Dark Skies and Our Responsibility as Lighting Designers by Travis Shupe

Hosted by WE-EF Lighting and Light Collective, the event brought together voices from across the country to talk about the future of exterior illumination. It wasn’t structured like a typical product showcase, which, honestly, felt refreshing. Instead, the focus stayed on conversation, observation, and shared learning. More than anything, it served as a reminder that good lighting design isn’t about adding more light; it’s about knowing when less creates something better.

The surrounding desert and relatively low population density allow for something that’s become increasingly rare: truly dark skies. Standing outside after sunset, away from any real urban glow, it became obvious how much of the natural night environment has disappeared in most cities. Darkness stops being an abstract concept and becomes something you can truly feel when the brightest sources of light are the stars overhead.

That experience shaped a lot of the conversations throughout the summit and ultimately, my own perspective on what thoughtful exterior lighting design can be.

One evening, a local architect and night sky enthusiast guided us through town at sunset. What stood out wasn’t just the absence of excessive illumination, but how intentional the lighting felt. Streetlighting was minimal without feeling insufficient, and the exterior lighting that did exist was generally well considered. 

The result was something you don’t often experience: clear, uninterrupted views of the night sky, even from the center of town. Experiencing conditions like that recalibrates your expectations. It makes you question what exterior lighting actually needs to accomplish — and what it may be doing that it doesn’t need to.

Understanding Light Pollution 

We often talk about light pollution as simply ​‘too much light’, but it’s more complicated than that. It typically shows up in a few overlapping ways:

• Skyglow – the brightening of the night sky over populated areas
• Glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort
• Light Trespass – unwanted light spilling into adjacent areas

Together, these effects reduce our ability to see the night sky, disrupt ecosystems, waste valuable energy, and change how people experience nighttime environments. And importantly, more light doesn’t automatically make a space safer or more usable. In fact, poorly controlled lighting can do the opposite, it can create harsh contrast, reduce visibility, and make spaces less comfortable for both pedestrians and drivers. Effective lighting design relies on precision, uniformity, shielding, and intentional placement – not simply intensity. 

Color temperature plays into this as well. Cooler, blue-rich light scatters more readily in the atmosphere because of its shorter wavelengths, making skyglow appear brighter over greater distances. While LED technology has dramatically improved energy efficiency, the widespread use of cooler color temperatures — especially in roadway lighting — has unintentionally amplified overall skyglow. 

Why Dark sky Design Matters

The dark sky movement is not anti-lighting. If anything, it feels more like an evolution of thoughtful design and one that asks us to be more intentional about when, where, and how we use light.

Responsible exterior lighting should support human activity while minimizing environmental impact. That means balancing aesthetics, safety, function, and energy use all at once. It also means practicing restraint, a quality that, historically, hasn’t always been our industry’s strength.

One presentation from Stephen Hummel of the McDonald Observatory focused on the ecological effects of artificial light at night. Many species including migratory birds, insects, turtles, and nocturnal mammals depend on darkness for navigation, migration, feeding, and reproduction. Artificial light disrupts those patterns in ways researchers are still trying to fully understand.

And it’s not just wildlife. Human health is increasingly part of the conversation as growing research on circadian rhythms has shown how blue-rich light can affect sleep cycles. While this discussion often centers on interior lighting, exterior illumination contributes to overall nighttime brightness in ways that aren’t insignificant to our sleep patterns.

At its core, dark sky principles push us toward a more refined approach to lighting design. Rather than illuminating everything evenly, it asks designers to consider hierarchy, contrast, and intent. Its guiding principles are remarkably straightforward:

• Useful: Use light only if it is needed
• Targeted: Direct light so it falls only where it is needed
• Low Level: Light should be no brighter than necessary
• Controlled: Use light only when it is needed
• Warm-colored: Use warmer color lights where possible

Utilizing these principles can help strengthen a design and create a more intentional visual experience. 

The Role of Manufacturers and Collaboration

One of the more encouraging aspects of the summit was the level of collaboration across disciplines. Designers, architects, advocates, and manufacturers were all part of the same conversation. As technology continues to evolve, manufacturers play a huge role in shaping what’s possible. The fixtures they develop ultimately become the tools designers rely on, and thoughtful fixture design is essential to reducing light pollution without compromising safety, functionality, or visual quality.

There’s also a larger opportunity here. The lighting industry influences far more than individual projects. It helps shape public infrastructure, streetscapes, and the character of our communities after dark. Conversations around sustainability tend to focus heavily on energy but protecting the quality of the night environment deserves to be part of that discussion too.

Technology alone won’t solve light pollution. Better fixtures matter, but so do the decisions behind them. Meaningful progress depends on thoughtful design, informed policy, and a shared commitment to using light with greater intent.

Looking Forward

The conversations in Marfa felt like part of a larger shift already underway. Designers, ecologists, astronomers, and planners are starting to work more closely together, connected by a shared concern for the nighttime environment.

For me, the biggest takeaway wasn’t technical, it was experiential.

Spending time in true darkness, and realizing how rare that’s become, changes the way you think about light. As designers, we often focus on what lighting adds to a space.

But maybe the better question is:
What disappears when we add too much?