The Custom Lighting Process: Step by Step

How custom lighting really works

If you have never commissioned custom lighting before, the process can feel like a black box. You send some drawings, you wait a few months, and then a big crate arrives. What happens in between?

The truth is, custom lighting is a structured process with clear stages, deliverables, and decision points. When you understand how it works, you can plan better, make faster decisions, and avoid the common pitfalls that cause delays and cost overruns.

This guide walks through the 8 steps of a custom lighting project, explains what happens at each stage, what you receive, and what you need to provide. It is based on our experience delivering custom architectural lighting for projects across the GCC.

Step 1: Initial inquiry and briefing

Every custom project starts with a conversation. This is where you tell us what you need, and we assess whether we are the right partner for the project.

What happens in this step:

• You reach out with your project information
• We have an initial call or meeting to understand the scope
• You share any drawings, reference images, or design intent documents
• We ask clarifying questions about scale, budget, and timeline
• We determine whether the project is a good fit for our capabilities

Typical duration: 1–3 days for initial assessment, up to 1 week for a detailed review of a large project scope.

Step 2: Proposal and quotation

After the initial briefing, we develop a formal proposal and quotation. This is the document that outlines scope, approach, timeline, and pricing.

What a good proposal includes:

• Scope of work: Exactly what we are designing and delivering, and what is not included
• Design approach: How we plan to approach the design and any key considerations
• Timeline: Estimated duration for each phase of the project
• Pricing: Broken down by fixture type and phase (design, prototype, production)
• Deliverables: What you will receive at each stage
• Payment terms: Deposit, progress payments, final payment
• Assumptions and exclusions: What the quote assumes and what is not included

You should expect a proposal within 3–7 business days of providing a complete brief. For very large or complex projects, it may take longer as we need to do more preliminary engineering to give an accurate price.

Important: A quotation for custom lighting is only as accurate as the information it is based on. If the design changes significantly after the quote, the price will change too. That is normal and expected — custom projects evolve. A good partner will keep you informed of cost implications as the design develops.

Step 3: Concept design development

Once the proposal is accepted and the deposit is paid, the design work begins. This is the creative phase where ideas become visual designs.

What happens during concept design:

• Our designer creates initial concept sketches or 3D models
• We explore different design directions (usually 2–3 options for key fixtures)
• We select materials, finishes, and light sources
• We develop concept renders so you can visualize the result
• We present the concepts and walk you through the design reasoning
• You provide feedback and we revise

Typically, there are 2–3 rounds of revisions during the concept phase. Each round takes about a week, depending on how quickly feedback is provided.

This stage ends with a concept approval: a signed-off design direction, complete with renders, key dimensions, material selections, and performance specifications. Nothing goes to engineering until the concept is approved.

Step 4: Engineering and technical design

This is where the design moves from "pretty pictures" to "buildable product." The engineering team takes the approved concept and turns it into detailed production drawings.

What engineering includes:

• Mechanical design: Every component modeled in 3D, every dimension specified. How it goes together, how it mounts, how it is maintained.
• Electrical design: LED selection, driver specification, wiring diagrams, dimming protocol compatibility.
• Thermal analysis: Calculations to ensure the LEDs will run at the right temperature for long life. Overheating is the #1 cause of LED failure.
• Optical design: Lens and reflector selection, beam angle verification, glare control. Photometric simulation to predict output and distribution.
• Structural engineering: For large or suspended fixtures, structural calculations to ensure safety. This is non-negotiable for anything over a certain size or weight.
• Manufacturing review: Our production team reviews the design for manufacturability — can we actually build this efficiently and to the required quality?

The output of this stage is a full set of production drawings and a bill of materials (BOM). We typically share key drawings with the client for review and approval before moving to prototyping, to make sure nothing was lost in translation from concept to engineering.

Typical duration: 2–4 weeks, depending on complexity.

Step 5: Prototype and sample approval

This is the most important quality checkpoint in the entire process. We build a physical prototype of the fixture so you can see it, touch it, and test it before we commit to full production.

Why prototyping is essential:

• You cannot judge everything from renders. Scale, finish, and light quality all look different in person than on a screen.
• It catches engineering issues. Sometimes a design that looks great on screen has problems in the real world — thermal issues, assembly problems, wiring access.
• It verifies performance. Does it produce the right amount of light? Is the beam angle correct? Is the color accurate?
• It de-risks production. If we need to make changes, it is far cheaper and faster to change a prototype than to rework a full production run.

