Compilation of academic projects, workshops, collaborations and professional interests.

1. Teaching Dossier
Oscar Cuervo
student work I studio I thesis I lectures and workshops I research I articles

2. I am Oscar Cuervo an industrial designer
and educator. Born and raised in Bogota,
Colombia, with a Masters Degree in
Environment and Sustainable Development
from University College London in UK. I have
been teaching design and related courses
since 2010. Currently, I am a lecturer and a
director of the Product Design School at
UDLA in Quito, Ecuador.
about
Design studios seek to provide a space for thinking to provoke and explore ideas on
design. Ecodesign, sustainable design, entrepreneurship and social design are some
of the topics I worked on. The objective of the presented projects was for students to
develop multiple skills such as research, analysis, generation of ideas and efficient
communication.
As a thesis supervisor I have sought that design projects would have a good
methodological coherence and fulfillment of proposed objectives. I also worked with
students to make sure that the final proposals were comprehensive and complete
with a production plan, a budget and a communication plan.
I have delivered lectures and workshops in numerous universities and organizations
mainly explaining the current and future role of design in society in the Latin-
American context. I also presented on issues of sustainability and the environmental
impact of our daily habits, which are influenced by the products we use.
Finally, my research experience has revolved around the concepts of ecodesign and
sustainability. I have explored the topic of ecodesign from the most creative and
abstract to the most technical and legal.

3. Product Autopsy
Senior Design Studio. Undergraduate. UDLA University, Quito - Ecuador | 2018
The exercise consists in performing the autopsy of a daily product. A MET matrix is then applied to assess environmental
impact. Ecodesign strategies are used to propose solutions and a final re-design is presented through an info-graphic and
a model.
selected student work | studios
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier

4. selected student work | studios
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Product Autopsy
Junior Design Studio. Undergraduate. Antonio Narino University, Bogota - Colombia | 2015
Design studio with an emphasis on design process. The result required from students was to deliver a
functional prototype to estimate aspects of use and performance.

5. selected student work | studios
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Upcycling
Senior Design Studio. Undergraduate. UDLA University, Quito - Ecuador | 2016
Senior students had the challenge of taking discarded materials to turn them into furniture using iconic design
chairs as reference. The objective was to compare the concepts of recycling and upcycling.
Environmental management
Postgraduate. Uniagraria University, Bogota - Colombia | 2014
A study of the possibilities to apply ISO 14006: Ecodesign Management in companies of footwear in
Bogota.

6. selected student work | studios
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Designers, trends and icons
Junior Design Studio. Undergraduate. Pamplona University, Cucuta- Colombia | 2012
Design studio that analyzed iconic designs and trends to use these as a concept to re-design traditional
Colombian chairs.
D4S - Design for sustainability
Senior Design Studio. Undergraduate. Pamplona University, Cucuta- Colombia | 2011
Application of the Design for Sustainability methodology for the products manufactured by small and
medium enterprises in the city of Cucuta, Colombia.

7. Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Dry toilet for rural communities in Ecuador
By Maricela Guadamud. Undergraduate Graphic and Industrial Design Thesis. UDLA University | 2016
More than 180,000 rural dwellings in Ecuador lack the means of sewage treatment. Of these, more than 64.600 have a
latrine (without proper sewage treatment) and some 24,000 homes throw their waste into sources of freshwater and
saltwater. The proposal has been based on field research using ethnographic methods. The prototype was tested during
stages of manufacturing, distribution, installation and use in the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
selected student work | thesis

8. selected student work | thesis
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Tableware customization service for an avant-garde restaurant in Quito
By Sofia Coloma. Undergraduate Graphic and Industrial Design Thesis. UDLA University | 2017
The project uses concepts such as customization and service design. The purpose of the service is to capture the
identity of a restaurant and to apply it to personalized pieces of tableware. Customization was defined according to
available materials, sizes and production costs. The result was tested in the gourmet restaurant Urko in Quito,
Ecuador.

