EOOS: Designing Impact, published by Lars Müller Publishers, explores the evolution of the Vienna-based studio EOOS from a traditional design practice into a pioneer of social design. Founded in 1995 by Martin Bergmann, Gernot Bohmann and Harald Gruendl, EOOS first gained international acclaim for its furniture designs. In the early 2010s, however, the studio shifted its focus: instead of working with major commercial brands, EOOS began addressing the global sanitation crisis affecting around three billion people.
The 460-page book offers a comprehensive look at the stages of EOOS’s career and its two main, often intertwined pursuits – esthetically ambitious furniture design and socially engaged design. Its guiding ethos echoes Victor Papanek’s call from half a century ago: that designers in the Global North should dedicate at least ten per cent of their work to solving problems that affect all of humanity.