What you get at prototype stage:

• A full-size working prototype (or a representative section for very large fixtures)
• Finish samples (if multiple finish options are being considered)
• Photometric test results
• An on-site or video review session

After reviewing the prototype, you provide feedback. If changes are needed, we make them and either send a revised prototype or confirm the changes in production drawings. Minor changes are often handled in the production drawings; more significant changes require another prototype round.

This stage ends with a prototype approval: you sign off that the prototype meets your requirements and is approved for production.

Typical duration: 3–6 weeks for the first prototype, plus 1–2 weeks per revision round if changes are needed.

Step 6: Production manufacturing

Once the prototype is approved, full production begins. This is where the fixtures are actually built.

What happens during production:

• Material procurement: Ordering all the components and materials needed for the production run.
• Metalwork: Cutting, bending, welding, machining of metal components.
• Finishing: Painting, plating, polishing, anodizing — whatever finish the design calls for.
• Glass / acrylic / diffuser fabrication: Production of transparent or translucent components.
• Electrical assembly: Soldering LEDs, assembling drivers, wiring harnesses.
• Final assembly: Putting all the components together into finished fixtures.

Production is managed with a production schedule that tracks each batch through the factory. We provide regular progress updates — usually every 2 weeks — so you know where things stand.

For large production runs, we may do a "first article inspection" — building and inspecting the first unit before ramping up to full production. This catches any issues early.

Typical duration: 4–10 weeks, depending on complexity and quantity.

Step 7: Quality control and testing

Before anything leaves the factory, every fixture goes through quality control. This is how we ensure that what arrives on site is what was approved.

What quality control includes:

• Visual inspection: Checking finish quality, alignment, welds, overall workmanship. Comparing to the approved prototype.
• Dimensional check: Verifying key dimensions match the drawings.
• Electrical testing: Function test, insulation resistance, earth continuity, power consumption verification.
• Photometric verification: Spot-checking output, beam angle, and color temperature against specifications.
• Color consistency: Ensuring all fixtures in the same batch have matching color temperature.
• Burn-in test: Running fixtures for 24–72 hours to catch early-life failures. This is especially important for LED drivers.
• IP testing (for exterior fixtures): Water ingress testing if specified.

We also prepare all the documentation at this stage: test reports, certification documents, installation instructions, and spare parts lists.

Once QC is passed, the fixtures are carefully packed for shipping. Custom fixtures need custom packaging — foam inserts, wooden crates, moisture protection — to ensure they arrive in perfect condition.

Typical duration: 1–2 weeks, depending on the size of the production run.

Step 8: Delivery and installation

The final step is getting the fixtures to site and installing them. This is where all the design and manufacturing work finally pays off.

What happens during delivery and installation:

• Packing and dispatch: Fixtures are crated and shipped from the factory.
• Freight and customs: Sea or air freight, customs clearance, local certification verification.
• Delivery to site: Inland transport to the project location.
• Receiving and inspection: Checking that everything arrived and nothing was damaged in transit.
• Installation: Mounting, wiring, and connecting the fixtures. For large or complex installations, we can provide on-site supervision.
• Testing and commissioning: Verifying that all fixtures work correctly, aiming adjustable fixtures, setting scenes in the control system.
• Handover: Final walkthrough, as-built documentation, operation and maintenance manuals.

After handover, the warranty period begins. For Yakeen custom fixtures, the standard warranty is 5 years, with optional extended warranty available.

Deliverables at each stage

Here is a summary of what you receive at each stage of the process:

What you need to provide

To keep the project moving smoothly, here is what we need from you at each stage:

• At inquiry: Project brief, drawings, reference images, budget range, timeline.
• During concept design: Clear, consolidated feedback on design direction. Prompt responses to questions.
• At concept approval: Signed-off concept and authorization to proceed to engineering.
• During engineering: Answers to technical questions (e.g., ceiling structure, control system details). Review and approval of engineering drawings.
• At prototype: Attendance at prototype review (in person or virtual). Clear feedback on what needs to change. Signed prototype approval to proceed to production.
• During production: Prompt response to any questions that come up. Approval of any change orders (if design changes are requested).
• At delivery: Site access for delivery. Coordination with electrical contractor for installation.

Common roadblocks and how to avoid them

After delivering many custom lighting projects, we have seen the same issues come up again and again. Here are the most common roadblocks and how to avoid them:

The custom lighting process does not have to be mysterious or stressful. With a clear understanding of the stages, good communication, and a partner who knows what they are doing, custom lighting can be one of the most rewarding parts of a project.

At Yakeen, we believe in transparent processes and clear communication. We keep our clients informed at every stage, so there are never surprises. If you have a custom lighting project in mind, we would be happy to walk you through how we would approach it.