Katia Kolovea

Lighting Designer & Communication Strategist

About Katia

40under40 Lighting

Art High Budget

Based in London

Working Globally

Katia Kolovea is a lighting designer, communication strategist, and advocate of the lighting design profession. Her passion for light, people, and the creation of engaging and immersive experiences led her to start her business, Archifos. Archifos started as a blog, evolved into a personal brand, and since 2020, it has been focusing on the intersection of lighting design, experiential marketing, and engaging communications. Katia has been involved in a variety of international projects from architectural lighting, to event lighting, to stage lighting design, private parties, high-end brand presentations, product lighting, and public art installations to mention a few.

When she is not designing interactive and immersive lighting experiences, Katia collaborates with businesses in the lighting industry to support them communicate their brand and services in a meaningful, innovative, and personalised way, online and offline.

Her work as a designer has been awarded a "Darc Award" and was honoured with the prestigious 40under40 Lighting Design Award. Katia has been involved in various community-based and educational projects of the lighting industry like the Silhouette Awards and the VLD.Community. She loves storytelling, public speaking, and bringing the right people together. Katia is the founder of the Lighting Police, an educational platform with the mission to raise awareness about the importance of the right light to the general public. She is a team member of the global Women in Lighting Community managing all social media communications, a Judge of the LIT design awards, and an elected council member of the Society of Light and Lighting.

A journey in light

From Athens to Madrid
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Interior Architecture, Decorative Arts and Product Design
From Madrid to Barcelona
Internship in Architectural Lighting Design
From Barcelona to Stockholm
Master of Science (MSc) in Architectural Lighting Design
From Stockholm to London
Lighting Designer working on International projects focusing on Immersive Experiences, Light Art and Communication

Founder of Archifos

Archifos was born in Barcelona in 2015 while Katia was doing an internship in Architectural Lighting Design. Inspired by the design culture, the great museums, design talks, and various exhibitions in Barcelona, she felt the need to start a design blog (dedicated to building awareness about the medium of light.) Within the last few years, archifos transitioned from a blog into her personal brand, and today, it is a multidisciplinary business working globally in the intersection between Lighting Design, Storytelling, and Communication services.

ARCHIFOS [ar-khi] + [phós]: The word is a blend of the Greek words: "Αρχή" (Archi) + "Φως" (Fos) > translated as "start" + "light". For Katia, everything starts with the light. The light that allows us to see and experience the surrounding space. The light that makes us feel and observe!

Archifos is a boutique agency focusing on the sectors of communication and lighting.

We collaborate with businesses in the Lighting Industry creating bespoke initiatives, and projects in Communication - Storytelling and Lighting. Our services include Immersive Light Experiences, Light Art Installations, Experiential Marketing, Content Creation, Branding, Event Management, Product Launches, Social Media Marketing, and Corporate Training amongst others.

Find more about our services on archifos.com.

Key Projects

Katia is part of some amazing initiatives and organisations In the Lighting industry.

Founder of the Lighting Police: An educational platform raising awareness about the importance of light.
Co-founder of the Silhouette Awards: An awards mentorship program that spotlights and supports the risings stars of the Lighting Industry.
Core Team Member of the Women in Lighting Community: An inspirational global platform that profiles and celebrates women working in lighting.
Co-founder of the VLD.community: A global virtual membership network that empowers, inspires, and educates the lighting design community.

(Find more about those projects on social media)

Recognition

Receiving an award is a memorable experience and a great way to feel your accomplishments acknowledged by your Industry, however, the most important thing is how do we give back to our industry, inspire the next generations, and contribute to the growth of our profession!

Here are four selected highlights from Katia's path:

At the age of 25 years old, she was honored with the 40under40 lighting award marking her one of the youngest ones who has joined the list.
One of the most impactful moments has been the Darc Award on the category Best Light Art Scheme-High Budget award for the project "Where the Rainbow Ends", a collaboration with the Urban Electric team and German Ermics commissioned by Instagram.
In 2020, Katia got invited by the LIT Design Awards team to join the Jury of the International Lighting Design Award and annually review all submissions and celebrate the best designs in Lighting.
In 2021, Katia was elected as a council member for the Society of Light and Lighting and was invited to contribute to the growth of the association for three years.

Selected Works

Througout her career, Katia has collaborated with various international award-winning lighting design companies, light artists, designers, directors, brands with the purpose of creating meaningful and impactful experiences.

Featured

Katia is an advocate of the Lighting Design Profession with the mission to raise awareness about the importance of light globally. She loves public speaking, sharing her knowledge, hosting workshops, and giving lectures to various audiences.

Get in touch

Are you interested to collaborate and work together on a project?
Get in touch on Katia's social media.
Daily active on Instagram and Linkedin.