Karim Rashid
Encyclopedia
Karim Rashid (born in Cairo
, Egypt
on September 18, 1960) is an industrial designer. He received a Bachelor
in Industrial Design from Carleton University
in Ottawa
, Canada
in 1982 and completed his postgraduate studies in Italy
.
Rashid has created over 3000 designs, including projects ranging from interiors, fashion, furniture, lighting, art and music to installations.
ian and English
parents, and raised in Canada, Karim now resides in New York managing his private design studio. To date he has had some 3000 objects put into production and has successfully entered the realm of architecture and interiors, designing the Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia and Semiramis Hotel in Athens. His work is in the permanent collections of fourteen museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art
in New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and he exhibits art in various galleries. Rashid was an associate Professor of Industrial Design for 10 years and is now a frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences globally.
Rashid's award winning designs include democratic objects such as the Garbo waste can and Oh Chair for Umbra, bobble water bottle
, interiors such as the Morimoto
restaurant, Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel, Athens and exhibitions for Deutsche Bank and Audi. Rashid has collaborated with clients to create democratic design for Method and Dirt Devil
, bikes for Biomega, furniture for Artemide and Magis, brand identity for Citibank
and Hyundai, high tech products for LaCie
and Samsung
, and luxury goods for Veuve Clicquot
, Swarovski
and Kenzo
, to name a few.
Rashid also edited the International Design Yearbook 18 (Calmann and King, 2003)
Rashid has been credited by Bruce Sterling
with coining the term "blobject
", but this is disputed; others credit it to Steven Skov Holt.
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
on September 18, 1960) is an industrial designer. He received a Bachelor
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Industrial Design from Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1982 and completed his postgraduate studies in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Rashid has created over 3000 designs, including projects ranging from interiors, fashion, furniture, lighting, art and music to installations.
Career
Born in Cairo to EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian and English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
parents, and raised in Canada, Karim now resides in New York managing his private design studio. To date he has had some 3000 objects put into production and has successfully entered the realm of architecture and interiors, designing the Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia and Semiramis Hotel in Athens. His work is in the permanent collections of fourteen museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and he exhibits art in various galleries. Rashid was an associate Professor of Industrial Design for 10 years and is now a frequent guest lecturer at universities and conferences globally.
Rashid's award winning designs include democratic objects such as the Garbo waste can and Oh Chair for Umbra, bobble water bottle
Bobble water bottle
Bobble water bottle is a portable, reusable water bottle that filters water as it passes through it. It was launched in the United States in February 2010 by Move Collective and is now available internationally.-History:...
, interiors such as the Morimoto
Morimoto
Morimoto is a family name in the Japanese language and the meaning is near the forest’, or ‘also may refer to:*Pedro Ken Morimoto, a Brazilian football midfielder*Carlos Morimoto, a Brazilian software engineer and author...
restaurant, Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel, Athens and exhibitions for Deutsche Bank and Audi. Rashid has collaborated with clients to create democratic design for Method and Dirt Devil
Dirt Devil
Dirt Devil is a brand name of household vacuum cleaners and floor care. There are two main units: Power for large houses, and RV unit for smaller houses or apartments, as well as a number of other floor care products including hand-held vacuum cleaners and carpet shampooing machines.-Company...
, bikes for Biomega, furniture for Artemide and Magis, brand identity for Citibank
Citibank
Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
and Hyundai, high tech products for LaCie
LaCie
LaCie is a computer hardware company specializing in external hard drives, RAID arrays, optical drives, Flash Drives, and computer monitors. The company markets several lines of hard drives with a capacity of up to many terabytes of data, with a choice of interfaces...
and Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
, and luxury goods for Veuve Clicquot
Veuve Clicquot
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin is both a champagne house in Reims, France, and a brand of premium champagne. Founded in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot-Muiron, Veuve Clicquot played an important role in establishing champagne as a favored drink of haute bourgeoisie and nobility throughout Europe...
, Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
and Kenzo
Kenzo Takada
Kenzo Takada is a Japanese fashion designer. He is also the founder of Kenzo, a worldwide brand of perfumes, skincare products and clothes....
, to name a few.
Awards and honors
- Red Dot distinction for high design quality, 2005–2010
- Special Pentaward for creativity in packaging design, 2009
- Honorary Graduate of AWARD School, Australasia 2009
- The Fragrance Foundation's FiFi Awards: Best Packaging - Women's Prestige for Kenzo Amour, 2007
- Honorary Doctorate from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), 2006
- Pratt Legends Award, 2006
- The Semiramis Hotel earned the Sleep05 European Hotel Design Award, 2005
- Honorary Doctorate from Corcoran College of Art and DesignCorcoran College of Art and DesignThe Corcoran College of Art and Design, , founded in 1890, is the only professional college of art and design in Washington, DC, located in the Downtown area. The school is a private institution in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art.The Corcoran Gallery of Art is Washington's first and...
, 2005 - A.D. Dunton Alumni Award of Distinction from Carleton UniversityCarleton UniversityCarleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
(his alma mater), 2004 - Best Retail Store in the USA, 2003
- I.D. MagazineI.D. (magazine)I.D. was a magazine covering the art, business and culture of design. It was published eight times a year by F+W Media....
Annual Design Review Best of Category, 2002
Publications
- Spacebook (Rizzoli, 2009), an interior architecture monograph
- Design Your Self: Rethinking the Way You Live, Love, Work, and Play (Collins Design / Regan Books, 2006), a guide to living
- Digipop (Taschen, 2005), a digital exploration of computer graphics
- a portfolio book (Chronicle Books, 2004)
- Evolution (Universe, 2004), a monograph
- I Want to Change the World (Universe, 2001), a monograph
- Two CDs on a boutique label, Neverstop
Rashid also edited the International Design Yearbook 18 (Calmann and King, 2003)
Personal life
Karim Rashid married Serbian chemical engineer Ivana Purić, on September 1, 2008 in New York City. Karim is the brother of architect Hani Rashid, principal of New York-based architecture practice Asymptote. Karim is renowned for wearing pink and white. Time magazine called him the "Most Famous Industrial Designer in All the Americas".Rashid has been credited by Bruce Sterling
Bruce Sterling
Michael Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.-Writings:...
with coining the term "blobject
Blobject
A Blobject is a design product, often a household object, distinguished by smooth flowing curves, bright colors, and an absence of sharp edges. The word is generally held to be a portmanteau, a contraction of "blob" and "object."...
", but this is disputed; others credit it to Steven Skov Holt.