Manuel Guillermo Vesa

Background

Manuel Guillermo Vesa was born in 1946 in Camagüey, Cuba. He is of Cuban and Spanish descent.

Education

He studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, graduating in 1974 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors in industrial design.

Career

Vesa served in the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1969, holding the rank of sergeant.

Following his graduation in 1974, he joined Medical Planning Associates, where he worked from 1974 to 1976 as Director of Health Facilities Space Standards. In this role, he contributed to the development of space standards and feasibility studies for the application of systems furniture in healthcare facilities.

In 1976, he joined Herman Miller, Inc., a leading American furniture manufacturer based in Zeeland, Michigan. He initially served as a Senior Designer and later became Director of Professional Services at the company’s Venice, California office. During this period, he was involved in corporate interiors, healthcare planning, and the development of systems furniture applications. He also co-authored a research paper with Robert Propst of Herman Miller Research Corporation on the design of the surgery suite.

Vesa later worked as Design Director and Design Consultant with several major architectural and planning firms, including Medical Planning Associates, Bobrow Thomas & Associates, Gensler & Associates, and Rossetti Associates Architects/Planners. At Rossetti, he served as Director of Design and lead space planner, overseeing major corporate headquarters projects in Detroit, Michigan; Dallas, Texas; and Ventura, California.

In 1984, he founded MGV Design, where he has continued his professional practice. Through this firm, he has led numerous corporate and architectural projects, including headquarters work for clients such as MGM/UA, Universal Music Group, EZ Sportswear, and Vince Sportswear. He also designed corporate showrooms in major cities including Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta, and provided planning and design services to corporate clients throughout the United States and Mexico.

In the field of industrial and furniture design, Vesa developed major casegoods and seating lines for Tuohy Furniture Corporation, as well as modular and executive seating systems for Arcadia. He has also been involved in product development for Summit Furniture. In addition, he designed single-family residences throughout California and New Mexico.

Alongside his professional work, Vesa taught at Art Center College of Design and served as a member of its Alumni Board of Directors.

Vesa’s work includes architectural design, corporate interiors, healthcare planning, furniture systems, and product design. His projects and designs have been published in major design and architecture publications across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Achievements

• His Aveza Modular Seating for Arcadia received the Roscoe Merit Award in 2006 for Best of Year at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The design was also recognized by Buildings magazine with an Editor’s Choice Award for Top Products in 2007.

Works

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