Héctor Serrano, professor of IE School of Architecture and Design, recognized with the Spanish National Design Award 2024

Héctor Serrano, professor of IE School of Architecture and Design, has been recognized in the Career in Design category at the National Design Award 2024, organized by Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Each year, these awards highlight the work of professionals and companies that have contributed significantly to increasing the prestige of Spanish design, as well as entities that, by incorporating it into their business strategy, have demonstrated that design is a powerful lever for innovation and competitiveness.

"This award is a great joy, the recognition of almost 25 years of the studio, and I am sure that it will encourage us to keep going, dedicating ourselves to what we are so passionate about," said Héctor Serrano, who founded the Borealis design studio in London in 2000. 

"Innovation is at the heart of all our projects. It is the necessary ingredient in design to adapt to the constantly changing needs of our society."
Héctor Serrano, professor of IE School of Architecture and Design

Recognized for his innovative approach and clean aesthetics, the award recognizes Héctor Serrano for "exceptionally embodying the breadth, creativity, versatility and excellence of design through impactful objects and creations that are internationally recognizable, inspiring hope, and that are beautiful, sensitive and fun". The National Design jury also highlighted how, "over more than two decades, always from a humanist and social vocation that combines innovation and familiarity, Serrano has managed to stand out holistically in multiple disciplines such as interior design, graphics, product design or craftsmanship". It added: "Thanks to a profoundly innovative approach that turns everyday products on its head, he has managed to create iconic products such as the Superpatata latex lamp or the Siesta jug, reinterpreting craftsmanship and tradition that are found all over the world.” 

A different approach through design and innovation

The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, highlighted "the talent of the award-winning people and entities to face the challenges of the future with a different perspective through design and innovation,” describing the awards as “Spain's most important recognition in the fields of innovation and design."

Héctor Serrano’s projects combine innovation and communicate familiar ideas in unusual and inventive ways. Among Borealis’s clients are Muji, FontanaArte, Roca, Moooi, Gandia Blasco, ICEX (Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade), Droog Design, Metalarte, La Casa Encendida (Caja Madrid) and Valencia City Council.

The studio has won the Red Dot Design Award, AD magazine’s prestigious Designer of the Year Award in 2009, the Best of the Year Awards by Interior Design Magazine, the Peugeot Design Award and was runner up for the design of the new London bus with Miñarro García and Javier Esteban. Hector Serran’s products have been exhibited extensively in museums such as London’s V&A and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, and are part of several collections such as the Central Museum in Amsterdam.