George Sowden

George J. Sowden (born 1942 in Leeds, UK) is a designer and product developer. He studied architecture at Gloucestershire College of Art in the 1960s. He moved to Milano in 1970 where he started working with Ettore Sottsass and Olivetti. In parallel to the industrial design work on early Olivetti computers.[1], he was involved during the 1970s in experimental "radical" design projects which enabled him to become, in 1981, one of the co-founders[2] of the Memphis Group, the design movement that had a significant impact on design in the eighties.

Star Lamp, 1973
Familiar Landscapes, 1973
L1 system, Olivetti, 1978-79
L1 system, Olivetti, 1978-79

In the same year, 1981, he founded his design studio SowdenDesign collaborating with numerous companies such as Olivetti, Alessi, Bodum, Guzzini, Lorenz, Rancilio, Steelcase, Swatch, Segis, Memphis, IPM, Moulinex, Telecom Italia, Tefal and Pyrex.

George Sowden has received design awards including, in 1991, the ADI Compasso d'Oro Award for design excellence for Olivetti, Fax OFX420.

In 2010, Sowden developed the SoftBrew coffee brewing device which is distributed and sold throughout the world[3], notably in collaboration with the design company HAY.

References
  1. https://archividigitaliolivetti.archiviostoricolivetti.it/collections/entity/detail/16566/
  2. Design Museum Page on Memphis
  3. Green, Penelope. "George Sowden, an Industrial Designer". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
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  • Barbara Radice, Memphis: research, experiences, results, failures, and successes of new design (Rizzoli, New York, 1984) ISBN 0-8478-0569-7
  • Silvia Katz, Classic plastics: from bakelite to high-tech : with a collector's guide. (Thames and Hudson, London, 1984) ISBN 0-500-01347-0
  • Andrea Branzi, The hot house: Italian new wave design (Thames and Hudson, London, 1984) ISBN 0-500-27348-0
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  • M. Collins, A. Papadakēs, Post-modern design (Rizzoli, New York, 1989) ISBN 0-8478-1136-0
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  • Fiell, C., Fiell, P., Haag, C., & Safavi, P., Designing the 21st century. (Taschen, Koln, 2001) ISBN 3-8228-5883-8
  • Peter Zec, Who's who in design. Vol. 2. (AVedition, Stuttgart, 2003) ISBN 3-89986-002-0
  • Terence Conran, Max Fraser, Designers on design (Conran Octopus, London, 2004) ISBN 1-84091-400-9
  • Fiell, Charlotte, and Peter Fiell., 1000 Lights. Vol. 2 (Taschen, Koln, 2005) ISBN 3-8228-2475-5
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