Aitor García de Vicuña - AGVestudio

After several years of experience on design teams, Aitor Garcia de Vicuña founded AGVestudio in 2003, a studio that provides solutions for comprehensive industrial design projects in various areas. Its team of professionals has collaborated on numerous projects for well-known companies in the sector, in Europe as well as in the Americas and Asia. 

At present, Aitor Garcia de Vicuña shares the studio’s management, collaborating in fields as diverse as technical sessions, seminars, and conferences, as well as collaborations with the academic world. Some of his projects have received nominations and international awards.

The companies the studio works with include the Spanish firms Uecko, Ondarreta, Systemtronic, delaoliva, Ezpeleta, Solid Matter, and Alpha Contract, and the Portuguese companies Famo, Fenabel, and Sentta. 

We spoke with Aitor García Vicuña who talked about the studio’s evolution, his approach to design and how he relates to his clients, and his work around the world:

Interiors from Spain: How did your studio come about, and how has it evolved over the last more than 20 years?

Aitor: In 2003, after collaborating as a member of other design studios and serving as Head of R&D at companies in the Habitat sector, I felt the need to embark on a professional path with my own studio. It was a challenge, a step out of my comfort zone, and a creative move that prevailed over my engineering side. 

At first, we carried out highly detailed industrial design projects in production systems, but over time we have incorporated more strategy and analysis into our conceptual proposals. Each company, each brand is different and needs tailored designs. We believe that, in recent years, we have been recognized for our experience; for the paths we have taken, some more successful than others; for our dedication to what each company requires of us; and for our contribution to the growth of brands. 

Interiors from Spain: How would you define your designs and your designing approach? 

Aitor: I would like to be able to say that our designs and projects are remembered as honest works. That word encompasses values that are important to me.

Interiors from Spain: What essential elements are always present in your work? 

Aitor: Intuition, analysis, and passion. Of course, I try to get to know each and every one of my clients 100%, in order to tailor our conceptual and aesthetic contributions to successful products and initiatives for their companies. 

Interiors from Spain: Your studio is located in the Basque Country, a region in northern Spain with a strong industrial tradition and an identity rooted in the use of noble materials such as wood, metal, stone, or ceramics. How is that reflected in your work? And how do you view Basque design today? 

Aitor: I greatly enjoy materials with a pure essence, with centuries of history, with authenticity; natural wood, steel, leather, stone, etc… I come from a land of ironworks, sawmills, and quarries. It is a privilege to be able to live surrounded by medieval walls, just minutes away from eternal forests, and that is reflected in our creative expression. 

I feel I have inherited a legacy from former Basque industrialists, and we feel that spirit is still present, although it saddens me to see that a large part of today’s youth is losing it, is not interested in entrepreneurship, and, also, authorities only think about multinationals, forgetting smaller companies such as design studios in general.

However, I am very pleased with the current health of Basque design, with very diverse studios and the ability to work beyond our borders.

Interiors from Spain: Your relationship with many of your clients begins with the design of a product and continues with broader, more comprehensive work in creative advisory services and strategic consulting. How does that relationship come about, and what are you offering them to help develop their brand?

Aitor: Yes, the truth is that it is strange that we have ended up doing cross-functional work in many companies. When we talk about “marketing”, we see it as a comprehensive approach: market analysis of companies and the stakeholders involved, the development of product and brand strategies, and creative direction. In the end, we feel very proud to have the professional and personal trust of our clients. When they grow, are recognized, and achieve success, it's a real source of satisfaction for us.

 
Interiors from Spain: In your service portfolio, you create temporary architecture, such as trade fair stands or event installations, as well as interior design for commercial or residential spaces. Can you tell us about your work in these design areas?

Aitor: These types of projects are a continuation of our clients’ needs. We always try to help them to add value to their initiatives, whether through activities at trade fairs, by connecting with the brand and translating it into their commercial spaces, or even through actions and proposals involving specifiers, end clients, and the equipment manufacturers themselves. We consider it part of our profession. Creating human spaces, full of life and at the same time with a professional point of view, gives us great satisfaction.

Interiors from Spain: You work for clients in Portugal, Mexico, and Turkey. What differences do you notice? What do you learn from them?

Aitor: These are different and enriching cultures, operating in very different markets. What matters is understanding how they view their companies, their customs. Respecting them and trying to provide value and experience. The good thing is that the world and trends in “habitat,” in all their variants, are increasingly interconnected, and this helps us define product and brand-activation strategies in a more logical way. 

Interiors from Spain: And, let's not forget,  your projects outside Spain include some with Chinese clients. Could you tell us about these projects? 

Aitor: The Chinese market has aspects that are very different from ours, especially in how it understands the value of Western creative teams. The range of equipment is very strong and expanding rapidly, but I feel more comfortable with Western brands.

Interiors from Spain: You have just returned from the Salone del Mobile in Milan and Milan Design Week. Has anything surprised you this year? How important is this event for a designer to get inspired and sell their design services? 

Aitor: Rather than surprising me, it reaffirms that the world of habitat is global and transversal; the relationship between a corporate office building, a hotel, or a convention center is increasingly close, as are fittings, lighting and acoustic treatments, common or meeting areas, etc. 

A piece of design or a piece of furniture can be easily adapted to provide functionality or a reason to furnish different types of architecture, and that is why those of us who make up this sector must remain current in order to offer the best proposals.

Salone week and everything that happens in Milan during those days are the seed of future trends. These are days when you have to be there, you have to experience them and feel them. It is an intoxicating flood of information, data, and sensations that later must be organized and given meaning.
 

Interiors from Spain: What new projects are you currently working on, and for which companies? 

Aitor: At this time of year, we are working on industrial design projects for the brands we regularly collaborate with, and that pleases me because the greatest reward is to continue having their trust. In addition to this, we have four new collaborations that will be unveiled at the end of this year, as well as two new creative direction collaborations. We are very excited about these new challenges.