Today’s spotlight focuses on Martín Azúa, a Basque designer working in Barcelona since 1994. A Fine Arts graduate from the University of Barcelona, Martín combines his professional role as object and space designer along with his love of conceptual design.
He belongs to a category of designers who consider experimental methods as a fundamental part of the design process. Among his best known projects are the Casa Básica (Basic House), which became part of MOMA’s permanent collection in 2007, and the medals he designed for the Swimming World Championship in Barcelona 2003. He is particularly interested in the inclusion of natural processes in daily life and the use of handcrafted resources in order to preserve cultural and technological diversity.
The following projects represent a small sample of Martín’s work, all within the fragrance and jewelry sectors. Shape, organic lines, and structure all play important roles in Martín’s designs, which lend a magical quality to the packaging experience.
Unión Suiza
The Martín Azúa Studio designed the entire brand image for Spanish jewelry maker Unión Suiza. The Pack collection was inspired by natural crystals and made with black lacquered wood.
Majoral
The Martín Azúa Studio branded and designed packaging for jewelry maker, Majoral. The ritual for discovering and enjoying a piece of jewellery had to be just as special as the jewelry inside. The honesty and humility of Majoral packaging is perceived through the material: wood, paper and fabric, exploring the most austere and authentic side of luxury.
Flash
Flash perfume was a proposal for Custo Barcelona, world re-known Spanish fashion brand. The concept was inspired by the film Blow Up directed by Antonioni, in which a fashion photographer believes he has unwittingly captured a murder on film. The perfume bottle references old camera flashes.
DB BLACK
DB BLACK is a men’s fragrance designed for Grammy-winning Spanish pop singer David Bisbal. As the fragrance was designed for massive consumption with a moderate price point, a standard bottle and plastic cap were chosen. Together, bottle and cap merge into one simple and convincing form. The graphical treatment of the perfume bottle is replicated as texture on the cap.
Women’s Secret Feminine
Feminine is a perfume for Spanish underwear brand, Women’s Secret. The bottle design is meant to replicate creases in silk. The transparency provides a pop color to the whole project.
A true lover of beautiful objects, Martín launched Numbered, a store with a selection of objects designed by Martín Azúa; unique pieces, numbered editions and commissioned objects that explore a new functionality which includes emotional and conceptual aspects.
“We propose special objects which establish relationships between tradition and innovation. We defend the culture of doing as an essential value to preserve the diversity of the material and technological culture. The ideal users of Numbered are people who understand their possessions as a collection and know very well the reasons why an object can be special.”
