Ánima Design, the avant-garde Barcelona eco-design firm behind Rieju's eTango

Founded in 2002 by Diego Quiroga, the Catalan company—which has offices in the US and China, and has expanded to Madrid—is responsible for some of the most award-winning industrial designs nationally and internationally.

Pablo Picasso and Steve Jobs were two geniuses who saw things that others didn't. While for the former "design is intelligence having fun", for the latter "it is the way something works" ... two complementary visions that together seem to be the mantra of Ánima Design , the Barcelona-based company behind some of the most avant-garde yet functional designs of recent years (100 national and international awards, including 11 at the European Design Awards 2025, confirm this) in fields as diverse as mobility, energy sustainability, healthcare, and everyday objects such as pens, vacuum cleaners, and motorcycles .

Founded in 2002 by Diego Quiroga and headquartered in Barcelona (with offices in the US and China), the industrial design agency made the leap to Madrid in May , opening an office in the capital under the leadership of Julio Castrillo, its Business Strategy Developer, with the aim of "identifying new business opportunities" as well as consolidating its position "as a benchmark in creativity and cutting-edge industrial design," in its own words.

Last year, Ànima Design, which has a staff of 31 professionals, achieved a turnover of €2.2 million (€100,000 more than in 2023) and received €300,000 in European Union subsidies. The bulk of its turnover, 70%, comes from the medical, pharmaceutical, and aesthetics sectors, with its Ánima Medical division and clients such as Almirall, Roche, Grifols, and Indiba . It also collaborates with leading hospitals such as Sant Joan de Déu and the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, where it is carrying out innovative projects in the fields of obstetrics and pediatrics.

In fact, among its recent developments is a liquid incubator or artificial placenta for extremely premature babies, a world pioneer whose purpose is to improve the survival and well-being of these newborns, as well as reduce potential after-effects. A "risky, disruptive, and multi-award-winning" product that, although still in its early stages and awaiting approval in hospitals, "is a major advance in the field of pediatric medicine and design," according to Diego Quiroga, founder and CEO of Ànima . He also indicated that in Madrid they are already working "to forge alliances with hospital institutions and companies in the medical sector." For Diego Quiroga, the arrival in Madrid "is a natural step" in Ánima Design's growth strategy.

Despite only being active for a few weeks , the capital's office has already closed new agreements with Ibex companies, for a value close to a quarter of a million euros and is actively participating in events within the sector's ecosystem (Ànima has the ISO 14006 certification in ecodesign) such as the Madrid Design Festival 2025, which rewards projects that seek to generate a positive impact in cities where its OSSBY Geo electric bicycle has been awarded at the 5th Edition of the MINI Design Award during its celebration.

The OSSBY Geo was designed by Ànima for OSSBY BIKES and is manufactured entirely in Spain with the highest sustainability standards : it is the first folding electric bike made with a biocomposite based on vegetable oil and recycled fibers, in this case from the blades of Spanish wind turbines. "One wind turbine blade makes 100 bicycles," says Diego Quiroga. The Ossby Geo has also won the 2025 Good Design Green Award , which recognizes sustainable design by honoring initiatives that contribute to improving people's lives and the environment.

Ánima Design boasts designs in almost all industrial branches. In fact, it also has a subsidiary company, Protobox , an engineering company for prototypes, molds, tooling, and other industrial processes that goes beyond product prototyping, as it also includes comprehensive consulting services for companies that commission its services in order to achieve design improvements and reduce costs.

Among the most outstanding designs of Ánima Desing is the eTango (4,186.60 euros) by Rieju (it has also collaborated with the Barcelona-based Volta , the French brand Peugeot Motocycles on its e-Metropolis and even with the Bottpower team to design the bodywork and aerodynamic elements of its M210 that competes in the national Moto2 championship), a 100% electric motorcycle, which represents a milestone for the Spanish brand in its diversification strategy, in which it has invested more than 1 million euros .

The project was developed in a record time of six months to be presented at the last Eicma fair in Milan and has since collected national design awards , such as the ADI-FAD Delta , and international awards such as the European Product Design Award and the Fit Sport Design Award , standing out both for its excellence in design and its environmental commitment.

Another of the Barcelona-based company's latest major designs is the OnFlowU exoskeleton , focused on injury recovery and prevention in elite athletes. This project, which in its initial phase included collaboration with the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia (IBV) and its team of experts in health, rehabilitation, and biomechanics, was designed for Onerzia , a firm specializing in exoskeletons for professional sports using aeronautical aluminum and carbon fiber. It is the first passive exoskeleton (it does not require batteries or any type of external power supply) in Europe focused on athletes who practice sports that involve hip flexion, such as soccer, cycling, running, mountaineering, among others. Developed over a year and a half, it was manufactured in Barcelona and has won three leading design awards: the Red Dot Design Award, the IF Design Award, and the European Awards.

But beyond such cutting-edge sectors, Ánima Design has designed a connected V16 beacon, the FlashLED SOS , to replace roadside warning triangles for the Catalan company FlashLED, in collaboration with Telefónica Tech. It has so far won three prestigious international design awards: the IF Design Award, the Good Design Award, and the European Product Design Award; as well as a national award, the Delta ADI Awards.

Ánima Design is also responsible for the design of the e-Kittos electric chair for Totalcare , the Senses electric plate by Jata , the Karen Ultralight electric violin, the Zelen vacuum cleaner by Supo r, the waterproof wireless speakers by Vieta or the Davinci Pensil anodized aluminum pen by Artika.