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Alvaro Uribe
Industrial Designer
Alvaro Uribe is an American born, Colombian raised and New York-based designer.Alvaro’s vision is to create products that have what he calls ‘emotional function’, which are products that pass their utilitarian use, fill the user’s life with joy, magic, and curiosity. His work is characterized by a poetic language rooted in the beauty of nature and culture and dedicated to finding ways in which color, form, and materials can elevate peoples experiences and perception of design.
New York, New York
Red Dot
International Design Awards
Good Design
Get to know Alvaro Uribe
Tell us about your studio/workspace
My studio is a mix of a library, a natural history museum, and the MoMA store. I collect all sorts of books on design, manufacturing, art, and architecture, as I feel its always good to know what others have done. Since a young age, I collect objects from nature that I find fascinating, rocks, bones, dry plants, bugs, shells, and many other specimens that inspire me deeply. I also keep one of each product I ever designed, to help me stay true to my message, appreciate the opportunities that I had, and remember the stories build with each client.
How would your friends describe you?
Passionate, determined, dreamer
Tell us about some previous design work that you are proud of?
A couple of years ago I started to study how seamlessly combine form and structure. The result was a series of furniture pieces titled Plum. The innovative approach of the first design lead it to be featured in M. Night Shyamalan futuristic vision “After Earthwork featuring Will and Jaden Smith. Following the success of -Series 1-, I continued to expand by applying the principles into a three-legged stool, the Plum Series 2. -Series 2-, was immediately awarded the Red Dot Design Award and attracted the eyes of luxury car manufacturer BMW, who used both Series 1 and 2 for the introduction of their BMW i8 Car in Beijing.
What is your design philosophy?
My goal is to create products that have what I call ‘emotional function’, which are products that pass their utilitarian use, fill the user’s life with joy, magic, and curiosity. My work is characterized by a poetic language rooted in the beauty of nature and culture and dedicated to finding ways in which color, form, and materials can elevate peoples experiences and perception of design.