featured – Page 8 – DesignApplause

Interview with Jørgen Bodum. Ambiente 2012.

Mar 9, 2012

chambord french press | 1991 | click > enlarge

[ editor aside ] DA makes an effort to diversify our interviews and we were expecting to interview two local Chicago talents, architect Jeanne Gang and product designer Scott Wilson next. It turns out we now have interviewed two home wares giants back-to-back. Most recently we talked to Alessio Alessi in Miami and now Jørgen Bodum at Ambiente, the Frankfurt housewares fair. We are sitting atop the Bodum exhibit at Ambiente 2012 with Jørgen Bodum.

[DesignApplause] Bodum is known for a good looking and well functioning product. Can you say the products are design-driven or is there another way to describe the concept to completion of your product?
[Jørgen Bodum] I would say all our products are function-driven.

[DA] Your products are all over the world. Are there different products for different parts of the world?
[JB] More or less all over the world. We make just one version of product for all products worldwide though some products sell better from country to country. We sometimes do special products for special customers.

[DA] What do you mean?
[JB] Let’s say if Starbucks wants us to do something special for them we will do that.

[DA] Interesting that you mention Starbucks. I have a Bodum French Press from Starbucks. It’s a bit different looking than your normal product offering but your logo is prominent. Who approached who?
[JB] I’ve been working with Starbucks since 1984. I met Howard Shultz when he had just 40 stores.

[DA] Are there any other relationships you wish to share with us?
[JB] Sure. I think we have a very strong relationship with Crate & Barrel. We have a strong relationship with Ron Johnson, who ran all the Apple Stores until the first of November this past year. I knew him back when he was with Target before he went to Apple. And now he is CEO of JC Penny so I hope this strong relationship continues.

[DA] How does the end user find a good product? What’s the best way for you to let the end user know your products exist?
[JB] TV is very strong. We do a lot of advertising on TV in many countries. I think there’s no doubt that it’s the strongest media.

[DA] Your ads are very good. What about the Internet?
[JB] The Internet has also become very important. We have Internet sites set up where you can look at all of the products in many countries. We continue to strengthen sites for additional countries. We basically want to sell our products through our customers (retailers) but people can also buy on our sites and most important, you can buy spare parts online which in the past may have been hard to find.

[DA] How many products are in the marketplace at this moment?
[JB] At the moment the Bodum Collection is about 1,500 products.

[DA] What’s the shelf life of a product?
[JB] If we start with my father’s first product, the Santos, it’s still here, so that’s a long time. He did that in 1952.

[DA] Is there another product?
[JB] Yes, the Chambord French Press. And the gentlemen who just interrupted us, he sold me the company Martin S.A. in 1991 which made the first French Press under the name MELIOR. And that product is not only still here but it’s our best selling product.

[DA] DA gives you a lot of credit for trying something new with an old product, the French Press. Your Bistro Pour Over and Electric French Press offer up a great deal of innovation. Is it too early to ask you how the Pour Over is being received?
[JB] It’s being very well received. Our problem is with it now though is the small copper boiler inside and I cannot get enough of them. That’s our bottleneck right now.

[DA] Where it the source of the copper boiler?
[JB] We produce them in China but I am going to Asia next week to see if I can find a factory who can do it for us. And maybe we start buying the boiler here in Germany and send them out for assembly.

[DA] How long ago did you extend your core coffee and tea line?
[JB] I think I did that when I came into the company in 1974. My father was only doing coffee pots, but he died when I was only 17 and I took over when I was 24 and I started doing other products. But very much so coffee related.

[DA] Jørgen tell us a little about your background. And it sounds like you had a very quick and important role in the company. You didn’t start in the mail room.
[JB] No, actually I started in the warehouse. But at first I got my training in a Danish kitchen company and I did that for two-and-a-half years. Then I went to France for a year to learn French. That’s when I first visited the Martin SA factory. And then I went to Germany for a half a year to learn German. Then I went to Denmark and for three-and-a-half years I was in business school. Then I came into the company.

[DA] You would now call yourself a business man?
[JB] Yes, a business man. By learning.

[DA] Benjamin Franklin said that experience is the best of schools but only fools attend.
[JB] Well, then I happen to be a fool. ( a good laugh )

[DA] Bodum has a sizable presence at this Frankfurt show. How big is Bodum and describe your recent growth.
[JB] Growth has been very nice the last three years. We more or less doubled in the past three years.

[DA] Is a growth spurt like that a headache? Is it a positive thing?
[JB] I think it’s very positive. A spurt like that means people like your product.

[DA] Are there too many products in the marketplace?
[JB] Yes, probably. There are a lot of good products but unfortunately there’s also 80% junk.

[DA] Long-term vs disposable products. Where do you fit?
[JB] We are very much into disposable. We just introduced a new line of mixing bowls. What is most used in mixing bowls today is melamine which is not recyclable so we came out with a plasticized rubber that is recyclable. I think we have to be very careful what we do today, that every product should be environmental.

[DA] When did Bodum begin to be green?
[JB] It’s been green a long time because we’ve had very big clients who long ago became green. So, I’m not saying we were good but those clients as a result forced us to be green.

[DA] Are there any new products that are not out in the marketplace that you can talk about today?
[JB] Everything new is here. There’s a new electric mixer. There’s a lot of worry now about storage, food storage in plastic, and also cooking in plastic. We have a new water kettle that’s also very green and safe from plastic. We made it with an all silicone glass inside and outside with Tritan plastic. So the boiling water will not come in contact with plastic. And the next generation of the Pour Over has a glass container on the inside and protected by plastic on the outside so when you bang it against something it doesn’t break.

[DA] Some people feel that a product is expensive but are not aware of the thought and detail, and material that goes into the product.
[JB] And yes, let’s talk about disposable in a green way, a good product lasts longer and is therefore generally less expensive in the long run. You can get glass kettles today but they require some form of protection. If the glass breaks then you can scald someone and you lose the use of the kettle. And it may be very hard to replace the glass. So the protected glass kettle, though it may be 50% more that other electric kettles can be considered inexpensive in the long term.

[DA] In Bodum’s category, where are you priced?
[JB] It very much depends on the product. You may have a small press coffee maker up to an electric and the price can range from $10 to $200-$300.

[DA] You don’t have different lines that offer different price points.
[JB] No. The most important thing for me is that we give fair value to our customers.

[DA] We mentioned advertising earlier. Tell us about your tagline line “Make taste not waste.”
[JB] The tagline line is about five years old, about the time of the introduction for the capsule coffee system. The capsule concept makes coffee 10 times more expensive, and secondly, if you take one of the big capsule companies, they produce 9 billion capsules a year, just one company, six-thousand tons of aluminum. There were many court cases against us when we made this statement. They were saying at the time they were 60% recycled and they’re not even recycled 10%. And so far we have won all the cases.

[DA] Are you going to get in the coffee business?
[JB] We do a little now in fact. We roast it in New York. and fly it over to Japan or here where we need it. I like this little darker roast, an over-roasting. I think that Starbuck’s was an original over-roaster and can got a little criticism for it but I think it’s a wonderful taste.

[DA] What’s e-Bodum ?
[JB] It’s our power tools, electric products. We’ve been doing it awhile but the e-Bodum thing is about one year old. It’s now about 20% of our business. It’s become a very good concept.

[DA] How many new products do you introduce a year?
[JB] If you look away from the color and the shapes, about 50-to-100. With electric it’s less. Maybe three or four new electric products.

[DA] Are your products designed in-house? Do you ever go outside?
[JB] About 99% of our products are designed in-house.

[DA] Speaking of color, color is big. Where do you get your colors from?
[JB] Our product line is based on just four colors plus black and white from year to year. Some colors just happen. If a customer asks for a color we see if the color works well and if it does we integrate it. If a good customer asks for a certain color we’ll do it and if any of these new colors are successful the new color may be next year’s color.

I have to say when I see a new shape I have to see it in black because colors change the shape completely, in my eyes, because of the reflections.
[DA] I can see that. Though it’s interesting, it would seem, that white behaves like a bright color and your four colors are and have been on the bright side.

[DA] There’s a great deal of energy and traffic in your exhibit. Amidst the bustle and the carefully choreographed presentation of product there’s a video of a chimp who know how to make coffee among other things. Tell us about the chimp and does the chimp have a name?
[JB] The chimp doesn’t have a name. The first TV commercials we did in the 80s, we did with a real monkey, but now he is animated.

[DA] The monkey is animated? He’s so real I never gave animation a thought.
[JB] He’s animated, on the same system that Pixar used to make Toy Story. And sometimes we get complaints from parents, they say we can’t use a chimp, citing this or that about their children. And we say we don’t use a chimp, he’s animated. Many parents continue to say the kids are wondering how we get the chimp to blink. The chimp works well with our messaging.

[DA] It appears to be the case.

[DA] Let’s talk about you while we have you. Is there anything not Bodum related that you’re passionate about?
[JB] Yep, jogging. Rowing. Skiing. And skating. And not just for the fitness but to be out in the air, to see the beautiful blue skies and all the white snow. I do this in Engadin Switzerland.

[DA] Another off-topic question while we have you, you’re a good person to ask. Here’s a question I pose to design students: In an interview what do you say when someone asks you “Now tell me something you’re not good at.”
[JB] Ah, I would say that would be a very long story. ( another good laugh ) I’m what you call in English, dialectic. That gave me a little trouble in school and at my age they thought you were just dumb. You find your way though. I love reading and when you read enough you get caught up.

[ Facts About Bodum ]

• Since 1974, Bodum has produced over 100 million French presses and 30 million tea pots.
• Bodum works with wood that comes from controlled plantations where every tree is replanted.
• Bodum has several shops all over the world including: Paris, Copenhagen, Zurich, Lucerne, Tokyo, New York, Sydney, Auckland and more.
• Bodum has over 52 stores worldwide and even more shops within shops.
• Bodum operates in 17 different countries and employes over 600 people.
• Bodum has its main company in Switzerland, 18 sales companies around the world, a production company in Portugal, a design group (PI-Designs) in Switzerland and two buying offices located in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

[ bodum ]

LED is a very hot cool light bulb . preview.

