At Vivalyte, we believe in fostering young talent, innovation, and engineering challenges. That’s why we were thrilled to support Jade Van Zele, an Industrial Product Design student at Howest, in bringing her OVI Light concept to life. Her 3D-printed lighting project, developed as a final graduation piece, is a perfect example of how design, technology, and mentorship come together to create something truly special.
Jade’s journey started with a fundamental question: what attracts people to a design? After researching symmetry, organic shapes, and textures, she explored how these elements influence perception—not just in lighting, but also in fashion and natural aesthetics. Through an iterative design process and extensive user research, she landed on a donut-inspired form: a playful, layered structure that balances softness with a modern, architectural presence.
The challenge? Turning this concept into a functional, high-quality light.
Jade had already honed her skills in 3D printing during her internship at Antistatic, an Antwerp-based company specializing in 3D modeling and finishing. But creating the 3D-printed lamp added layers of complexity:
That’s also where Vivalyte stepped in. As a regular partner of Howest and a lighting technology expert, we were excited to help Jade refine her concept into a working prototype.
With support from Ashley (electronics) and Michiel (product design), we helped translate her vision into a fully functional lighting product.
Internship mentor Michiel Meersseman: “Interns often bring new inspiration. In this project, it was interesting for us to work in more depth with the transparency of 3D printed materials and explore how this produces interesting lighting effects. The combination of innovative LED lighting with a retro feel through the diffused light is a nice touch”.
The final OVI lamp combines technical precision and design intuition:
Jade’s thoughtful balance of form and function resulted in an exploration of how 3D printing and smart lighting technology can work together.
At Vivalyte, we are always looking to support new ideas and give young talent the tools and knowledge to explore their potential. As such, this project goes beyond designing a lamp—it’s a synergy of mentorship, engineering innovation, and pushing the boundaries of lighting design.
Jade is now interning at Vivalyte, where she’s contributing to real-world lighting solutions. From designing end caps for linear LED lights to optimizing our Neon Flex demo boxes and improving our product packaging. As she continues her journey in design and innovation, we’re proud to have been part of her growth and excited to see where her talent takes her next!
