Due to their small size and tailorable properties, nanostructures can exhibit unique interactions with light. These interactions have the potential to impact all areas of technology. In this talk I discuss some aspects of designing and making nanostructures using glancing angle deposition (GLAD), a simple and scalable method, for specific applications that harness light. In particular, I will focus on our work in fabricating photocatalytic materials, which can use ambient lighting to split water into oxygen and hydrogen fuel, break down harmful organic pollutants, and even kill bacteria. Additionally, I will discuss our more recent work using GLAD to fabricate metamaterials. Metamaterials have engineered structures that allow them to exhibit unique properties not typically found in nature, the most famous of which is a negative index of refraction.