“When I see good design, I see a love story”
The Bay Area and International Design community mourn the loss of visionary and inclusive design pioneer, August de los Reyes who passed away December 21st, 2020 at the age of 50 due to complications from Covid. He was a champion for design that is meaningful, inclusive and humane.
He felt an enormous sense of responsibility as a design leader to cultivate that desire and transform it into action which was consistently reflected in his professional work and many talks he shared with the community.
Is disabilty designed? If so, what does love have to do with it? | August de los Reyes | TEDxBasel
As a Senior Advisor to San Francisco Design Week, August loved inspiring people and organizations to create work that is relevant and meaningful to everyday lives. He believed that each of us has the capacity to design and envision a better way of doing things and he consistently invited us to move forward with him, taking steps towards that vision.
August was well suited for his involvement in San Francisco Design Week because of his belief that working in the design profession goes hand-in-hand with being a member of the local design community. He believed in the rich diversity of design talent here in the Bay Area and he viewed San Francisco as an international design capital.
Special thanks to Saul Santell at koan.studio for the video support
His professional design career spanned 25 years at Philips NV, Eastman Kodak Co., Pinterest and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Since mid-2019, he was chief design officer at Varo Money Inc, which operates the online Varo Bank, where he set design standards.
In 2019, August was responsible for San Francisco Design Weeks annual theme: Community which was carried across platforms by the design team at Mucho.
His always present positive attitude, energy and genuine smile will be missed and we know it would have been his hope that the design community carry on the important work designing products that benefit everyone.
San Francisco Design Week 2022 is made possible by a generous gift from August de los Reyes Estate.
Our hearts go out to his sister Isadora, husband Rein, his family, his design team at Varo, his friends and colleagues.
Please share your memories, messages and ways he inspired you here.
Donate to the August de los Reyes FundTRIBUTES TO AUGUST:
Fast Company: Inclusive design pioneer August de los Reyes dies of COVID-19 complications
The late designer, who held key positions at Microsoft, Google, Pinterest, and Varo, leaves a powerful legacy in his wake.
August Valentin de los Reyes: August 17, 1970 – December 21, 2020
Published on Linkedin by Isadora de los Reyes
Microsoft Designer Fell Out of Bed and Found a Mission
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August de los Reyes, who has died at age 50, championed inclusive designs making products easier to use for everyone.