January 1998–August 2003: Christina Trauthwein
Trauthwein had started with AL right out of college. She returned in 1994 as managing editor and succeeded DiLouie as the publication’s fourth editor-in-chief. The magazine continued to thrive under her direction and she served as a recognized voice in the industry. Some of the standout editorial features included “Insights,” which was a series of interviews with leading lighting designers, and the Hall of Fame issue (2001–2003).
Another new program during this time was the Sept/Oct “Projects and Applications” issue, which highlighted products in the context of projects. Trauthwein’s skill as an editor was in evidence when she was asked by the magazine’s then-publishing house VNU to become editor-in-chief of another one of its publications, Kitchen & Bath Business.
September 2003–September 2006: Emilie Sommerhoff
In 1996, Sommerhoff had served for a period as the AL’s assistant editor. In 2003, under her direction—and with a new team in place, which included managing editor Elizabeth Donoff—the magazine underwent a complete overhaul, starting with the Jan/Feb 2004 issue. There was a new logo design, which addressed the fact that the magazine was equally known as AL as it was architectural lighting. The redesign also organized the book into three main sections—Industry, Projects, and Details—to better correlate to the scale of the design process itself.
Other important initiatives were launched. These included the AL Light & Architecture Design Awards, which has grown into a major program, and the magazine’s website.
Introduction of a model for supplements, to provide additional editorial coverage to a dedicated topic, was also launched. The first few focused on residential lighting topics. With the increasing need for solid-state lighting coverage, AL LED was added to the mix.
2006–Present: Elizabeth Donoff
In October 2006, architectural lighting and its then-sister publication Architecture magazine, were acquired by Hanley Wood, a Washington, D.C.–based publisher specializing in construction titles. The acquisition of the two publications (Architecture consequently ceased publication), and the launch of the new title Architect created a robust Commercial Design Group for the publisher. The move to Hanley Wood also meant relocation from New York to Washington, D.C. Although there was some initial concern about moving away from the center of the lighting design community, the new location has not proved an obstacle to the magazine’s continued growth and success and has often provided an important amount of healthy distance in evaluating projects and lighting issues.
Online, the publication expanded its reach with the launch of a monthly online newsletter, e-notes. In print, AL led has become a regular supplement. Additional special editions have focused on infrastructure and energy efficiency. The rise of social media has expanded AL’s reach and given way to building a new community of almost 2,000 followers via Twitter.
In January 2011, on the occasion of the magazine’s 25th anniversary, the publication was redesigned to better deliver print content with online access in mind. A companion digital edition was also introduced.
Going Forward
Having built an audience of more than 75,000 readers both in print and online, in the United States and beyond, the magazine continues to be a leader in its field, tapping into industry issues while never straying far from the design and technical discussions that are so essential to its readership. architectural lighting will continue to find new ways to deliver content and build readership. It might have seemed a longshot in 1986 to create a magazine for such a specific subject, but it is clear that design discussions would be incomplete without lighting.
