Company Statement

As a "design lab" we are constantly experimenting. In this perpetual experimentation we try to strike upon a unique combination for 4 criteria. We aim for design that is "good for you" + "easy-to-use" + "high-tech" + "entertains the soul". This are our unique formula. Once we reach this overlap, we fall deeply love with an idea. Once we fall in love, we want to share that love with the world.

All of our products are created with this process. Then we manufacture these original designs in minimal runs. We want to inspire your giddy curiosity, and we want our designs to be an interface to your own wonderment.

Yury Gitman an artist, inventor, and toy designer. He founded Banana Design Lab in 2005 as a product design company focused on "lifestyle designs to entertain the soul". Yury works as Professor at The Parsons New School for Design where he teaches Interactive Toy Design and advanced concepts in digital design. He has also exhibited at the Biennale of Electronic Arts in Perth Australia; at Ars Electronics in Austria; and at Eyebeam, among others, in New York. He was awarded the Ars Electronica Golden Nica for Net Vision in 2003 , one of Europe's highest recognition for electronic arts. Yury's work has featured in local, national, and international media including CNN, BBC, New York Times, Newsweek, The Discovery Channel, American Public Media, New York 1 TV, Elle, CNET, ID, Metropolis, Readymade, Bust, TimeOut, Adbusters, Fast Company, and a range of other outlets.

He received a Masters degree from New York University's Interactive Telecommunication Program and a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology, and Culture from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He lives with his wife and son in Brooklyn NY., from where the three constantly explore the globe.

Jennifer Dopazo is an interaction designer, developer and artist. Her passion for innovative product design brought her to Banana Design Lab. Outside Banana, she stays busy with her pursuits in contemporary art. She works with artists Michael Mandiberg (Eyebeam) and Adam Hyde (FLOSS Manuals) on the Digital Foundations project, that uses formal exercises from the Bauhaus to develop basic design and production understanding of open source softwares. She was an artist in residence at The Banff New Media Instittue (BNMI) at the Banff Centre (Alberta, Canada) in the Almost Perfect residency program. As an artist she participated at the Free Culture Forum 2009 (Barcelona, Spain) and presented her work at the Medialab Prado (Madrid, Spain).

Jennifer holds a Master in Fine Arts (MFA) from Parsons The New School for Design, where she focused on the intersection of child development and interactive design. She received Bachelor of Visual Communication from ProDiseño (Caracas, Venezuela) where she focused on Graphic Design, Animation and Illustration. She lives in Manhattan and never misses a game when the Venezuelan soccer teams plays.