Born in 1930, Italian, he studied architecture, painting and sculpture. He began in 1951 to practice informal art and exhibited with Fontana, Munari (among others). In 1952-1953, he realized his first construction in Milan. After returning to his father's company in the automotive trade, he returned to his architectural activity in 1962 and became interested in interior architecture and design. He uses plexiglass for his Acrilica lamp in 1962. His lamps, armchairs and furniture are selected at the 13th Triennale in Milan. He gets three medals, for the Projector, Mini-Kitchen and Containers. Colombo is passionate about modular housing systems, such as the Combi-Center in 1963.

Items such as the Elda armchair (1963) with a self-supporting fiberglass structure with leather cushions and a high, enveloping backrest create a space for the person sitting there, or the Alogena lamp (1970) Famous classics of the genre.

Its furniture is selected by major museums, such as the Universal Chair in ABS published in 1965. Its 4867 plastic chair, published by Kartell in 1967 is the first experience of using new plastic technology. Creations such as the Tube-Chair (1969) and the Multi-chair (1970) show how much Colombo was looking for modularity and flexibility of form.

The Box Uno in 1968, edited by La Linea, condenses in a block a room equipped for one person: a bed, storage, a desk, a lamp and a ladder to access the bed. He conducts studies in ergonomics, sociology and marketing, and establishes the dynamics of a contemporary dwelling. The programmable system for living is presented in 1968. It is produced by GM Arredimenti and destined to be distributed by the department stores of the Rinascente of Milan. The 1970 Tube-Chair by Flexform is a series of four concentric tubes of different sections that can be easily interchanged with U-shaped clips to create armchairs or sofas. In 1969, when men walked on the Moon, Joe C. Colombo presented the Visiona 1 program, the Roto-Living and the Cabriolet-Bed , a highly technologically evolving place. In 1971, the year of his disappearance, he proposed to the MOMA the Total Furnishing Unit , fruit of a reflection on a compact unit of life, which groups by specialized sectors the functions of the house.