Jan 31, 2012

philips L prize bulb | designed to replace a 60-watt incandescent, LED consumes 10-watts. set to debut in june in the u.s. for about $50 |click > large

switch60 warm white | a liquid cooled LED bulb. available in early 2012 | $20.

[ preview of upcoming feature ] 2012 brings in a new energy-saving lightbulb [ see background ] standard. In anticipation many light bulbs sold in the U.S. will typically use about 25% to 80% less energy and thereby meet these new standards, including incandescents, CFLs, and LEDs, and are already available for purchase today. The newer bulbs provide a wide range of choices in color and brightness, and many of them will last much longer than traditional light bulbs. The bottom line, all bulbs must be at least 25% more efficient by 2014. The incandescent bulb ( 1879 – 2014 ) is not expected to survive, going the way of the dodo bird.

[ background: energy independence and security act of 2007 ]

In 2007 the U.S. Congress passed legislation to ban the incandescent light bulb via the bipartisan Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007). The phaseout officially begins with the 100-Watt incandescent light bulb on January 2012 and ends with the 40-Watt bulb in 2014. [ note: the Act remains in place but in January congress pulled funding to enforce the law. ] Light bulbs outside of these requirements are exempt from the ban. The bill mandates that all light bulbs must use 30% less energy by 2014 and by 2020, all light bulbs must be 70% more efficient than bulbs used in 2007 and produce a minimum of 45 lumens per Watt.

[ need-to-know terms when buying a bulb ] LUMENS
The amount of light a bulb produces. This is “brightness” or “light output.” Your reference point: A standard 100-watt incandescent produces about 1,700 lumens.
WATTS
Not a measure of brightness but a measure of how much energy a bulb consumes to reach its claimed brightness.
WATT-EQUIVALENT
Sure to confuse, here’s how the LED’s are going to be presented: If a 100-watt incandescent produces 1,700 lumens, and a 20-watt LED does the same, the LED will be sold as a 100-watt equivalent.
EFFICACY
The number of lumens a bulb produces for each watt it consumes. The higher the number, the more efficient the bulb. A good number for incandescents is around 18, CFLs around 60, and LEDs around 54.
BULB LIFE
LEDs dim over time. They’re considered effectively dead when they produce no more than 70 percent of their original brightness. For LEDs, this lifespan is given in hours or years, the latter an estimate based on three hours of daily use.
ENERGY COST
Based on an assumption of three hours of use per day at 11 cents per kilowatt-hour. For a 60-watt incandescent, it’s just over $7 per year. CFLs and LEDs both come in at about $1.50 per year.
COLOR TEMPERATURE
Expressed in degrees Kelvin, this is how we measure things like soft white or daylight. A pleasant soft white will have a color temperature of 3,000 K. White light ranges from 4,100 to 6,000 K, roughly equal to midday sun. Higher numbers get increasingly blue.

[ coming: bulbs to choose from, and more ] [ philips $10 million L prize bulb ]

Interview with Alessio Alessi. 2011 Design Miami.

Dec 14, 2011

l>r: giovanni alessi | alessio | paolo cravedi | in front of raleigh hotel

We are sitting outside the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach watching the doorman turn away throngs trying to gain access to the hotel and an Architectural Digest party just starting. A common happening with all the hotels along this strip. After all, this is late Friday afternoon, Design Miami/ week. Among a number of us sitting at our table is Alessio Alessi, president of Alessi USA, who is here for Design Miami/ and more importantly, to formally open a new retail store Alessi Miami, which is located in the Design District. Also with him is Paolo Cravedi, managing director, Alessi USA, and Giovanni Alessi, a fourth generation Alessi, a product designer, and Alessio’s son.

bombé teapot | carlo alessi | 1945.

[DesignApplause] Alessi has a great business history beginning in 1921. And congratulations, Alessi is celebrating 90 years. How do you describe Alessi the business today?
[Alessio Alessi] Today’s business is a lot different than the business started by my grandfather in 1921. Different because in the beginning the company mainly focused on high quality production. But we began collaborating for the first time with outside independent designers who provided us with solutions that make Alessi what we are now. The first collaborations started in the 70s, in fact with Franco Sargiani and Ettore Sottsass, when Alberto joined the factory. Today Alessi now represents one of the top Italian industries representing design. Our area of specialization is the everyday object for kitchen and table mainly.

[DA] Design is increasingly viewed as an important strategic resource. Nevertheless, only a handful, Alessi is one of them, has truly mastered the design-driven approach to innovation in which design is the central part of the business. What ingredients within Alessi make this possible?
[AA] Well I think that the most important ingredient, if we can say that, are the passionate individuals that bring design into Alessi. This relationship feeds into our main goal to create beautiful objects through design and to try to respect the objects as much ( 100% ) as possible without compromise to the industry or to production. Even if a design solution is difficult or is expensive to make, we prefer to respect the original idea of the design and not change the design idea just to feel better about the cost of production or the easy solution.

[DA] Alessi collaborates with over 200 designers. What is asked of the designer? In addition to styling, is it technology, or product meaning or product message, or a concept that is greater than functionality?
[AA] That is true, in our catalog, we can now present the work of over 200 designers coming from every part of the world. Sometimes we ask for a mechanical solution, but what is more important for the success of the product and of the design is to find the right designer that brings to Alessi an answer that addresses a need of society, meaning the end user. We realize that the designer is independent of the company and they have a good and objective grasp of society’s needs. So now Alessi is able to present answers to those needs with regards to products. And our reach of answers is worldwide because of our designers who are worldwide.

juicy salif citrus juicer | philippe starck | 1990

[DA] Speaking of the world, we are all experiencing economic woes right now. Is this distracting to Alessi? Are you forced to place mostly price-sensitive solutions on the drawing table? Is there a role for design to play in this challenging economy?
[AA] You’re right. There are big troubles, not only in Italy but mainly in Europe itself. And Italy represents the 3rd richest country of the European community. And if the problem cannot be solved in Italy it’s going to be a big problem for everyone. In reality, it is not possible for design to change the economic climate. But it is important for design to make the object more understandable, more friendly for the people, than it has in the past. The goal of Alessi in an economic crisis is to try to respect this climate and make the product as accessible as possible and also to try and produce the product locally. That’s because Alessi is located in a small town, and Alessi represents a very big role within this small town. One way is to make the design more affordable and the designer has that responsibility without compromising the value and goal of the project.

[DA] Does Alessi still make their limited edition products, the high-end objects?
[AA] Yes, we still produce them. Sometimes, not always, as limited editions, and some are in the catalog. Typically, because of the complexity of production of these products they can only be made in an artisan way, and these really become collections for collectors, a segment that has value to the Alessi brand.

[DA] With over 2,500 objects, I laugh each time I see the Mr. Suicide bath plug. Alessi is a leader in presenting those objects that holds an idea and a semantic dimension, a language component that goes beyond color or shape and speaks not only to function but user desires. Swatch did this in 1983, transforming a timepiece into a fashion accessory. Alessi has a well-known line “Family Follows Fiction” consisting of colored-plastic kitchenware products. The color and transparent plastic may convey product meaning such as irony and a sense of childhood. And yet this doesn’t improve product performance. Does Alessi frame concepts and products in innovative settings to capture the end user imagination?
[AA] In many ways. Let me say that irony is a very important element in our objects. Irony is just one language, where there are many different languages ( meanings ) you find in our catalog. Each object, each design is free to speak the language it wants. The first designer we worked with was Ettore Sottsass in 1978, and he told us a very important word. That word is responsibility. He said Alessi has a very high responsibility in manufacturing because we put objects in people’s homes. And the people come face-to-face with the objects all the day and the objects must have a good communication with them. So the object must be able to communicate, not to be boring by only representing a functional aspect but by also representing an emotional aspect. This communication, of course, is expressed differently by each designer. As you suggest, there is irony, expressed more minimally with a designer like Jasper Morrison’s language for example. And there are many languages. It is important to point out that this expression is an unimportant characteristic of the job we ( the company ) do because we’re not focused on presenting one style but on presenting many different languages of design being communicated by our designers.

[DA] How is a designer selected? Let’s say you have recognized a need, an object that needs to be created. Do you ask several designers and then select what you feel is the best solution?
[AA] When we are ready for design we know already which is the right designer for the object. Except, on occasion, working with the young designer. In that case we organize a workshop with a group of young designers and each one makes their own proposal. But when working with the young designer there can arise many more difficulties to bring an object to production.

spettro | student matthieu girel | 2011

spettro | matthieu girel | student workshop during milan design week 2011 | university of art and design lausanne

michael graves | first american designer | 1985

[DA] How does failure fit into the creative equation? I’m led to believe Alessi almost embraces failure, that it can be important in a learning process way. How do you define and evaluate success and failure? What products live and what products die?
[AA] It can be complex. It’s true that failure can be useful for our job. I have to tell you that my brother, Alberto, who is by the way responsible for the choice of the designer. When he begins to first talk about Alessi, he mentions his first project that was a failure. Why does he do this? Because in life, failure can lead to better understanding and he believes you take something positive out of the process to be better later on. Failure can also happen because design can sit on a borderline between creativity on one side and the needs of the people on the other. Sometimes following creativity we arrive at a solution over the border meaning not everyone can like it. We can accept that because it’s possible without this experience, we could not make those objects, some that are icons, available in our catalog as they are now. Failure is a risky part of creativity but we like that.

The second part of the question is about the life of a product. We end the life of a product when it is no longer possible to make the product in an economic way. But that said, we try to keep those products in the catalog that are successful economically and those products that are successful communicating to the people. Of interest, there are some products that are no longer in the catalog but reside in the homes of architects and designers which still can make a very important high quality of communication.

[DA] A non-creative question. What portion of your sales comes from new products and what is the average life of a product?
[AA] Every year we introduce to the market 40-50 new products, introducing new collections twice a year; Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer. And these products represent 10-12% of our total products. The life depends a lot upon the product. There are some products in the catalog that are older than me. And there are pieces in the catalog that stay just two years.

[DA] I felt the full range of your product line on the internet. How does the Internet…
[AA] Ah, ah, ah. The Internet ( Alessio means their Website ) is no good! Let me clarify. We don’t like our present Website and we’re working on it and will be up in April 2012. This is a pity in my eyes because we have so many things to communicate about our product and there seems no way to succeed. For sure, not in the independent shops where there is not enough time to explain to the consumer the design problems, the solutions. Even the people walking into our shops have a difficulty learning about our products. But we are trying and the Website is the right media to communicate and educate.