9. selected student work | thesis
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Abaca fiber based composite material
By Daniela Quevedo. Undergraduate Graphic and Industrial Design Thesis. UDLA University | 2019
This project is based on a design methodology through research and experimentation with constant validation. Abaca
fiber is a raw material from the stem of the banana plant, with great potential in the industry, but currently does not
have added value processes. The aim of the project was to create an abaca-based composite material that serves to
replace the use of other materials such as plastic or carbon fibers.

10. selected student work | thesis
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Packaging design and brand for SMEs of the cosmetic sector
By Gabriela Gomez. Undergraduate Graphic and Industrial Design Thesis. UDLA University | 2016
Packaging and brand development that incorporates sustainability principles. The project included an analysis of the
packaging market, mainly cosmetics, identifying producers and buyers. The proposal included the use of local materials and
production processes seeking to raise the perceived value of the product.

11. selected student work | thesis
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Healthy school lunch service for children
By Maite Alencastro. Undergraduate Graphic and Industrial Design Thesis. UDLA University, Quito - Ecuador | 2019
The objective of the proposal is to contribute to the physical, emotional and intellectual well-being of children from 5 to 7 years
through the consumption of a healthy school lunch. The concepts used were sustainability, emotional design and food design. Tools
such as food design target and service blueprint were applied.
Educational tools to promote design and creative thinking in the artisanal sector
By Andrea Palacios. Undergraduate Graphic and Industrial Design Thesis. UDLA University, Quito - Ecuador | 2018
Didactic tools were proposed and developed to generate insights during the creative process of artisans, highlighting the potential
benefit that design has in craftsmanship. The dynamic of each tool looks to motivate the creative thinking, stimulating the creation of
new designs through interpretation of basic aspects of the environment, culture and identity.

12. Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
o:eco Workshops
Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Panama | 2011 - 2019
The workshop encourages the creation of sustainable solutions through creative thinking and collaborative work seeking to generate
innovative project ideas, as well as complementing important concepts such as sustainable development, life cycle and ecodesign.
Participants use the tool o: eco, a set of cards with ecodesign strategies (see the research part of the dossier).
lectures and workshops

13. lectures and workshops
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Guest Lecturer: Sustainable Design Workshop
School of Architecture and Design of Latin America and the Caribbean - ISTHMUS. Panama City | 2014
The workshop allowed to learn and apply ecodesign strategies by senior students of the Industrial Design School. They worked as a
team of a design firm, developing specific parts of the project such as materials, production, technical and ergonomic
specifications, costs, packaging and marketing. All this was determined under the approach of reducing environmental impact at all
stages of product development.

14. Workshop: Predicting the future through design
UDLA University - Quito, Ecuador | November 2017
This workshop was developed to promote the Product Design School in Quito. It had a purpose to develop future scenarios from
design point of view and focused on generating ideas about the future: e.g. how to deliver the groceries from the supermarket to
our homes without using plastic bags.
Workshop: Sustainable design management
Pascual Bravo University Institution - Medellin Colombia | October 2017
The objective of the workshop was to understand how to address the economic and productive feasibility aspects of a design
project. The canvas for Design Management from Sustainability was presented and working groups studied local products as
case studies.
lectures and workshops
Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier

15. Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
o:eco tool for ecodesign
Colombia | 2011
o: eco turns the theory of sustainability and ecodesign into an easy and didactic dynamic allowing the incorporation of eco-design
strategies in the life cycle stages of products and services. In addition to complementing the design process, o:eco also serves as an
educational resource by facilitating workshops to promote sustainability among design professionals and students through creative
thinking and collaborative work.
research

16. Oscar Cuervo - Teaching Dossier
Case: Dry toilet for rural communities
in Ecuador
Trama Magazine. Dossier of Architecture and Design, pages
52-53. November 2018.
Quito, Ecuador
selected articles
o: eco - A tool to understand and
apply ecodesign strategies
Cintex Magazine Vol. 18. pages 95-104. November 2013.
Medellin, Colombia
Do and think of the Javeriana
Industrial Designer
Sustainable Design Blog in Colombia. page 136. November
2012.
Bogota, Colombia

17. Oscar Cuervo
ocande@gmail.com
www.disost.com
+593 96 9000 874
Quito - Ecuador
industrial designer I educator