Jordi Pla is a Catalan designer based in Sant Cugat del Vallés where he carries out his main activity, which is product design. He graduated in Industrial Design from the EINA School in Barcelona in 2003 and obtained a Postgraduate Degree from Elisava that same year. In 2013 he completed a Master's Degree in Artisanal Design and Luxury at the Ecal School, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
After working in 2003 as an intern at André Ricard’s studio, andcollaborating for several years with different companies and professionals in the world of design, in 2011 he founded his own design studio "Jordi Pla Studio", in which he has created a wide variety of designs focused on different market sectors such as: furniture, lighting, street furniture, home furnishings, accessories, packagingas well as products focused on research and experimentation. During this period he has created objects for clients such as KDLN, WMF, Vacheron Constantin, Baccarat, Normann Copenhagen, Breinco, Sellex, Remy Martin or Milán Lighting among others.
Jordi designs with the idea of providing creations that have a clear and differentiated raison d'être. Essential products that stand out for their functional innovation, interaction with the environment and user, as well as sustainability in materials and industrial processes. He believes in close collaborations where the designer's vision merges with the knowledge, resources and know-how of his clients, and he likes to be fully involved in all phases of the project, from the first sketches, ideation and development, experimentation and prototyping to rendering and art direction.
Over the years he has won national and international awards: among them, in 2022 he won an Archiproducts Award for Milan Lighting's Symphony lamp , a Silver Delta for Milan Lighting's Wire lamp and two IF Awards for Symphony and Wire. In 2018 he began his teaching career at IED in Barcelona. Since 2020, he has been the director of the Master's Degree in Product Design of LABASAD and since 2022 also participates as a coach in the CBI "Fusion project" offered by ESADE, UPC and IED and that execute multidisciplinary projects together with CERN and Attract. And since 2024 he has been a professor at the Eina School in Barcelona.
We talked to Jordi about his design method and his academic and professional career:
Interiors from Spain: If you had to summarize your designs in one short sentence, what do you think would be the most representative of your style and approach?
Jordi Pla: I try that each project brings me knowledge and experimentation, and this involves carrying out projects that contribute a different technique. The key is to formulate ideas where the selected references do not have an obvious articulation between them. This involves researching and recreating the scenario where the idea will have to demonstrate its function. In other words, it involves researching and testing different components, materials and industrial processes. This method gives me a deep understanding and as a consequence a mastery of the project and it is only from there that I synthesize the formalism of my objects to the maximum and try to provide timeless products that clearly communicate their use and function.
Interiors from Spain: Of all your academic and professional training, which do you consider has been the most decisive for your career as a designer?
Jordi Pla: The "Escola EINA", was decisive in my beginnings, since it gave me a framework of understanding of the discipline and from here I began to discover and become passionate about all the culture inherent in design in general and specifically in industrial design. The Master's Degree at the "Ecal, Lausanne", was a very intense and privileged experience since, apart from the teaching staff and the resources offered by the university itself, I was able to create projects for major brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Hermes, and Remmy Martin among others. These companies opened their doors to us and we could absorb their knowledge and know-how. This immersive experience was decisive in understanding the real context of the company and is, in my opinion, the only way to contribute differentiated ideas that provide competitiveness and are feasible in production, since they are aligned with the company's resources and strategy.
Interiors from Spain: What is the project you have worked on that you are most proud of, and what aspects make it special to you?
Jordi Pla: All the projects I have carried out are part of a chain and each one has given me real knowledge that allows me to propose new projects of varying complexity. I believe that creativity is diversity and is formulated from the experience and culture that each individual possesses. It is true that there are some specific projects that respond to a maturity and offer a series of very specific qualities that frame it within its apparently own result. In my case, projects such as the Ovo by Lékue, the Nest chair by Sellex or the Wire lamps by Milán Lighting and the Bird by KDLN are projects that arrive with a very clear synthesis and clearly demonstrate their differential value.
Interiors from Spain: You have made designs for various market sectors. In which do you feel most comfortable? Are you excited to experiment in any new sectors?
Jordi Pla: As a designer, I understand variety and diversity as a basic state to keep me excited. It is true that I have explored different sectors of the market and each one has its appeal for the constraints of function, materials and production processes ... Each sector has allowed me to get to know very different companies and experiment in a very specific way in each of the projects I have carried out. Right now, I am very comfortable in the decorative lighting sector because working with light provides me with a lot of possibilities and there is something magical about it.
The sector in which I would like to go much deeper is habitat, specifically in furniture design. The chair is a curious piece, apart from the complexity due to the initial restrictions, as well as the development technique, the chair is one of the few elements that allow me to feel it from the inside.
Interiors from Spain: When you hit a creative block, where do you look for inspiration to overcome it?
Jordi Pla: When there is a creative block, if it is not serious, with a walk in the mountains, a visit to a museum or just walking around the city listening to good music, is when the mind unwinds and it is the optimal time to contemplate new perspectives.
Interiors from Spain: You started your teaching career in 2018, what message do you feel is most important to convey to your students about the future of design, which they will define?
Jordi Pla: In 2018, the opportunity arose to begin my teaching career and I currently have second degree and master's students. In the end, the common denominator that I try to convey to them is that they should carry out ethical and honest projects that are justified in concept, resources and technology and perhaps what I consider most important is that they should live the process with enthusiasm and passion. It is the best way I know of for students to achieve excellence.
Interiors from Spain: Tell us about your international awards. What have they meant for the trajectory of your studio? What did the judges highlight the most about your designs?
Jordi Pla: Of the national and international awards, I have won during my professional career, I believe that the distinction of holding the Archiproducts of 2020 has broadened my international references. Especially in Italy, where I currently have several clients with whom I have an excellent relationship.
Only with the Delta Awards, which Adi-Fad organizes and which I had the privilege of winning in the 2018 and 2022 editions, have I been able to learn that the judges valued very positively the simplicity, function and originality of my products. I am happy that the audience understands the focus of my pieces.
Interiors from Spain: And this year you will surprise us with...
Jordi Pla: This year, if all goes well, I believe we will be able to present new national and international collaborations with several lighting collections. Let's see what happens and may the light be with us.
