London-based Product Designer, Mathias Hahn (born in Germany) started up his studio in 2006 and is one of the founding members of OKAYstudio. After graduating as Industrial Designer in Germany he moved on to the Royal College of Art, where he received a MA degree in Design Products under Ron Arad in 2006. From his studio and workshops he is working on diverse projects in the field of industrial and furniture design. His client list includes companies like Ligne Roset, Marset, Kohler, Magazin, Kvadrat, Another Country, Vertigo Bird, SZ-Magazin and others.
His work has been exhibited in numerous international exhibitions and galleries and was featured in many major design publications and newspapers worldwide. As part of YDMI, organised by the German Design Council, Mathias became Young Professional 2008, and received the 2010 German Design Award as Newcomer/Finallist. In 2012 his light JINN was awarded the Red Dot: Best of the Best while in 2011 he received an IF Award and an Interior Innovation Award for his light LANTERN by Ligne Roset. Recently, Mathias Hahn has also been a guest lecturer at the Institute of Arts ArtEZ in Arnhem/Holland and futureLAB in Munich/Germany.
Through his background in Industrial Design, working in line with production and manufacturing processes, Mathias has a natural desire for designing towards use and functionality. Describing his process, he further refers to an intuitive approach that introduces experimental curiosity to his way of working. He pictures his work as having two sides. One is based on the idea of creating objects that have a place in everyday life and solve a particular problem, the other one is more playful and related to the narrative side of the design process which often functions as a starting point. Depending on the project these two aspects come together and form useful commodities that show a slight layer of humour, social context or even naivety. In a sense Hahn’s work is a combination of playfulness, as well as functional reduction towards utility.
Mathias is attracted by the material integrity and longevity of everyday objects - in opposition to fast, ephemeral product consumption. His recent work explores traditional technologies and materials, while introducing basic mechanical principles and applications. Transforming these into simple but useful objects he takes a twisted angle at familiar object categories, in order to find new fields of application.
Mathias Hahn - Industrial Design Studio works in a wide field ranging from industrial design, product development, brand & range strategy, art direction and consulting through to experimental design, one-off production and interiors.
