At Lúcid we set out to make a small portrait of women in industrial design to find out if it was really a masculinised field or if this was just a perception.
To this end, we analysed the presence of women in official Industrial Design studies and found that, according to the National Institute of Statistics, the ratio of men to women in Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development degrees was rather equal.
The same goes for the employment rate, the proportion of women and men who find work in the field of industrial design is also fairly even, corresponding to the percentages of studies.
But what about public awards, do they have or have they had a presence throughout history? To answer this question, we look at historical industrial design awards such as the prestigious ADI-FAD Awards and the National Design and Innovation Award.
Although we have seen that women have historically had a very residual presence in the public recognition of industrial design, we have also confirmed that, in recent years, they have gained representation, reaching a proportion of approximately 50-50.
In fact, the ADI Medals awarded by ADI-FAD to young talent are rather evenly distributed, with an almost 50/50 ratio of female to male representation, which corresponds to the data on studies and employment.
And what better way to highlight the role of women designers than by recommending some of those who inspire us the most? Here is our selection!
Cecilie Manz, born in 1972 in Denmark, lives and works in Copenhagen, where she founded her own studio in 1998. Known for her designs of home products such as furniture, tableware, lighting and electronics, she has won numerous international awards and works for high-profile companies such as Duravit, Fritz Hansen, Bang & Olufsen, among many others.
Inma Bermúdez studied Industrial Design at the Cardenal Herrera CEU University in Valencia. She started her professional career in industrial design working for German design studios such as IDEA, BUSSE DESIGN and PRODESIGN.
He currently runs his own studio together with Moritz Kefter in Valencia and collaborates with renowned brands such as IKEA and Lladró, among others.
Born in Landerneau, France, Pauline Deltour opened her own studio in 2011, where she works for numerous international clients such as Tolix, Sogo & Seibu, JINS, Lexon, Yellow Innovation (La Poste), Alessi, among others.
For Pauline Deltour, materials and their properties are primary sources of inspiration for exploring forms that blend robustness and utility.