[DA] A little about you, Alessio. When did you start thinking about what you wanted to do when you grew up and were there any the other options of great interest?
[AA] There were no options. Let me explain. When I was very young there was the family and the work, the business, all together. My father would take me into the company and I was always looking around, looking at the production, the logistics, the offices. There was really no discussion what to do in the future because we were focused to come into the company. Today that is the opposite for the fourth generation ( Alessio is third generation ) because they are free to follow the path they think is better for them.
[Giovanni Alessi] It is also difficult if you are free to do whatever you wish to do in your life because at that point you are in the middle of the desert. Or in the middle of the sea with the sails up. But in a way it is a good approach because the third generation has given us this opportunity to find our passion, and to follow it, and to see if it’s connected to the family business. And from which way, from inside, from outside the company.

[DA] Giovanni, you’re a very brave man. You were raised within a company that works with over 200 elite designers and you choose to jump on that same stage.
[GA] I am working as a freelance designer from outside the company. I am enjoying the business from the outside.

[DA] The best of both worlds?
[GA] From my point of view it is even more difficult because you are part of the family. In a way you can easily share your ideas and your products, but the third generation is really careful about considering them. It must be a really good product.
[AA] We are coming back to a question you said before. You are totally free to make failures.
[GA] You are free in word, but from inside psychologically, you don’t allow yourself to fail too much.

[DA] What are you designing? Anything that Alessi produces?
[GA] I work with Philips, designing audio speakers, a mouse, a laptop cushion, a laptop sleeve. I am working with other companies but I do have to be really careful on what typologies of products I’m designing. I do not design plates or glasses for other companies. It’s the formula I work within and it can feel delicate.

[DA] Alessio, regarding art, craft, design, business, how do these disciplines behave in your mind, your world?
[AA] I feel that all live together. What we used to say is that our role is to put art and poetry in the object. Not as a spice, a condiment to add to something, but they are a part of the object. So art is very important, because it’s kind of an answer to the need for art and poetry of the people. Not many objects possess these qualities.

[DA] What’s left for you to do?
[AA] Hmm. What in working or vacations? Seriously, I always care about the distribution of Alessi. This, in my eyes, is very important to bring objects, design, to the people. We can find ourselves in the position which can be a contradiction, because as we converse here, we are talking both about art and about business. We have to find the right balance and combination. And with design being our passion we try to do it with all the forces we have available to us.

[DA] What’s next for Alessi?
[AA] There is a lot new going on with Alessi. Let me think. Here’s something. What’s really new for our typology of products, we will introduce within a commercial exhibition the introduction of new lamps. So we will soon make a little step inside the world of the luminaire.

[ the alessi brands ]
“Three collections, one identity” Alessi offers contemporary design in different product types, styles, and price levels under the following three brands:

>The brand “OFFICINA ALESSI” features products that are more refined, expensive, experimental and innovative, with small production runs and limited editions.
>The brand “A di ALESSI” presents what we call “democratic” design; the best in design at an affordable price.
>The brand “ALESSI” expresses the finest in large scale industrial production in the houseware sector; both in terms of the quality of manufacturing and design.

[ alessi ] [ alessi miami ] [ design miami 2011 ]

Chicago places ads on really public spaces now hurting both pockets and eyes.

Nov 22, 2011

click all images > enlarge

The ( Chicago ) finances are really bad. How bad is it? Not only are our pockets hurting but our eyes are starting to hurt too. Several days ago Bank of America buys newly appointed ad space on the Chicago River bridge towers. Here’s how it went down. The timing put the ad placement two days prior to newly appointed mayor, Rahm Emanuel’s, austerity budget proposal to the City Council. The Chicago aldermen approve the mayor’s first budget 50-0, though some aldermen said they’re giving the new mayor the benefit of a doubt and seeing how things play out. I’m thinking the same thing: The mayor hates how the advertising looks, but he places the controversial ads to make a point these are desperate times. He will support revenue raising ad revenue with visuals and placement that beautify eyesores and sponsored feel-good messaging.

the future in urban advertising may have begun in tokyo’s ginza.

While Chicago waits let’s think about what we might have to look forward to. Reasoning is heavily influenced by 12 Monkeys, Minority Report and Blade Runner.Tokyo’s (above) Ginza was an ad magnet in the 60s. Another Asian ad centric city is Hong Kong. Metro-mega-ad-landscapes appear in traditionally high traffic venues. The traffic first attracts the media and maybe at a certain threshold the media draws more crowds. Most cities are struggling to make ends meet and luckily they can control and influence the manner of advertising and their revenue opportunities while keeping aesthetics and quality of life in the mind’s eye. Some cities will do a much better job than others.

we can expect more cities following new york’s times square model.

I don’t mind Times Square’s visual barrage. Maybe it fits one’s expectations but I’m entertained. And this messaging is confined to Times Square. Why do so many people go there?

Back to Bank of America. The Chicago Marathon makes an enviable amount of money for both BA and the city. Any problem with appropriate messaging here on either the banner or the lamp posts?

trump tower | chicago

If advertising is one solution to Chicago’s finances let’s consider both public and private sector concepts. Now popular is turning existing glass surfaces and windows into digital advertising masterpieces. From the inside you don’t see the artwork. Bad idea to use architecture unless structures are scheduled for demolition, under construction, or being (below ) renovated.

cathedral rehab | rome

The fabric-covered scaffold concept may cost a bit more, but Rome is a tourist destination and she has an architectural legacy to protect. The fabric packaging is seen everywhere including public, commercial, and residential architecture. This package can be up 1-3 years.

marina towers | chicago

Marina Towers and Allstate Insurance team up. Inspired by scene from Steve McQueen’s 1968 movie Bullit. But it’s not big, not bright, a taint understated. For many reasons pretty cool.

I don’t mind sidewalk advertising and most sidewalks are public owned.. The visual clutter is minimal though placement concerns include safety and an appropriate venue. Begging for hopscotch concept.

Mayor candidate Emanuel proposed ads on garbage trucks in January 2011, to raise funds for after school programs. Not long ago in Chicago we transformed cows into art which raised revenue and then publicly displayed the artsy bovines. An advertiser who aligns itself favorably with a public service and communicates with wit and artfulness works, even on a garbage truck.

volkswagen | berlin

Another good idea that encourages mostly locals to wait to drop and recycle.

wabash street bridge over the chicago river

The Emanuel administration thinks such corporate advertising will raise as much as $25 million in revenue from corporate advertising on everything from buildings to the city’s website to garbage cans and parking pay boxes. He might be right on the $25M but don’t expect more of the same ads that adorn the bridges. He knows that tourism comes to Chicago to embrace the architecture. The media has said that companies have been in a wait-and-see mode and gutsy of BOA to kick the can down the road first. Realize, the advertising will indeed come. Maybe there’s a tax on bad advertising. The BOA ads adorn the Wabash Street bridge through December 12. Maybe Rahm is messing with us too to get it all right again.

[ resources ]
adland.tv
blair kamin chicago architecture critic
bored panda
buswrap.com
gothamist
overground arts
three steps over japan

Steve Jobs. 5 October 2011.

Oct 5, 2011

Steve Jobs died on 5 October 2011 at age 56. Today there’s a hole in the world. “Hole In The World” song by the Eagles. photo credit louis psihoyos / corbis.

above: this magazine pilfered from fcb reception area. the cover image was first slide in designapplause concept presentation. the idea being that design made a difference. thanks to a visionary and pitchman.

[ 2005 stanford commencement speech ] [ time magazine: steve’s career photos ] [ tech leaders remembering him ] [ jobs plus rand equal logo ]

interview with experience consultant laura guido-clark. cusp 2011.

Sep 26, 2011

we created a color palette for emeco 111 navy chair made from 111 recycled coke bottles and collaborated with their internal team to drive the aesthetic towards a singular and “velvet” finish.
In anticipation of Cusp Conference 2011, we are telephone chatting with guest speaker Laura Guido-Clark.
[DesignApplause] What do you call yourself professionally?
[Laura-Guido-Clark] I think you started with probably the toughest question. But I think we kind of landed on “experience consultants” because we’re trying to shape the human experience. How color, material, finish, and pattern, the skin of surfaces, affects the human experience.

[DA] What’s your background? How did you evolve into an experience consultant?
[LGC] I’ve always loved science and loved design so while in college I didn’t know if I wanted to be a doctor or a designer and found out the processes were really similar. And of course I wound up being a designer and my degree is in interior design. But I went back and studied textile design. A bit later when with my former partner, we were getting many surface design projects. BTW, my partner retired and I’ve since been on my own nine years. But I discovered how much I loved working with surfaces, what they could do, and how you would engage whether you put your hand on a fabric, held a cell phone, sat in a car, all of these experiences became important to me and as well as how it made people feel.

[DA] What’s your office environment like?
[LGC] It’s colorful. It’s a combination of old and new in terms of furniture. Of course the surfaces are quite tactile and engaging. The walls and work tables are white because we have to view color. It’s a warm environment, a lot of natural light. And it’s homey.

[DA] You mention natural light. Is that the best light to test color?
[LGC] Natural light is great, it’s an ideal light. But we have to test in all lighting environments. We are very mindful of the context of things and how they’re used. If your product resides in fluorescent lighting, then we test with that light.

[DA] What’s the non-natural ambient light in your office?
[LGC] Our ambient light is warm light rather than cool. So no fluorescent unless in our test areas.

[DA] I’m in the middle of writing an article about buying LED lighting in 2012 aware that the incandescent has been congress mandated to cease and desist. What’s your opinion on LED’s?
[LGC] We’re aware of LED development but I need to learn more about it before I can comment. But lighting is indeed going through a revolution and we’re getting closer to where we can really control our lighting environment experience. It’s how we feel and respond in lighting environments, it’s an active vs a passive experience and that’s exciting to me.

[DA} The new LED’s coming down the pike are very high-tech, some almost artforms. I’m all for the government, in this case, forcing the lighting manufacturers to create a more energy efficient and aesthetic light source. Do you get involved in shape?
[LGC] What’s nice, our team is getting involved very early on and we’ve been able to educate our client that color is not a band-aid and we in fact do get involved with shape that addresses humanistic qualities and materialities. So, while we’re not industrial designers we are asked to weigh in on many aspects, in particular the humanistic aspects of our products which can range from a car to a toothbrush.

