Abstract: A system and method for presenting a visual message by illumination. The system includes an LED light source and a transparent sheet. The transparent sheet is a transmission medium that includes a modified surface that refracts light in designated areas. The LED source illuminates the transparent sheet so that the LED illumination of the sheet achieves a visual effect of a neon filled glass tube lighting. The illumination system, however, is neon-free. The modified surface includes a disruption pattern or a printed ink layer, or the sheet includes two modified surfaces, one modified with a disruption pattern and another one modified with a printed ink layer. The LED light source includes multiple LED emitters on a circuit board. The LED light source projects light through the sheet in a direction that is parallel to a surface plane of the sheet.