Kinoform diffusers (82) exhibit controllable diffusion characteristics that include off-axis transmittance and reflectance properties, elimination of zero-order beam, and freedom from spectral dispersion under achromatic illumination. Light control devices (76, 80, 82) implemented with kinoform diffusers having controllable diffusion characteristics provide anisotropic luminous intensity distributions and glare control at high viewing angles while maintaining high luminaire efficiency or daylight utilization.