[DA] What disciplines make up your team?
[LGC] We are cross-disciplined with graphic and industrial designers, and marketing strategists. And we are global.

[DA] A tempting phrase the following question, “are your solutions only skin-deep?” How deep do you go?
[LGC] We do go really deep. What we realize and honor is intuition in design but we also have to honor process, and observation, and science. We’ve trademarked this process “Climatology™” and this process was in response to a company that had to change a large production line. And the company has to trust your opinion. It’s not enough to say that you have this feeling that pink is the new color. Climatology looks at things in a much bigger way. We try to access the temperature, reading the social, political, economic, and emotional climate, and what we’re really looking for are the human values it impacts. The values and desires will translate into color, materials, and pattern. And we can substantiate these attributes and give a brand a DNA. So yes, we go really deep.

[DA] How old is the Climatology process?
[LGC] It was trademarked six or seven years ago.

[DA] How early to you become involved and what’s the typical time frame?
[LGC] Our research is generally three to six months. We take a lot of time to research what a brand is, what it stands for. Our due diligence seeks to make something come alive through our mapping process in Climatology.

[DA] You were quoted in this month’s “United States of design” issue of Fast Company, regarding the state of design in the USA. You say “sometimes we prefer the quick fix over the long haul. Our culture isn’t’ necessarily disciplined or long suffering.” It’s not unusual for designers with global experience to say European business may be more emotion driven, while the US may be more a marketed-to culture business mindset, less about the heart and more to where it’s going, an implication of a long-haul objective. What are you referring to?
[LGC] Maybe I’m looking at it from a different standpoint. If we talk about Japan I’m thinking in terms of patience more than process. I think in our culture there is a lot of due diligence and in the projects I’ve been involved in, Japan for example, there’s also a sameness in due diligence. I’m talking about the patience in results. And I’m thinking how quickly we cycle things. There is something to be said about, let’s think about kids and their expectation of what technology has brought, even on a global level, that things are happening very quickly. When I think about Sony for example, how they had the patience to penetrate this market and they have shown they are pointed to be in it for the long-haul. I do believe that there are cultures that are more disposable, that we’re really looking at it on a different basis of sustainability. I do believe the US is also research driven and looking at sustainability but I wouldn’t say that patience is number one in our culture.

[DA] Agree with the patience thing. May we quote you again? Two years ago, in the Fast Company blog, you made a little opine on focus groups and how they don’t work when used to determine a creative solution. The comments on that post were very insightful and well articulated as well. Did you have any fallout from that article?
[LGC] I got more of a positive response than a negative response. Steve Jobs has even spoken against focus groups. You can’t be asking for that sense of validation if you do. When you’re talking about your due diligence, if you really feel that you’ve brought in best, and have done your homework you should stick with that. People will always have their opinions and it’s about who you listen to and who you’re trying to please, and I often feel that in a focus group you’re trying to please everyone. And your product begins to look like that and you wind up not making a statement on who you really are.
[DA] Yes, many times a focus group is used as validation within your own company, to sell those who are remotely involved in the creative process.
[LGC] Right, in those situations you want guarantees. I don’t know of any design process where risk isn’t involved. When you want guarantees you move towards safety. And with safety and many times you get compromise and you start to lose your point of view. Even Malcohm Gladwell in his book Blink, he talks about how companies would have missed out on some of their best introductions if they would have listened to focus groups. Herman Miller is a good example. No one wanted the chair in the focus groups.
[DA] You’re talking about the Aeron chair. The focus groups hated that chair.
[LGC] Herman Miller did six years of research and the chair becomes number one in the market. Yes, and that’s the risk part. And now you have to give Apple credit. they’re not asking for permission, they’re doing what they believe in.

[DA] Personally, I think folks hire us because of what we like. I like the classics, and as a result I get to work on a lot of projects I like that have classic overtones. How do you take yourself out of the equation when your recommending this or that?
[LGC] I think it’s very important to start each project with a blank canvas and always ask the “what if” as well as truly understanding your client’s point of view. They’re hiring you for your expertise but it’s not about imposing your sensibility, but by the same token you are trying to make things exciting for them. It goes back to you also having that deep understanding of who they are and where they want to go. So I try to become really empathic and try to be a very good listener.

[DA] How do you present your surface and color solutions to your client?
[LGC] The first thing we do is talk about the “why” behind it. So there’s always this feeling that it’s substantiated and something deeper. And if it’s a deep dive its Climatelogy can be a very in-depth report about what’s going on and what’s the humanistic values and how we’re going to move towards that. The presentation always involves visuals that show how we got to where we got to. Because everything we do is tactile it involves the actual color, material, and finish because that’s what really is going to move them. That’s the end result. That’s the visual response we need because that’s exactly what’s going to happen in the marketplace.

[DA] When you wish to match color on different materials, say the interior of a car, the dashboard, the seats, the carpeting. How do you go about it?
[LGC] We work with different lighting sources but many times it has to be about reflectivity and absorption and sometimes we don’t want it to match exactly. Sometimes we want it to be a rich experience. Many times it’s letting the material be its optimal self. If it’s a wood you want to be aware of the grain. If it’s leather you probably don’t want it to be perfect like vinyl. If materials can be themselves then they can work together.

[DA] Yes, totally agree. Graphic designer Jim Sebastian championed a color matching system called the “Colorcurve System” that addressed the tendency of some colors to appear different on a variety of surfaces, materials, and in different lighting conditions. This system was based on light reflectance curves and not on pigment formulations. It made it possible to match color that would remain closely matched even as the light source varied. The company, Colorcurve System Inc., is nowhere to be found but this scientific color matching system was so good and precise it must exist somewhere under another name. That’s what instigated this question in the first place. I used it several times when an exact match was required for printed brochures, packaging, product and tradeshow exhibits.
[LGC] I own the system and used to work with it many years ago. It was an intuitive, precise system to use. Sorry it isn’t still around!
[DA] editor’s note: Jim Sabastian responded, the Colorcurve System is discontinued. He’s aware of a European system called “Natural Color System” and suggests looking into it.

[DA] I’m going to ask you a question I think I know the answer to. Are you digital or sketchbook?
[LGC] I am very much about imagery and collage which puts me half in each world but I am not amazingly well versed on the computer. I’m a much more hands on person.
[DA] I’m somewhat surprised, my research leading up to our chat placed you as a techie. So you are a traditional creative embracing the technology.
[LGC] Ha! I embrace technology but my team is well versed. I use technology a bit differently. I’m really a hands on person and that’s why I’ve always loved color, materials, and finishes. It’s a 3-D world. The imagery on a screen is beautiful but I love the 3-D world.
[DA] I do to. And it’s a gift to be able to visualize and see the 3-D, not everyone has the gift.
[LGC] Aren’t you excited about the new 3-D technology and how they can build up layers to create models. Incredibly exciting.

[DA] I’m not as well-versed in 3-D as maybe I should be. But I’m aware that many new capabilities are being announced almost daily. Are there any schools that specialize in color or surface design?
[LGC] I have taught color at CCA (California College of Art) but I haven’t found any teaching color or color theory. What I find most is different disciplines when it comes to applying color, like industrial designers or even interior designers who are a little more comfortable, but they’re not as comfortable with the medium because there is not a lot of exposure to color. The thing I find most important in teaching color is to eliminate the fear for rich experimentation. That’s where wonderful things happen. It’s really about experiment.

[DA] What drives your projects? Are you given products that present new materials you are not familiar with?
[LGC] What drives the projects is your curiosity and asking “what if” and looking at the materials as if you’ve never seen them before even though you’ve seen them a million times. And you work with others who really understand materiality and really research the new materials and think about how those properties might be used as an asset to the industrial designer to create something that is more revolutionary. And it really depends on what the industrial designer is trying to say. If they’re trying to do something classic we research differently than if they’re trying to something that is say, more experimental, driving towards technology. Those are things we have to understand before we start.

[DA] Designers who get into research like you do might all say the most exciting projects are the ones they know zero about. It forces the issue of starting from scratch.
[LGC] Yes! It’s exciting, exhilarating when you start with that blank empty piece of paper. It’s very satisfying when you are asking yourself questions. It’s unfolding all the different layers which is such a great part of the process.

[DA] What inspires you?
{LGC] Nature is an amazing inspiration, like watching what true beauty is and how things change. From a color standpoint no one does it better than nature. There’s also that whole sense of humanity, this sense that we’re so much more connected than we sometimes acknowledge. And I think that the human heart, this ability to be open, this ability to reach out, and be vulnerable, it also inspiring. And that we can ask the question “why” and we can be continuously curious. That gives a reason everyday to get up because you get to learn something new if you choose to.

[DA] I’m pretty opinionated (maybe to a fault ) about color and textures, there are ones that I love and hate. Just look into my closet and those colors and fabrics are there and have been for long time. What about you?
[LGC] I can’t say that I dislike any one color? For me color is about context and relationships. So while something might not feel right to me, maybe isolated or in a pair, i can add a third color, i can love the whole, all the colors together. To me it’s about playing and understanding the relationship they have to one another. One of the exercises we actually did in school was to take a color that they liked and one they hated and then find a color in the middle that married them. And most of the time they actually didn’t hate that color anymore.

[DA] How do your “surface” yourself and your living environment?
[LGC] I like to layer things. In terms of clothes I like things simple, I love the whole unexpected idea that something might be a salvaged edge or show me that there was a human hand involved. I love this whole idea of juxtaposing different types of materiality. In terms of what I surround myself with and be inspired, I love color and I love different materials and have different materials mirror one another like a linen sofa, a glass table, a velvet cushion. I like the way materials talk to one another. I drive a little red Mini Cooper which makes me happy. She’s something like a cartoon. I just love her.
[DA] What’s her name?
[LGC] Her name is Beatrice. I like to have fun and I like to explore. I like to be out and about, I like to observe things. I love to people-watch. I think that’s incredibly telling. I guess that’s kind of a reflection of how I approach my work.

