The Spaniard, who was born in 1966 in Barcelona, studied industrial design at the Spanish art school Artes y Oficios Escuela. He concentrated his work on lighting design from the beginning of his career. He began in Lluis Porqueras' small lighting factory, located in the picturesque Pablo Nou district in Barcelona at the end of the eighties. Today this district's former factories and workshops have been transformed into lofts and studios by artists and designers. There Lluis Porqueras taught him the trade. In the following years, he has worked for numerous Spanish manufacturers, such as Marset and Santa & Cole. Joan Gaspar has worked as an artistic director for the great Spanish light manufacturer Marset since 1996 and exerts a strong influence on its product range. In addition to his activity for Marset, the designer founded his own design studio in Barcelona in 2002 where he develops light fixtures and furniture. He also teaches at the School of Design and Engineering Elisava.
Joan Gaspar is more interested in an object's history than in the final product itself. According to him, it is only possible to really know an object when its whole story is revealed, including the problems encountered during its development. Gaspar wants to create original objects from high-quality materials which are both aesthetical and well-thought through.
The designer likes to work with refined materials, such as wood, glass and textiles. The Mercer light series he developed for Marset in 2005 is a good example. The Mercer table lamp consists of a shade of blown glass behind which there is a strip of pleated textile. This combination creates a soft atmospheric light, some of which is directed downwards. Other lights by Joan Gaspar like the Cala, Djembé, Soho and TXL are also very popular.