A visual light communication (VLC) method for a lighting system comprising an LED driver and a plurality of LEDs or LED groups includes the steps of: receiving a set-point representing a desired illumination characteristic, comprising an intensity set-point, a color set-point or a combination thereof, and data that is to be transmitted using VLC; determining a current profile for each LED or LED group of the plurality of LEDs or LED groups based on the desired illumination characteristic represented by the set-point, whereby an envelope of a combined current profile is modulated for a corresponding intensity variation as perceived by a sensor to represent a variable length VLC code comprising one or more code words; and generating one or more control signals to drive the plurality of LEDs or LED groups in accordance with the current profiles for the plurality of LEDs or LED groups to transmit the VLC code.