Yves Béhar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yves Béhar
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Béhar in 2010
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| Born | 9 May 1967 Lausanne, Switzerland
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| Other names | Yves Behar |
| Education | B.S. Art Center College of Design |
| Occupation | Industrial designer, entrepreneur, educator |
| Spouse(s) |
Sabrina Buell
(m. 2017) |
| Children | 4 |
Yves Béhar (born May 9, 1967) is a famous designer, business owner, and teacher. He was born in Switzerland but is also an American citizen. He started a company called Fuseproject. This company helps design products and build brands.
Yves Béhar also helped start August Smart Lock, a company that makes smart locks for doors. Another company he co-founded is Canopy, a shared workspace in San Francisco. In 2011, he was named "Designer of the Year." He has worked with many big companies like Herman Miller, PUMA, Kodak, and Samsung.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Yves Béhar was born in 1967 in Lausanne, Switzerland. His mother was German, and his father was from a Jewish family.
He studied drawing and industrial design. Industrial design is about creating products that people use every day. He went to school in Switzerland and then in California, USA. In 1991, he earned a degree in industrial design.
Before starting his own company, Béhar worked at other design firms. He helped create product looks for companies like Apple and Hewlett-Packard. From 2005 to 2012, he led the Industrial Design program at the California College of the Arts.
Fuseproject: His Design Company
In 1999, Yves Béhar started his own company, Fuseproject. It is based in San Francisco and New York. Fuseproject designs products and helps manage brands.
Béhar oversees the design of many different products. These include items for fashion, sports, and technology. His clients have included Herman Miller, PUMA, and One Laptop per Child. In 2010, Fuseproject won many awards for its designs.
Designing for a Better World
Yves Béhar believes in designing things that are good for the planet. He thinks designers should create products that sell well but also help society.
He is part of a group called the "Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute." This group teaches companies how to make products that are good for the environment. They also focus on being fair to people.
Cool Projects and Inventions
Yves Béhar has worked on many interesting projects. He often designs things that make life easier or better.
Jawbone (2003 – 2017)
From 2003 to 2017, Béhar was the main creative officer for Jawbone. This company made wearable technology. He redesigned their products and branding. He designed the JAMBOX speakers and the UP wristband. The UP wristband helped people track their health and wellness.
One Laptop per Child (2005)
Béhar was the chief designer for the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project. He joined the project in 2005. He designed the XO laptop. These were low-cost, low-power laptops. They were made for children in schools in poorer countries.
This project had a big impact. For example, Uruguay bought about 1,000,000 OLPC devices. Rwanda even put an image of the OLPC XO notebook on their money.
Eyeglasses for Kids (2010 – 2011)
Béhar designed eyeglasses for a program called "Ver Bien para Aprender Mejor." This means "See Better to Learn Better" in English. This program has given free custom-designed glasses to students in Mexico since 2010. He also helped bring a similar program to students in the San Francisco Bay Area.
SPRING Accelerator (2015)
Béhar is also the main designer for the SPRING Accelerator program. This program helps businesses that improve the lives of teenage girls living in poverty. These businesses offer products or services that directly help the girls. Yves Béhar and Fuseproject give design support to these businesses. They work with the girls to make sure the designs are helpful.
Other Design Work
In 2012, Béhar worked with Ouya to create an open game platform. This project raised a lot of money through Kickstarter. He also teamed up with SodaStream International to design a new home soda machine. This machine focused on being good for the environment.
In 2015, Béhar and Movado worked together. They designed the Movado Edge watch. This was the first design partnership for Movado since 1947.
In 2016, Béhar launched the Snoo Bassinet with Harvey Karp. This is a smart bassinet for babies. It uses robotic technology to help babies sleep.
In 2017, Béhar worked with Samsung to create "The Frame." This is a smart TV that looks like a piece of art when it's turned off. It can display famous artworks from museums. Also in 2017, Béhar designed security robots for workspaces for Cobalt Robotics.
Personal Life
Yves Béhar has four children. Their names are Sky, Sylver, Soleyl, and Saylor. All his children's names have the letter 'Y' in them. This is to honor his father, Henry. He married Sabrina Buell in September 2017.
Awards and Achievements
Yves Béhar has won many awards for his designs. He is the only designer to have received two Index: Awards. He was also nominated for his design of Puma's "Clever Little Bag."
- 2017 - Honored by the Swiss Institute
- 2015 - Won the Design Visionary Award
- 2014 - His company, fuseproject, was named one of the World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Design by Fast Company.
- 2011 - Won an INDEX award for the OLPC XO laptop.
- 2011 - Named Designer of the Year by Conde Nast Innovation and Design Awards.
- 2008 - Won the "Design of the Year" award for One Laptop per Child.
- 2007 - Listed among TIME's "Top 25 Visionaries."
- 2004 - Won the National Design Award for Product Design.
Where You Can See His Work
Exhibitions and Museum Collections
Yves Béhar's designs have been shown in special art shows. His work is also part of the permanent collections in major museums. These include the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. His work is also at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA). Béhar is on the board of trustees for SFMoMA.
- 2004 - Had solo exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
- 2004 - Also had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts in Switzerland.
- 2012 - His work, Alef of Life, was part of a touring exhibition. It was shown at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.
