment. On smaller shows, one person does both.

Tools a lighting designer uses

  • A lighting console, or desk, and a backup
  • Pre-visualisation software
  • CAD drawings of the rig
  • Moving lights, LED fixtures and followspots
  • Haze and effects, such as a haze machine
  • Control systems such as DMX
  • Colour filters, such as lighting gels, on conventional lights

Frequently asked questions

Does a lighting designer operate the show?

Often in concerts, where the LD may run the show live from front of house. In theatre, the designer usually hands over to an operator once the show opens.

How do you become a lighting designer?

Many start as lighting technicians or programmers, or study lighting design at drama school or university. Building a portfolio of shows matters most, along with learning the major lighting desks.

What is a lighting programmer?

A specialist who enters the designer's ideas into the lighting desk quickly and accurately, used on larger productions where time is short. On smaller shows, the designer programs the desk themselves.

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