pro·fes·sion·al [pruh–fesh–uh-nl]:
- following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
- a person who is expert at his or her work: You can tell by her comments that this editor is a real professional.
What can the advantages be by hiring a professional? The short answer is that people who focus on doing one thing professionally are probably going to do it better than just about anyone else. But there is a little more to it than that.
I think a true professional cares about and wants the best for their clients. A lawyer who doesn’t want to work for the best possible outcome for his client probably isn’t a very good lawyer. A landscaper who isn’t concerned with how the garden will look when the plants begin to grow, isn’t very likely to be making much of a living doing that kind of work. You can say that about any field, including outdoor lighting. I am fortunate that most of my clients hire me because they already know they want a professional outdoor lighting designer. They know that I will give them the best possible design, addressing their individual needs; and that our crew will be clean and courteous on their property. And they know when I’m finished with their project, they are going to be pleased with the results we worked together to achieve. This is how a professional creates a great outdoor lighting experience.
So, what else goes into a positive outdoor lighting experience?
I was contacted a few weeks ago by someone who had tried twice to get lighting that they liked. Both times they used companies that offered a wide variety of services, not just lighting. They were not professional lighting design companies. These guys installed some lights here and there, but the client didn’t feel good about it. The lighting was not well thought out and didn’t really have any rhyme or reason. It was obvious that the installers just wanted to add some lights after doing what they originally came for without considering what looks best with the landscaping, or how the property owner wanted it to look and feel when the lights came on.
To insure that the client ends up with a terrific outdoor lighting experience, the design company must start out by listening to the client. There needs to be an interview to discover why the client wants lighting in the first place. We need to know what the client expects their property to look like when the project is complete. Maybe the client entertains often and people need to be able to move around with uniform lighting throughout a space. But then again, maybe they just want a very subtle lighting effect in specific places to show off an art piece, perhaps, or cast light on a bench for relaxing. If the designer does not know how to deliver what the client wants, the client will not be happy. Thus, a disappointing outdoor lighting experience.
Although great landscape lighting is not cheap, it’s even more expensive when it has to be done more than once because it wasn’t planned well to begin with. It is upsetting when we hear such stories from clients who have finally come to us for help; they had high expectations, spent a lot of money, and yet are unhappy with what they paid for. We encourage anyone interested in outdoor lighting in central Texas and beyond to avoid falling prey to a poor lighting experience by doing a little research up front. Look for an AOLP certified outdoor lighting professional to virtually guarantee a wonderful experience from the very beginning.
If you are in the central Texas area and would like to set up a consultation, please contact us here.
