Yves Béhar

Motivated by the desire that design should be a force for positive social change, Yves Béhar has forged a reputation for innovative, sustainable, ethical and humanitarian design.

His San Francisco-based branding and design consultancy – fuseproject – strikes a balance between commercial projects and collaborations combined with a variety of not-for-profit programs. The main aim of any project it takes on must push the boundaries of sustainability and pursue the thinking behind ‘green’ ideas and a visionary philanthropy to produce products that are made to last – and to do lasting good. The One Laptop Per Child project has successfully distributed millions of sturdy laptops to children in under-developed countries to help with education, and Yves has collaborated with the Mexican government to provide durable and attractive eyeglasses for schoolchildren. The newly launched WattStation electrical charging station brings a new design aesthetic to the availability of power for smart cars.

His passion for green issues has found form with the Green Products Innovation Institute, established to introduce regeneration into the making and consumption of packaging and products. Working with Puma, Yves created the ‘Clever Little Bag,’ a groundbreaking innovation in packing design which replaces the shoebox with a reusable bag.

As a guest speaker at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2009, Yves brought design onto the economic agenda. A recipient of more than 150 awards, his work can be seen in the permanent collections of museums all over the world.