[DA] How does your own work represent your own philosophy on the state of design?
[LGC] My work is humanistic. It often solves problems but it also allows you to discover things in your life that perhaps you didn’t even know that you needed and it engages you in a way that is much deeper than just the surface. It’s not just a pretty thing. It’s something that you want around for a long long time. That’s a big goal. You know, the primary tenet of eco-consciousness, you have to want it, you have to create desire. Because, even if it’s made of an eco material and you don’t want it around, it’s no longer eco-conscious.

[DA] Laura, what’s your life like now?
[LGC] Last year I kind of had an epiphany, I realized I spent a great deal of time trying to discover what a client’s DNA was and encouraging them more of who they were in the world but then sometimes I wasn’t doing that for my own company. And that epiphany allowed a shift into looking at life beyond work and I’m in the process of forming a non-profit, hoping that it makes people smile and makes people feel like they’re respected and valued, mainly through color. I’m really excited about that. I really can’t wait to interface with more kids and make changes that maybe can make the world just a little bit better.
[DA] That sounds absolutely wonderful and great.
[LGC] Yay!

[DA] What’s next?
[LGC] I’m speaking at Cusp Conference next week as you know. And we’re going to introduce the non-profit at Cusp which is exciting. And other things on the horizon: cameras, textiles and furniture finishes.

[DA] Do you have a question?
[LGC] Tell me about DesignApplause.
[DA] Another story! Laura, we now have a better understanding of what an experience consultant is. See you at Cusp.
[LGC] See you at [ Cusp ]

[ guido-clark background ]
Laura Guido-Clark is a designer whose passion is to make the human response to products more meaningful through color, material, finish and pattern. Through her trademarked process, Climatology(tm), she researches and tracks relevant changes on the social, political, economic and emotional fronts. She distills these collective traces of the consumer consciousness into a thesis about their needs and unfulfilled desires – figuring out what people really want and why, often before they even know it themselves.
Her multiple disciplinary design studio collaborates with companies like Kodak, HP, LG and Toyota – as well as start-ups across industries such as automotive, consumer electronics, and home furnishings. Her textile and pattern design include work for HBF, Pallas, FLOR and Uncommon. As a result of her expertise, Laura has been invited to speak both nationally and internationally on design, and is an expert design blogger for Fast Company magazine. [ l-gc studio ]

Interview with designer Todd Bracher. Neocon 2011.

Aug 18, 2011

todd bracher sitting on humanscale’s “trea” [click on photo to enlarge]

It’s Tuesday, 14 June, Flag Day. We’re talking to Todd Bracher in the Chicago showroom of Humanscale.
[DesignApplause] Todd, give us a little idea of what your work environment is like.
[Todd Bracher] I’d say my work environment is quite neutral. I’m based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is sort of a barren part of New York City, which is quite a contrast in its own right. It’s almost like working on a sailboat. You have views onto the harbor and to the East River. It’s wonderful. But what I love about it is the large, open, industrial-like space, really neutral, no outside influences around me. In other words, I look out the window and I see the water and the sky and for me it’s just a white slate. It’s a wonderful place to think and not be influenced by anything.

view from workspace

view from workspace

[DA] Tell us a little bit about your process.
[TB] I don’t know if our process is unusual or not. We research and study nature, for example natural selection, and we talk a lot about Darwin and how nature finds the ultimate solution. It’s similar to baking bread. We know we need certain ingredients. We put all of the ingredients together and start to bake this bread. And we know that if we throw any of the ingredients away it won’t be just right. At the end of the day we pursue the most efficient solution based on market and client needs.
[DA] What kinds of things are you working on, what do you create?
[TB] This may sound cliche but we’re out to make real-world solutions and we’re not interested in just making beautiful objects. It will be beautiful but it has to sell, it has to be smart and useful for people. We work on a variety of things. From “Trea” for Humanscale which is intended to be a higher volume light task chair all the way to lounge seating and lighting. It’s a broad spectrum from creative direction to branding to final product production.
[DA] Your youthfulness belies remarkable accomplishments. You have a decade of experience working in Copenhagen, Milan, Paris and London; cited as America’s next great Designer and nominations for Designer of the Year in 2008 and 09. You headed Tom Dixon’s design studio, and the creative director at Georg Jensen. Does the head get in the way?
[TB] Are we talking about ego or too much stuff in the head?
[DA] Let’s talk about both.
[TB] If anyone thought I’m about ego then they don’t know me. At the end of the day I’m part of the tool. I am a collaborator. I bring my two cents in but the company has their part as well as the manufacturers and the guys in the workshop. The sales team has there part and everyone everywhere has their part and I’m just a cog in the wheel. And everyone is doing what they’re good at. I’m happy to be the face of the product but I’m not the only one involved.
[DA] What’s the genesis of you work? Does a client call you in and ask you to design a chair? How does it work?
[TB] It works in different ways. With Humanscale I had a conversation with Bob, the CEO and he basically said “make me something that’s cantilevered, make me something really smart, make me something beautiful. And it was sort of that casual. A very European way to approach it, while other clients bring a long brief, 10 pages long. But the first thing we do is we go out and do the homework. We find out what the market is looking for, what it needs, how it uses this or that in actual applications. It doesn’t start with drawing, it starts with research. We also pay attention to the psychological side, how people are attracted to the object. Finally we start drawing and building mockups which leads to final development. But it’s a long front-end of research.

freud | zanotta | 2002

above: freud | zanotta | 2002 [click on photo to enlarge]

[DA] Speaking of front-end, your work experience seems to begin in Europe, you spent 10 years there. You were quoted in Metropolis magazine to that end about where and how designers get their early experience. What inspired you to go to Europe and where to go?
[TB] I guess my earliest motivations was the a chance to be a bit selfish, to absorb myself in design. And I guess I learn more by doing rather than by reading. I had finished an undergrad degree in Pratt in 1996 and started designing consumer products for the U.S. market working for another designer. It was a remote caddy, spice racks, barbecue tools, these kinds of products. It made sense at the time but I wasn’t satisfied. I wanted poetry and artistry that went with it. I wanted concept and more meat to the bones. So I applied for a Fulbright grant and I ended up in Copenhagen, which gave me the wonderful chance to study Danish design. Young American designers, we tend to learn through studying books but in Copenhagen you can go directly to the factories, go visit the actual production that’s happening around the world. I spent two one-half years in Copenhagen and completed the master’s course. Then I went to Milan and started designing for Zanotta and a few other brands and ended up in Paris and then also London for Tom Dixon before coming back to New York. This first-hand experience gave me the tools I hope I need to design.
[DA] In Metropolis magazine you say the European manufacturer can be more spontaneous when giving you an assignment as compared to the U.S. manufacturer. Can you elaborate?
[TB] It’s more or less true though there are reasons for this difference. For the scale of the work that’s done in the U.S., for the difficulty of the task, it’s a much more complicated process. And to do it in a two-year timeframe versus a less complicated European one-year timeframe, I think the design teams here are faster actually. The difference for me may be European business is more emotion driven, it’s more about what you feel plus your direct connection with the owner where together you create something you both feel good about for that year and you see where that goes. It’s also not the long-term plan for most of the European companies and it’s more visceral, more from the hip. The U.S. is more of a marketed-to culture, less about the heart and more to where it’s going, what’s the business part, what’s it for. But it doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have meaning. At the end of the day it’s still a wonderful, beautiful product that’s well-considered.
[DA] What do you think about products that are designed to be polished and built to last versus products that are designed to be quickly disposable?
[TB] That’s a very broad question. I don’t really make anything that’s disposable. Even if it’s a plastic lamp it’s not made to be disposable. There are of course disposable products in the world, but I don’t intend to work in that world. Though I feel compared to Europe the U.S. is not disposable, most products are in fact built to last. Whereas a European mindset is what’s working and interesting at the moment and where it goes after that is a little less regarded. It doesn’t mean it’s not important but most European companies don’t depend on the product which sometimes works to their advantage and sometimes it does not.
[DA] Who or what inspires you?
[TB] What inspires me are things I could never do myself. For me to go to, let’s say the Museum of Natural History, and to study the life cycle and evolution of fish, for example, is absolutely brilliant and that inspires me. Not furniture, not something I could have made myself.
[DA] There isn’t a day that goes by that you’re not inspired. Right?
[TB] Ha! Well it’s one thing to be inspired and another on how to capture that which has an influence on what you’re doing. And that might happen once or twice a year if you’re lucky.
[DA] What are some of the characteristics of your work?
[TB] I guess you can say “efficiency” which may sound sort of boring but there’s a lot to it. There’s what I call “engineered aesthetics” where we’re making something that’s extremely beautiful but it’s also really purposeful. It’s not just about its beauty. The “Trea” chair for example is all about its reduction. Reducing materials, reducing everything to its bare essential but not letting it get cold and lose its sensual qualities. And at the same time you don’t see the springs and knobs and all those things that make an ergonomic chair comfortable. We’ve done away with all of that and made the mechanism internal. It’s all about boiling down the solution while maintaining the emotional qualities.
[DA] We recently purchased two Eames Sofa Compact benches for our living room. It amazes me that the solution in 1954 was you see all the bolts and springs and it’s so simply put together and yet something very charming. You are reminded of the limited technology.
[TB] For sure. And indirectly we have a similar solution on our “Trea” chair where you see how the back attaches to the seat, you see the seat, you see how the leg attaches, we’re not hiding that. But you don’t see the springs and the screws that make the chair work. It’s a balance between the two.
[DA] Has your style changed since you started? Has it always looked this way and you’re simply refining things?
[TB] It’s been pretty consistent. I’d like to think I keep using this reference that it’s like a tree, and our results are how a tree grows. You would never say that tree doesn’t look very nice, or that branch is in the wrong place. You can’t have an opinion like that in my eyes. It’s more about this thing looks this way because it has to look this way. When I look across my portfolio I don’t see things that could be different, instead the solutions are natural and self-evident.
[DA] How does your work represent your own philosophy on the state of design?
[TB] For me, I think about a fish skeleton. I think of its evolved structure over millions of years. I think of my world in a similar fashion, where I try to boil out the unnecessary and end with pure essentials that have evolved for a reason. You also find another level when you take something home and use it and really then begin to understand it. It may not be obvious until you use it, live with it. How that relates to the state of design today, is that for me, design is not subtle enough. Designers today are trying too hard to have their opinion. And what I do is not to have any opinion, I just let it evolve and let the fish skeleton do its task. And it’s beautiful for what it is, and it’s not about me, not about my opinion. The shapes of these chairs are not my opinion, they’re evolved to be what they are. That says a lot about me not being a designer, more of an editor of its evolution.
[DA] If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
[TB] Oh, I’d love to be a physicist, but that would never happen, I love to use my hands too much.
[DA] This will be the last question. What’s next?
[TB] That’s probably the toughest question. For me, the next project or next opportunity is really about learning. Every project that I do I try and learn as much as I can. Not only about the technical aspects of design but also about the relations of the people I work with, and the market and where we are going with things. Projects that really get me excited are ones I know nothing about.
[DA] Just one more question. What part of what you do satisfies you the most?
[TB] When the project is finished and I can look back at all the knowledge added to my brain that wasn’t there before the project began. I also believe that mindset influenced me to move to and around Europe and face opportunities to learn the culture, the people who we design for. There’s a somewhat satisfying part using design as that tool to make it all happen.
[DA] Todd, do you have any questions?
[TB] Today is Flag Day. How long have we been celebrating Flag Day?
[DA] I’m not sure. I bet we’ll both research the answer. Thank you Todd, you bring new meaning to baking bread and a fish skeleton. It’s been a fun and inspirational conversation. We’re going to be interviewing Jeffrey Bernett in a few minutes. Do you know him?
[TB] Yes, we’re good friends and are always talking. Give him a hard time, he will enjoy that.

