Oriol Guimerà

Born in 1972, Oriol Guimerá studied Industrial Design at the Elisava School of Design and Engineering in Barcelona, where, after hearing a talk by Achille Castiglione, he gravitated towards a vision of design that was more poetic and conceptual than functional. A goal formulated in his mind: to work in Italy. When he completed his studies, and after a brief time at the packaging company, Cideyeg, Guimerà worked as an intern at the studio of Isao Hosoe, in Milan. There, he learnt to work in a team, and handle objects with the same sensitivity as he did people, acquiring the confidence he needed to start out by himself. Furthermore, on his return, he did a master’s degree in Business Creation and completed his studies in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software.

Arjau was Guimerà’s first multidisciplinary project, a studio that, in collaboration with a graphic designer, offered product design and business consultancy in the area of design trends. The joint experience, however, was short lived.

The products he has designed since include the Golf streetlight, which reflects his penchant for versatility, and the Polar lamp, which provides a playful mechanism to offer two different kinds of lighting. The Pausa bench, selected for the 2001 ADI-FAD Awards, integrates with all kinds of surfaces and uses, and the Level clothes hanger grows with its users.

Táctica42 is Guimerà’s latest multidisciplinary project, which he has created alongside a number of young graphic and web designers, with the goal of meeting a wide range of needs under optimum conditions. Through this project, Oriol continues to dedicate his time to what he likes doing most: telling stories through objects.

Oriol Guimerà is the creator of the Sammy bollard and bicycle rack (2007), whose multidisciplinary function arises from the empty space at its centre.