Joseph Forakis
Jozeph Forakis was born in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from Domus Rhode Island Academy's School of Design and Masters of Industrial Design. His work is recognized for its innovative use of materials and techniques, as well as for his ongoing research into the 'behavioural' influence of interactive information technologies on design and everyday objects.
The son of professional artists, his cultural approach to design reflects his background in art and theater, with early professional experience as an ensemble and lighting designer for the film industry in New York. Other early experience established his interest in design-driven research, with work in the high-tech and biomedical sectors of the United States.
His strategic design consultancy studio jozeph Forakis...design, based in New York and Milan, works across a variety of sectors with international clients, including Epson, Foscarini , Fujitsu, Kikkerland, Normann Copenhagen, LG Electronics, Magis , Samsung, Swarovski, Swatch, Tecno, Yamaha Motors... among others.
From 1999-2002 he was European Director of Design for Motorola and led the team responsible for the design of the Motorola V70 mobile phone. From 1993-1997 he consulted with the Domus Academy Research Center (DARC) in Milan, where he designed the award-winning Logitech Cordless Mouseman Pro - the first "vertical" mouse.
His HABANA lamp for Foscarini is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. Other notable designs include the Swatch IRONÍA Scuba200 watch and the SPECTER armchair from Dune NY.
He lectures and regularly lectures and lectures at institutions around the world including Domus Academy and Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design. His designs have won many awards and have been featured in numerous publications, including "Design Now" (Taschen), "Spoon" (Phaidon) and the "International Design Yearbooks" (Laurence King), and have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums. of all the world.
In 2004 he was the subject of the first individual exhibition ever organized by ADI (Association of Italian Design) presented in Rome and in New York.
His work has been featured in numerous museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Gas Showroom in Tokyo, Japan, and was included in the landmark exhibitions "Mutating Materials in Contemporary Design" and "Workspheres ", both at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