[ bracher background ]
Native New Yorker Todd Bracher, founder of Todd Bracher Studio LLC, is a Designer and Educator currently based in New York City after a decade working in Copenhagen, Milan, Paris and London. Todd has collaborated with some of the world’s most prestigious brands around the world from Furniture and Object Design to Interiors and Architecture. Todd has been pinned as ‘America’s next great Designer’ by the NY Daily News as well as received several nominations for Designer of the year in 2008 and 2009. His experiences range from working independently, heading Tom Dixon’s Design studio, acting Professor of Design at l’ESAD in Reims France, to having been appointed Creative Director of the Scandinavian luxury brand Georg Jensen. [ todd bracher studio ]

Interview with designer jeffrey bernett. Neocon 2011.

Jul 20, 2011

metropolitan chair. designed in 2002, best selling chair in usa today.

[DesignApplause] We’re at Neocon 2011 in the B&B Italia showroom and we’re talking to Jeffrey Bernett, a designer who designs many things. An aside, we just talked to designer, Todd Bracher, and Todd said to give Jeffrey a tough time.
[Jeffrey Burnett] Well, good, he and I are good friends and my comment back is I hope you gave him a harder time. We just had dinner the other night and we’ll eat again tonight. It’s nice to have a field where you can have colleagues all around the world and wherever you go you can connect through the profession.

[DA] How do you communicate?
[JB] I like email, most recently with a designer in Germany, Konstantin Grcic, who I’ve known for a long time. A number of his products for Magis are in the entryway. Also, these trade events bring a lot of clients, designers, and colleagues together so there’s the face-to-face aspect.

[DA] Where’s homebase and what’s your work environment like?
[JB] Homebase is in New York City, SoHo, for the last 15 years, a nice place to have an office. Most of the clients have showrooms nearby. I live about 15 minutes south in TriBeCa so I can walk or ride the bike.

[DA] What’s your office comprised of?
[JB] For the past number of years there have been four of us, super sharp industrial designers and once a week an administrator comes in. We stay pretty lean and mean and try to stay on the industrial side, particularly in Europe. Every once in a while marketing is part of the project.

[DA] What kinds of things to do you work on?
[JB] My first three clients were B&B Italia, Cappellini, and Boffi in Italy and I was the first American to work with them. Getting around the world and knowing that level of design-driven companies is fantastic. Seven years ago we got involved in the office furniture business in the U.S. in a major way working with Knoll to develop their largest selling task seating line. Then we developed their best selling office system. The past two years we’ve been helping realign Herman Miller’s whole office furniture portfolio. We helped coordinate all their offerings with Neocon this year.

[DA] When did the Italian connection begin?
[JB] I lived in England and went to a technical school for one year and then went back to New York. It was 1995 and I didn’t know one designer in the States. In an effort to connect with the industry I took a chance and opened up a booth at ICFF and had the good fortune of winning designer of the year. It was an editor’s award and I met many people, got connected with many well-known design journals. An Italian gentleman came up and asked me about my work, my philosophies, and he said he had an Italian company who would like to make my stuff. That man was Giulio Cappellini. He also recommended I go talk to B&B Italia. Giulio is at Neocon as a part of Cappellini’s partnership with Haworth and I took him along with some other colleagues through Herman Miller. It’s great that after 15 years this dialog still continues. Giulio opened the world of design to me and really changed my life.

[DA] You’re talking about a very elite group, talent, marketing, and manufacturing-wise. Who buys these products today? Does the Internet come into play?
[JB] That’s a good question. My experience, the last 15 years, was a time when the magazine Wallpaper hit the streets which helped sell design as a lifestyle point of view and that had an impact. Then in the last 10 years, certainly the last five, the industry has become connected within the virtual world in a very dynamic way. A next-door neighbor in SoHo is a trendcaster and though in a different industry, Coca Cola and Bacardi, for example. His research says people can act in an introverted way and the Internet allows you to connect based on your interests. And whatever that interest is, you’re connected to the world. That’s an amazing dialog and not just verbally but in a more meaningful way, even sending images. So now you have a world that’s able connect on ideas.

[DA] What’s driving your portfolio?
[JB] Our portfolio is comprised of many companies. One is B&B Italia, a company that defines quality, contemporary lifestyle and culture. There’s Herman Miller, a company that makes office systems that address every type of company you can imagine: from the leaders, the Fortune 50, to the mail-order houses, businesses you never heard of. We’ve done a lot of work for Design Within Reach which represents a price point that lives in a different market segment.

We set up our office by picking different clients in different market segments, different but complimentary. That way we give our best ideas that fit their needs. We tend to work with a client a long time. Very much like slow cooking. It takes a while to get a dialog, understand the culture of the company and help understand where you can find success together.

You’ll find this interesting: the head of design for B&B doesn’t speak much English and my Italian…but we talk to each other in the visual world, i.e., via presentation boards. And by that definition, design is that collaboration.

It’s also about partnering with good partners. For example, B&B, the technology and innovation that they developed for soft seating shifted the paradigm the same way the Aeron chair did for Herman Miller. You don’t quite realize it because the innovation is under upholstery but they changed the industry.

In 1965 a sofa took many days to make, had a wooden frame, cut foam, very much a handmade process. The goal is to use industrialization to make high quality products that are repeatable, that will last for a longer period of time. Most soft seating companies today use the technology that B&B Italia developed.

neocon 2011 herman miller showroom

[DA] Naoto Fukasawa made a point that B&B took his simple sketch concept and made it happen. Is this kind of engineering prowess typical with companies of this caliber?
[JB] B&B Italia is a very special company. When we did the Tulip Chair, our first project with them, the chair had this very thick profile of foam. I knew a little bit about their technology and being a first project I didn’t want to push too hard. It was a relatively natural convergence of knowledge and worked out well.

The second project with B&B Italia was a chaise lounge called the Landscape which is on the cover of The Daily today. B&B had never worked with a 30 mil profile over that expanded distance, so that was something I actually pushed B&B with. At the time they were really residential but were wanting to make this chaise contract. Now they’re about 50-50 residential and contract which is their bullseye. We worked about six months on the chaise when we found out it wasn’t working. They gave us three days to make it work for them and it has become one of their most successful icons.

Our solutions are not just about engaging aesthetics but also about ergonomics. For me when you sit on the couch it has to perform as expected or better. The Landscape was a little different and reading is different than napping. You need an adjustable head support and the people are different sizes. So we changed the nylon support straps to thin flexible sheet metal and then added magnets to the headrest which could then move infinitely. We also use this design in the Metropolitan chairs.

Being in America I can’t be at a European factory all the time and B&B is absolutely the one company in our portfolio that if I can’t be there and they want to go in this or that direction, I don’t ever question the results that come out because I know it will always be perfect. There’s a complete trust when we work with someone on the other side of the table. Citterio does the same thing.

When we work with some of our other clients we have to be much more involved. Our office is can produce 3D modeling and can follow the package all the way through tooling.

[DA] The Metropolitan chair you said was launched in 2002. I was told that’s the best selling chair in America.
[JB] The Metropolitan family is going on 10 years and that’s the long-term strategy I’ve pushed with them so we have products that continue to grow and do well over an extended period of time. The Metropolitan and Tulip are the most successful for B&B Italia and they perform differently.

jeffrey bernett in the chicago b&b italia showroom mugging it
in his metropolitan chair. image captured with brand new ipad2. just saying.

When we work on two lounge chairs we’re concerned with what problems we’re solving and how people will use them. We want the chairs to be complementary in their use satisfying different needs for different people. If you walk into the showroom and there’s a Fukasawa product and one of ours you have choices, good choices for different reasons that fit your needs. We’re looking to engage your spirit if you will, to fall in love. So an emotional part of the program exists with how the product performs.

[DA] Well, congratulations on the large scale successes of your efforts. Here’s a question that was inspired going to Miami last December. We were exposed to 10 exciting design galleries and briefly talked with Ron Arad, Wendell Castle, and Konstantin and I’m wondering, do you get involved in limited edition work?
[JB] I haven’t done too much. A little for Moss in New York over the years. We did a project that was part of a fundraiser a year ago. We did something for Herman Miller in Japan for an initiative of theirs. But really have not done much edition work to date.

Not for the reason that maybe we didn’t have the time or took the time to figure out what we would do. If I stepped into that world I wouldn’t want to do just one thing but think about it strategically over an expanded landscape and an expanded period of time.

But it’s an interesting world and I look at them as complimentary and your thinking about problems a little bit differently when your thinking about industrial production versus making shorter run editions. And there are many interesting galleries that push those boundaries. Gallerie Kreo in Paris is always consistent. The Bouroullec’s have done a lot of really nice work. For Ron (Arad) it’s a big part of his business, probably half of his work lives in that realm.

