Description:

Digitally Reimagining Light for David Trubridge

David Trubridge’s sculptural lighting designs are renowned for their interplay of form, shadow, and nature-inspired geometry. However, translating the physical poetry of these pieces into a digital space posed a unique challenge: how do you recreate the emotional effect of light, its mood, movement, and atmosphere through a screen?

The brief was clear: elevate the online experience to match the artistry of the product. The new website needed to do more than just display products; it had to simulate what it feels like to be in a room with them. Traditional photography, while beautiful, couldn’t fully convey the transformative nature of Trubridge’s lights-how they cast shadows, respond to light, and evolve depending on context.

To solve this, we turned to CGI. By harnessing advanced digital rendering, we recreated each light fitting as an immersive 3D animation, allowing users to virtually encounter the pieces as they would in a gallery setting. Each animation was tailored to the individual design, capturing subtle rotations, material behaviour, and the signature shadows cast when illuminated.

Every product was shown in two lighting states: ‘daylight’ to reveal its unlit sculptural form, and ‘illuminated’ to showcase the intricate shadows it projects. This dual-mode presentation gave users a more complete understanding of the product’s impact, how it looks, and how it feels in space.

Technically, the project demanded high levels of precision. We developed unique motion paths for each light based on its geometry-rotating spherical forms along a single axis to emphasise internal layering, while more asymmetrical designs followed dual-axis rotations to reveal unexpected contours. Visual consistency and colour accuracy were also critical, especially given the complexity of the materials and finishes. CGI enabled us to achieve a level of fidelity difficult to attain with photography alone, creating a suite of assets that were both visually rich and commercially functional.

The result is an online experience that invites curiosity and lingers in the mind. Instead of clicking through static images, users are drawn into a slower, more contemplative rhythm, observing how light plays across surfaces, how structure reveals itself, and how each fixture transforms its environment.

This project redefines how lighting design can be presented online, bridging the gap between e-commerce and experience, and offering a digital encounter that feels as considered and crafted as the lights themselves. For a brand deeply rooted in sustainability, storytelling, and sensory design, it’s a fitting evolution. One that makes complexity intuitive, and beauty truly interactive.