Jay Osgerby & Edward Barber

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby founded their eponymous studio in 1996 after graduating with Master’s degrees in Architecture from The Royal College of Art in London.

From their first studio in Trellick Tower in London, they designed their first piece — the Loop Table — produced by Isokon in 1997. Much of Barber and Osgerby’s early work involved the folding and shaping of sheet material, influenced by the white card that they had used frequently in architectural model making.

In 2001, Barber and Osgerby founded Universal Design Studio, now recognised as one of the world’s most innovative creative design consultancies working in architecture, interiors, and exhibition design.

Barber and Osgerby launched their first major commission for Murano glassmakers Venini in 2009. The result was a series of unique, large-scale glass vases, created in limited editions and shown in Milan, Porto Cervo, and London.

In 2012, the pair launched MAP, a strategy-based industrial design studio that draws on the creative and commercial skills of Barber and Osgerby to provide design intuition, creative direction, and research for ambitious clients.

Barber and Osgerby’s research-led practice has developed collections for Vitra, B&B Italia, Venini, Cappellini, Magis, Swarovski, Flos, and Established & Sons, while also producing edition furniture and one-off works for both private and public commissions.

Both Honorary Doctors of Arts, Barber and Osgerby have lectured internationally and hosted workshops at Ecal, Switzerland, and the Vitra Design Museum. Their work is held in permanent collections around the world including the V&A Museum, London, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, London’s Design Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.