COMMUNICATIVE LIGHTING SME
While at Ford and Lincoln, I directed sound and light as a paired system rather than isolated elements, treating both as behavioral tools within a larger experiential architecture. I led external sound partners and worked closely with internal teams to shape cohesive multisensory narratives across interior and exterior environments, feature teams, marketing, and brand.
My lighting work sat at the intersection of design intent and engineering reality. Using Cinema 4D and After Effects, with VRED and Unreal Engine as needed, I built high-fidelity prototypes that established a clear north star and informed decisions around LED count, zoning, dynamic range, RGB capability, and animation behavior. These prototypes were used to align stakeholders and support early engineering tradeoffs before hardware paths were locked.
I partnered closely with LED engineers, HMI teams, and suppliers to translate experiential goals into executable constraints, with an understanding of manufacturability, cost, and performance limitations. While I am not a parametric or fabrication technologist, I am fluent in collaborating with those disciplines and in defining the system logic they implement.
Prior to automotive, I founded and led a motion graphics agency in New York City. My background in editing, animation, rhythm, and choreography continues to inform how I approach light—as something temporal and behavioral, not static or decorative.
I see lighting as a defining layer of experience. When considered holistically, from exterior approach to interior occupation, it can quietly guide safety and orientation while elevating the character and refinement of the environment.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
WELCOME PROTOTYPES
Early vision renders for branded welcome. Placeholder graphic assets were used during this phase. The vehicle interior was equipped with dynamic, animation-capable RGB LED light rails—one along each door and a continuous run across the front fascia.
FEATURE INTEGRATION
I worked horizontally with feature and product development teams. Communicative lighting was new at the time, and I was actively evangelizing a multisensory approach while demonstrating the technology through deeply integrated functionality. You’ll notice lighting biased toward the driver or passenger side depending on the use case. Ambient messaging light was also designed to remain visible in the driver’s periphery during hands-free, eyes-on-the-road scenarios.
ADAS
PARK ASSIST
Designing for electric vehicles allowed me to craft a narrative around the charging experience. This behavior appears both inside and outside the vehicle, using communicative lighting to give the user at-a-glance information at key moments during the charging process.
CHARGE SUCCESS
CHARGE ERROR
ACTIVE CHARGING
CHARGE COMPLETE
EV WAGON
The next two renders walk through the exterior welcome experience. Using Phone-as-Key for detection, the approach triggers a narrative led by dynamic RGB lighting integrated into the front grille. In this prototype, the user is first greeted with a blue branded welcome; as they move closer, the LEDs transition to reflect charge status. The experience continues from exterior approach through door open and into a seated, branded on screen welcome.
Variables such as whether the vehicle is plugged in determine the sequence of events.
The charging experience as viewed at the charge port. These renders show, in greater detail, how exterior lighting was proposed as a set of visual gauges—allowing charge status to be read at a distance or upon returning to the vehicle.
SUPER TRUCK
The next renders show the holistic vision applied across the front grille of a large EV super truck. For this effort, I worked closely with the technology prototyping team to build and program a full-scale I/O model. The resulting exterior and interior experience showcased the complete integration of my light and sound work.
LINCOLN EV SEDAN
The final group is a trio of renders for Lincoln. I directed the exterior sound experience while animating the lighting that occurred in parallel. These pieces cascade in energy from mild to wild, reflecting an approach where customers could select their preferred intensity.
LINCOLN STAR & L100 CONCEPTS
As an outro, I’ve included an agency-produced reels for Lincoln concept vehicles, where I contributed both sound and light direction.
Finally this work was named a Top Finalist for the 2025 Henery Ford The chnology Awards.
Thank you for the opportunity to present my work. I look forward to discussing the role and how we can continue to grow the vision for communicative lighting at Geely.
Regards,
Brian Caiazza
