CrousCalogero is a Barcelona-based product design studio co-founded by Francesc Crous and Alessandro Calogero, industrial design graduates of Barcelona’s art and design school Eina, Escola de Disseny i Art and Politecnico di Milano respectively.
Both designers were collaborating individually with renowned international design studios until their career paths crossed one day at bathroom company Roca’s Roca Innovation Lab in 2006. And, in 2009, they co-founded their own Barcelona-based studio.
Since then, they’ve had a fruitful career, collaborating with different, internationally successful firms, such as Spanish companies Estiluz and Arlex, as well as French outfits Qui est Paul? and Pa-Design, Myyour in Italy, Antevanilla in Hong Kong and RF Yamakawa in Japan, among others.
Since then, they’ve had a fruitful career, collaborating with different, internationally successful firms, such as Spanish companies Estiluz and Arlex, French outfits Qui est Paul? and Pa-Design, Myyour in Italy, Antevanilla in Hong Kong and RF Yamakawa in Japan, among others.
Our favourite projects of theirs are their Balloon lamp, which reminds us of, well, a balloon, although it doesn’t disappear into the sky, but sticks to the ceiling, and their Crazy Head storage rack-cum-container for tidying away odds and ends and motorbike helmets – a must-have for motorbike, bike and scooter-lovers. Equally cool are their stackable Strike stool for RF Yamakawa, inspired by a bowling ball, and fun, plastic watering can Ohlala, shaped like a handbag’s handle which gives it a decorative touch.
A more recent idea is their electronic musical instrument called Reactable Suite, which has a revolutionary interface that converts music into a tangible, visual experience. Children can learn to use it, too, thanks to its intuitive nature.
The duo currently also teach at the Eina art and design school. Interiors from Spain caught up with them to find out what makes them tick:
Interiors From Spain: In your, as yet, short career, how have you managed to establish contact with such varied companies, some better known than others? How did you go about setting up relationships with firms all over the world?
CrousCalogero: Since we set up our business, we’ve considered it essential for our work to have an international reach. Indeed, our first commercial venture was with design event Business of Design Week in Hong Kong. The fact we participate with international design fairs undoubtedly puts us in touch with a very wide market and gives us the opportunity to work with companies from different places and of high and lower profiles. After all, for us, there’s not much difference between working for a Japanese, Taiwanese or French firm. What does matter to us is a willingness to work and develop a project in close conjunction with a company.
We’re also open to the idea of working in very specific sectors. We know what sort of projects we like to get involved in. Yet we’d hate to think we’re narrowing our options by only working in one sector or industry. What we always do is study our clients’ markets in depth and build up their trust in us to meet goals common to us both.
IFS: What do you think of the relationship between designers and industry?
CrousCalogero: As for our own relationship with the design industry, this has always been open and honest. At the end of the day, what’s important is what kind of employees a company has, and their relationships with clients. One example of this is Estiluz with which we’ve always got on very well. The company has a long history in the lighting sector, yet is also youthful in spirit and takes risks. It’s highly motivated and is prepared to take on any job, however challenging.
The relationships between designer and industry that work best are those in which both parties feel comfortable with each other – and which centre all their efforts on the project concerned.
IFS: What projects are you working on now?
CrousCalogero: We’re currently working with a US company on a type of project that’s hard to imagine us having embarked upon in the past. It’s in the robotics field, a sector that’s very interested in design, given that it needs to be made more user-friendly in such a way that users don’t find it strange to interact with an android.
We’re also working with a new version of the Reactable piece ¬– an electronic musical instrument with a ground-breaking interface, developed by Reactable Systems. It’s been very successful at the most recent Milan Furniture Fair, thanks to the interest shown in it by both experienced users and novices. In parallel with this, we continue to collaborate with our main clients in the lighting and furniture fields.