Design is this wonderfully faceted stone, there’s no one right or wrong way to do it. And when you look at the auctions in the last five years, design has interestingly continued to grow in a positive way. Marc Newson’s stuff for the Gagosian Gallery was hugely successful.

[DA] I was surprised to learn recently that the design gallery business model is nearly 30 years old. Is the design gallery being promoted more today?
[JB] I was quite pleased, particularly in America when Art Basel decided to go to Miami and I thought that bridge of contemporary culture lived a little bit stronger in Europe. Coming to America, in New York we have Chelsey which is one of the more interesting art cities in the world, but bringing it to Miami exposed it to a larger group.

And for sure in the last seven or eight years that side of design and collectible domestic objects has become a very interesting arena for a lot of people to participate in. In contemporary art on the same basis, particularly in America, they can become complementary to thinking about how you go through life collecting things and what’s important and how some of the things might resonate with you.

Europe has always had the benefit of having a B&B Italia where quality and craftsmanship are paramount. In America we have industrialized production and artists are very good at getting things made but how that bridges into the design world has been a little harder. If you’re going to step into that world you need to execute (the production) at the highest level because it’s going to be scrutinized at that level.

[RK] Jeffrey, who or what inspires you?
[JB] I’ve been here a week and I went into Millennium Park and saw “The Bean.” Amish Kapor is one of the leading contemporary artists in the world, a very articulate speaker and thinker and that piece appeals to everyone, like the Jeff Koons “Puppy.” Watching people respond to The Bean, being mesmerized is very wonderful. I went to Holland and saw the tulips. The Tulip chair was inspired by the tulip flowers.

I like to go to contemporary art fairs to see what’s going on and that experience may alter my thought process. We’re social beings, so getting together with people, particularly in this field and sharing ideas and talking. This all inspires us to think about life or good problems to solve. So inspiration comes from a lot of different things.

I’m thinking of the first piece of furniture I bought was in college and I didn’t grow up in a house where the furniture had names. I was walking down the street and saw this chaise and it represented industrial art for me. I knew how to weld and bend tube for motor sports but this was so beautiful. So I went in and found out the chaise was by a French architect, Le Corbusier, and saw how it could change seating positions, the adjustable headrest, the suspended straps, really hit a button. And this was a vintage store, nothing was new, it was used, and it was expensive. I was with my college roommate and I said “I have to have it.” and he said “are you out of your mind? This is like three months rent.” But that day the piece hit me in the heart, the emotional connection so that was the first thing I bought.

It’s inspiring how some weird things come together and how old and new combine. And also the ability to look, it’s a lifetime of looking at the world of common things or just slightly unusual things just to find something interesting or provocative.

[DA] Maggie Peterson, who’s also present, reminds us the bean is named “Cloud Gate.” What are some of the characteristics of your work?
[JB] Looking back at our projects through the years, it’s picking clients who share with you common values. So you don’t have to push a client where they might not belong but rather it’s a mutual journey. With B&B it’s very simple. I draw a circle and divide it into three pieces and say there is functionality, it has to perform well; it has to be a good value, money-wise; and aesthetics, why are you drawn to it?

And when I think about B&B Italia I think of the architectural envelope and that’s a pretty sophisticated balancing of a lot of pieces to a puzzle. How the people relate to the product, how the furniture lives together in a harmonious environment. We never get our solutions by adding things but rather via a pure sense: what problems we’re trying to solve and how adaptable does the product have to be.

As a nationally ranked junior athlete, sports was where I learned my value set, a passion for the pursuit of excellence. As Mies said, the difference between good and great can be that last 10%. So when B&B asked me to do a chaise, Rolando, who works on the R&D side, in his infinite way said “we don’t have one and we want you to do one.” And then he said, “remember Mies, Eames, Corbusier, they all did chaises. Rolando’s challenge is always there and it’s like sports, and I’m able to jump off the highest cliff for better or worse. The guy who inspired me with the chaise, Le Corbusier, led me to visit his architecture to look at the poetry of his chapel in Ronchamp to find the line that made it look elegant.

Further removed from the product itself are other details to think about. When Luminaire received a Metropolitan chair, Nasir said that a leg was damaged when the chair was dropped off the truck. As a result we redesigned the packaging. As you know, a customer orders an object and it takes a long time and if the piece is damaged they have to wait again. It’s all in the details, how many steps can you think through, how many things can you anticipate. Hopefully you can solve the problem up front.

[DA] So before sports sucked up most of your spare time you were building soapbox cars? So product designers, is that their ilk?
[JB] I think sculptors and product designers and architects all think three-dimensionally, and if that’s a part of you and you don’t do that you can feel unfulfilled. I think product designers are good at tinkering with things.

[DA] Well yes, there’s the need to visualize and the gift of 3D visualization. I had a client who created this probe that could inspect the inside of tube-shaped structures. Of interest, he couldn’t visualize his own creation and needed a perspective graphic drawing to see it. Here’s that tough question we (and Todd) promised you. We’re in your client’s showroom, at Neocon. Are there too many products out there?
[JB] I think there’s always room for good products. We like products that last a long time and don’t like to contribute to products that have fast-term consumption cycles. And we live in a world where that has continued to happen.

One thing I can always say about B&B Italia, they make a quality product. And you have the Eames Aluminum Group and the Coca Cola Emeco chair, using the plastic from recycled bottles, isn’t that the most sustainable stories you can probably tell? And there is always room for good ideas. As long as we are challenging ourselves to find out what they are. Does the world need another chair? Maybe not. But if the chair is a better chair, if it does something in a more intelligent way, that’s good.

We live in America, a country that loves commerce. I wish we’d just mandate recycling. We would then see a new level of efficiency and teach us how we use resources. Government’s role is supposed to help us do things that might not be economically viable in a fast ROI point of view, maybe a little bit like healthcare too.

Government should also be put in a context to help us think long-term about the whole sustainable side: how we think about not only recycling, but reusing and repurposing. We’re barely scratching the surface here. I give credit to the architects and interior designers who push LEED. This effort pushes clients and property developers to think about what their making.

[DA] We’re all becoming aware of limited resources and sustainability. I just saw a disposable cardboard memory stick. What’s your thoughts on more disposable products?
[JB] When you think about a product’s lifespan, for some items it makes a lot of sense. Disposable is all right if we think clearly about what that means on the backside. The landfill model is not a good model.

[DA] How does your work represent your philosophy on the state of design?
[JB] We definitely try and take a long-term approach to our product design, not just a fashion hit for today. When we get involved we really like to help businesses grow, a growth over a long period of time. It’s a very collaborative business. Helping people stay in business is a big part of what we like to do.

Philosophically, fundamentally we try not to do things that are trendy or fashionable, that are gone tomorrow. It’s easy to make things look interesting which might get a lot of attention. We feel people need to like the product and use the product. How much does it solve a problem, how much do they appreciate using it? That’s a true test of time, not necessarily how much ink something gets.

[DA] What part of what you do satisfies you the most?
[JB] Probably just like you, I need to do something three dimensionally. Generally when we work on projects I don’t get to solutions by a whimsical sketch. I think through most of it in my head. Then a sketch articulates before we use the software to create a 3-D data-set. The process is partly a puzzle, partly a rubics cube, there are many sides to address for to create a product that will enter the market that will do quite well.

Probably the nicest story I ever had and bittersweet at the same time. B&B Italia has provided me many opportunities to travel around the world. A couple years ago I went to Sidney Australia visiting a dealer, possibly the largest showroom in the world with regards to the floorplate. The showroom manager said that the Metropolitan chair was not on premise because something unusual took place.

A customer came in and spent many hours sitting in one chair than another. At some point he says the Metropolitan Hiback was the most comfortable chair he has ever sat in and wanted to know the process of getting one. The showroom manager told him typically fabrics are chosen and a chair is made, in other words several weeks to get the chair. The man who was in his late 70s said he has had a good life but he has terminal cancer and maybe three months to live. The showroom manager made the decision the chair went out of the showroom with the man. We don’t normally think about how design touches people’s lives, but for this man and that chair, coming home was a huge step in the quality of his life and how he was going to spend some of his time.

[DA] An inspiring story Jeffrey. Last question. What’s next?
[JB] We’re always working, things are pretty seamless and we continue to work with our group of clients. I’m going to Italy soon. We’re working with Herman Miller on several things for the past two years.

Since we’re always busy we look for creative diversions. Several of my partners are here at Neocon and we’ve been going to the museums. These diversions help us focus and relax at the same time. And now we’re ready for a break because the months of April, May and June, there is the Saloni, the ICFF, and Neocon, and I call it the triple crown because the deliverables never stop.

[DA] I have just one more question. I am reminded that you won a designer of the year award, you’re a very recognized and accomplished designer. Does the head get in the way of your design solutions?
[JB] For me I guess that sports have been a great background. In the world of sports hype doesn’t matter, it’s the time on the clock. And I guess I tend to be the quiet American, I sit a little bit more in the background. I’m happy to talk about design, the thinking and problem solving.

But I generally don’t do much talking unless it’s tied to the clients that I care about. I essentially am driven to solve good problems and that may be my balance and focus. I do enjoy hearing about the stories where we have done a good job. The nice thing about product design, you can let the work stand out on its own, and the work gets a lot of the attention.

[ Bernett background ]
In September of 1995, Jeffrey Bernett founded his New York-based multi-disciplinary design consultancy. At the May 1996 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City, Bernett presented his first collection, which was awarded the 1996 Editorʼs Award for “Best of Show”. Bernett continues to work in many areas – residential and office furniture, household products, lighting, transportation design, graphic design, packaging and bottle design, environment and interior architecture, and strategic planning – winning numerous design awards along the way. In the emerging global market for design, Bernett has often been the first American chosen to work with several of his European clients. A partial list of clients includes B&B Italia, Bernhardt, Boeing, Boffi, Cappellini, Conde Nast, DWR/Design Within Reach, Herman Miller, Knoll, Ligne Roset, LʼOreal, Mercedes Benz and Northwest Airlines. Bernett holds numerous patents, is regularly featured in design publications from around the world, and also is a frequent lecturer at design schools and events globally.

[ consultants for design strategy ]

Naoto fukasawa. The unseen outline of things.

