MAURILIO SANCHEZ-OLIVAREZ
Play is at the core of who I am - when I was eleven, I was asked to participate in a class talent show. Having no idea what my talent could be, I just started improvising and before long I found myself wielding a ruler like a lightsaber, yelling "FRODO DESTROY THE RING!" - I was playing a Jedi elf from space in Middle Earth. I didn’t win that talent show, but I had fun, and it’s that same sense of whimsical improvisation that informs my work as a designer.
As a child, I would spend hours completely immersed in rich imaginary worlds. Now as a professional designer I get the chance to create them! All the hours I spent playing as a child were just building my skills as a designer. What I was trying to communicate in that talent show was that playing is my talent and a skill. To me, designing toys and play experiences is just the logical evolution of that skill.
My entire design philosophy revolves around not being scared to play, and it’s that playful spirit that I weave into my work.