Keely Colcleugh: Master the Fundamentals
/ Founder and CEO of Kilograph
by Elizabeth Lavis | 22 Jun 2026
“A design should move people, and at the same time, communicate what it is doing”
Keely Colcleugh, founder and tangent driver of Kilograph, credits her Canadian roots with instilling a respect for context, light, and craft in her. “Even though I live and run Kilograph largely out of Los Angeles and Spain, I carry that early sensitivity with me,” she says. “My interest is in how built form can engage both visually and emotionally.”
For Colcleugh, foundational knowledge is necessary to making it in the world of design, and her advice for aspiring designers is simple. “Master the fundamentals, not the tools,” she says. “Be patient and enjoy the journey.” Colcleugh’s personal journey was always deeply entrenched with both the visual aspects and functionality of design. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to design or make things,” she says. “As a kid, I loved drawing and had a big, crazy imagination. I also had a strong interest in systems and understanding how and why things came together.”
Kilograph, with Colcleugh at the helm, took home Indigo Gold in Branding for Real Estate Design for its transformation of Los Angeles's Bradbury Building. The project honored the building’s historic roots while celebrating its modern iteration as a coworking space and social hub. Colcleugh credits the award with increasing confidence in her work and raising their business profile. She’s also used the Indigo win in her professional branding and pitches. “I think these awards do promote businesses,” Colcleugh says. “We are incredibly honored and will continue to enter the Indigo Design Award.”
Colcleugh and her team embrace a five-step approach that hinges on discovery, strategy, design, development, and deploying the product. “Design without strategy is decoration,” Colcleugh says. “Strategy needs to be embedded early in the project so that creative explorations always answer or challenge it. At the same time, it’s important to leave space for the unexpected so the design doesn’t feel sterile. Strategy is a guide, not a cage.”
Emotion and clarity are the two most essential aspects of a design for Colcleugh. “A design should move people, and at the same time, communicate what it is doing,” she says. Keeping the client looped into progress is another integral factor in a project’s success, and one she achieves with regular communication, honesty, listening, and responsiveness.
Colcleugh balances different projects without getting burned out by relying on strong team structure and a culture of responsibility and delegation. “No one should try to do it all themselves,” she says. “We rotate workloads and try to find buffer times for creative exploration.”
She also derives inspiration from cooking and food styling. “It’s always been a passion of mine,” Colcleugh says. “I don’t know how this connects, but I prepare the best meals when I’m most stressed over a project.” Other passions include community, mentorship, giving back, and supporting up-and-coming talent, all of which dovetail with her professional goals.
“I plan to become much more engaged in my adopted hometown of Barcelona and its design community,” Colcleugh says. “It’s always wonderful to experience design from a different cultural perspective. The chance to work here and collaborate with local people is something I’m very excited about.”
The Bradbury Building