Andries van Onck was born in Amsterdam in 1928. When training to become a designer he learnt from people including Gerrit Thomas Rietveld from Dutch De Stijl group and later during his studies from Tomas Maldonado, Walter Zeischegg and Max Bill at the Ulm School of Design.
Andries van Onck began his design career in 1959 as an assistant to Ettore Sottsass at Olivetti in Italy. In 1965 he opened his own design studio in Milan which his wife Hiroko Takeda also joined later. Together the two designed an array of products for various areas, such as household goods, furniture, mechanical tools and electrical products.
Andris van Onck draws the theoretical aspects of his works, such as shape, morphology and semiotics, from his starting years as the design student of renowned teachers. However, he also works as a teacher and spends a lot of time writing essays and books on design.
Andries van Onck has received prestigious awards for his works:
1974: MACEF Award
1975: SMAU Award
1979: Compasso d'Oro
1979, 81, 84, 87, 95: selection at Compasso d'Oro
1992: selection for Forum Design Award
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