Understanding lighting design can be a different mind-set than most landscape contractors are used to.  Below are the principles of landscape lighting design and how they contribute to the finished product.

1. Depth- The distance a viewer's gaze travels as he or she views a landscape lighting scene.  A design with good depth has a starting piont that naturally progresses throughout the landscape.
2. Perspective- This principle defines a landscape as a three-dimensional canvas for a lighting designer, who strives to illuminate it from all points of view.
3. Focal Points- A landscape lighting design should consist of visual destinations that act as stepping stones for the eyes.  Focal points should not be too far apart and there should never be total darkness between them.
4. Quality and Direction- Lighting quality sets the mood and includes beam spread and shape, level of diffusion and the overall appearance of lights relative to each other.
5. Symmetry and Balance- Symmetry in landscape lighting highlights a home's balance.
6. Cohesion- Ensures a home is illuminated as one cohesive unit rather than as a group of unrelated parts.