Jun 13, 2011

naoto fukasawa at chicago museum of contemporary art 15 june 2010.

June 16, 2010, sitting in the retail showroom of Luminaire Chicago waiting to interview product designer Naoto Fukasawa. There won’t be much time because in 30 minutes he and Luminaire founder Nasir Kassamali are off to the Art Institute of Chicago to meet with Zoe Ryan, curator of the architecture and design collection, to tour Italian architect Renzo Piano’s new 294,000-square-foot Modern Wing.

Naoto is in town as Luminaire’s guest during Neocon 2010, the annual contract furniture exposition held annually in Chicago. The night before he spoke to 500 Luminaire guests at the Museum of Contemporary Art. After his presentation there was a reception back at the Luminaire showroom. Last night Naoto was in a sport coat and today a loose fitting shirt and jeans. I was told to speak slowly though his English is certainly polished enough to discuss psychology, human behavior, world cultures, and how design fits in.

Naoto debuted for many in the U.S. in the 2009 movie “Objectified,” a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. One of a dozen designers in the cast, Naoto is an animated conversationalist, using his time in front of the camera to tell the stories behind concepts, sharing a unique perspective on the object/user relationship. The story telling is his signature delivery.

Design critic Alice Rawsthorn informs me that Naoto is quite well-known to the general public in Asia and Europe. Possibly the most well-known, in part because of his business acumen, his collaborations with renown talent, and his role as a good-design ambassador in these countries.

“Despite all the obvious things one could say about him and his work I feel that what sets him apart from all other contemporary designers is the magical skill to create products without any affectation but which profoundly dissolve into our behavior” ~Konstantin Grcic

[ a most efficient design conclusion ]
One defining characteristic of Naoto’s objects are their simplicity and “inevitable” conclusion. The solution appears effortless and obvious – A most efficient design conclusion. A most appropriate selection of material and construction. The “inevitable” is the realization of the process. But what of the concepting process? This is where Naoto’s life experiences, his mental routines, his designer’s eye take him and collaborators on many adventures and “ah-ha!” moments.

To catch a glimpse of what he’s thinking let’s excerpt from his 2010 book titled The Outline: the unseen outline of things. In this book Naoto collaborates with Tomotsu Fuji, a photographer that Naoto has never met but he had often found himself standing in front of his photos.

[NF] “An ‘outline’ is a contour of something. It is also the boundary that delineates an object and its surroundings. Since that which surrounds an object is air, the outline of a hole in the air that is shaped like an object is the same as the outline of the object itself.

The air (atmosphere) is composed of everything that exists around the object – elements such as people’s experiences and memories; customs and gestures; time, circumstance and sound; technology and culture; and history and trends. Should even one of these elements change, and the outline of the object changes too. People share this outline of the air implicitly.

My job is to determine this outline and to design something that slots right into it. When I first saw Tamasoto’s Fuji’s photos, I was surprised at the indistinct outlines of things. But when I thought about it, I realized that since objects blend into the air and the light, their outlines can’t clearly be seen by people. I was blown way by this fact. I thought, “Fuji takes photos of scenery, even when he’s photographing objects.” He captures both my designs and the air that surrounds them.

Many believe the purpose of taking photos is to erase the background and accentuate the object in question: thinking as much as possible that there is no world around said object.

There are many product designers who do not look at things around an object, who only look at the thing they are designing, who have the idea that the backgrounds attached to things just don’t matter.”

But objects don’t exist by themselves; there is always something that exists around them. This is Naoto’s design philosophy, based on an Eastern philosophy named hari which translates into a “tension.” There is a “tension,” a “force,” that the object and the surrounds inherently possess. And there has to be a balance to create the proper shape of the object. When the force of the object is greater than the surrounds the shape is pushed out. Conversely, a stronger outer surrounds force pushes the shape of the object in. He designs a chair, he has to decide the line, the outline. This is decided by the outside environment–humans, time, ways of sitting–many things decide the shape. An object on its own is not “good design.”

[DA]Perhaps this way of looking at an object and its surroundings drives Naoto to simplify and peel away the unnecessary, like the onion.

[ shape alone is not enough ]
Ten to fifteen years later Naoto began to question the shapes and drifted away from the purely visual. He thought, when you drink a glass of water you don’t think about the glass, just like when you write you don’t think about the pen. This is behavior “without thought” a very Western concept which will transform a bicycle basket into a wastepaper basket, a propped against-the-wall umbrella into a both simple and novel umbrella stand. The “without thought” philosophy now plays a major role in defining the relationship between the object and how the object is used, i.e., bringing in the user.

Jasper Morrison developed the “Super Normal” concept with Naoto. Konstantin Grcic is the person I organized a major exhibition on earlier this year. He briefly worked for Jasper and also works with Naoto on projects for Muji. Konstantin is an incredible designer who like Naoto has a keen sense for bringing innovative solutions to the task of designing everyday objects. Rather than seducing the user with intricacy, Morrison and Naoto have inspired designers such as Grcic to rely on a straightforward approach that is nonetheless inventive.
~Zoë Ryan

[ the business of design and design collaboration ]
At one point, Naoto creates a truly innovative CD player that is seen by the Japanese retailer Muji in MOMA. Muji produces the player. Four years of design consultation with Muji leads to a seat on their board of directors. He continues to design and Muji now has 112 outlets outside of Japan, four in NYC. In 2001 Naoto is hired by a CEO of a toy company in Tokyo to create a new kind of consumer electronics and he is now a partner in Plusminuszero, a domestic electronics brand with a pure and simple aesthetic. Plusminuszero further pushes Naoto into marketing and retail modes, diversions he enjoys and is good at. In 2010 Japanese design house Maruni Wood Industry appoints him their art director.

Naoto also enjoys a synergy with carefully selected creative collaborators. We know of photographer, Tamasoto’s Fuji. When Naoto’s name is mentioned, it’s not uncommon to also hear those of English product designer Jasper Morrison and German product designer Konstantin Grcic.

Naoto is also involved in a partnership in Tokyo that is less about commercial and more about raising an awareness of design. Partnering with fashion designer Issey Miyake and graphic designer, Taku Satoh, they ask Japanese architect Tadoa Ando to create a space for design laboratory-like 21_21 Design Sight which will feature rotating exhibitions. 20_20 refers to perfect human vision. 21_21 means better than perfect. Of course. The naming theme is reminiscent of Naoto’s 2006 collaboration with Jasper Morrison, their installation label “Super Normal.”

[ the interview with designapplause]
[DA] what is your favorite color(s) ? [NF] | i don’t have a favorite color. regarding design, colors are really driven by the solution. what are your favorite shapes ? | ha! see favorite color. what time do you get up in the morning ? go to sleep ? what time of day are you most creative ? | my creative moments are not scheduled by the clock. my designers, they can stay up till midnight. i like sleep. will you retire or continue designing to the end ? | design is not work but a way of life. do you use internet or mobile technologies for research, enjoyment, purchasing, communicating ? | i don’t take much time to read but i always seem to be looking for information. i am not a slave to technology but i do know how to use technology. i tend to go to the internet for a quick retrieval of information. what are your passions ? | i can’t think of any. maybe life ? who inspires you ? | matisse. achille castiglioni. it seems one gets inspired by those people you feel you have common beliefs and interests. what is your favorite/least favorite material to work with ? ha again! see color and shape. what are your favorite/least favorite kinds projects ? | i like projects that make life better. your solutions are very conceptually based. “cloud” took 10 minutes. how much time do you spend on the concept phase ? how important is the concept, say versus, execution when selling an idea to the client? how long does it take to sketch out an idea ? | not long ! true, visualizing cloud did not take very long. but the solution was not just me but B & B too. they have a very talented and experienced in-house design and manufacturing capability. the vision is sometimes fleeting compared to the execution. how will products evolve in the future ? they will get smaller. many may become embedded within us. are there already too many products out there ? there are not enough good products. naoto: thank you, i had many more questions. well then, to another day.

[ what’s REALLY necessary ]
Tamotsu says, “Naoto has built a mountain cabin with no running water or electricity where he spends his weekends. Living with these inconveniences shows him what is really necessary in life. This man, who designs cutting-edge industrial products, places himself in inconvenient situations when he thinks. I believe I can trust in the expressions and the words that emerge from such a man. ‘Objects’ do not tell stories, but in fact behind them lie many words and truths.”

[ new: maruni roundish series ]
One year later since Neocon 2010, what’s happened? Just in from Maruni: Roundish.

roundish | maruni

photo credits: maruni wood industry inc. / roundish. photo by yoneo kawabe | 2011

[ Fukasawa background ]
Born in Yamanashi, Japan, in1956. He graduated from Tama Art University’s product design department in art and 3D design in 1980. After working for Seiko-Epson in 1989, he moved to U.S. and joined American design company IDEO. In 1996, he helped set up ‘IDEO’ in japan. In 2003 he established Naoto Fukasawa Design. While doing design consulting for major companies in Japan, he worked for furniture companies in Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia. In 2003 he also established Plusminuszero (±0) and acts as its design director. He has continued to hold workshops that are based upon his own thoughts, “Without thought.” In 2006, he founded Super Normal with Jasper Morrison. He is a lecturer in the product design department Musashino Art University and Tama Art University in Tokyo.

[ naoto fukasawa design ] [ plusminuszero ] [ muji ] [ 21_21 design sight ] [ luminaire ]

Should form always follow function?

May 10, 2011

It’s a generally agreed upon principle in design that form ought to follow function – and for the most part I agree. It’s probably best that cars, planes and buildings adhere to it. It was certainly something of a battle cry for Modernist architects after the 1930s, a time when ornament was practically a crime. But does everything have to conform to function, and should it?

By posing this question I’m by no means advocation for an influx of floral adornments or other superfluous decorative elements. I’m merely suggesting that “the charged space between user and object” is not created by function alone. After all, if all we really cared about was pure functionality we would have one chair, one couch, one pen – each designed to harness its full functional potential. But there are thousands of chairs. In fact, your favorite might not even be all the comfortable, but there’s something about its overall appearance that speaks to you or “charges” you.

For me it’s the Peacock Chair. It’s bright color and soft, touchable, felt accordion-fold backrest have little to do with its functionality, but something about these things attracts me to it and I really do feel that aforementioned charge between myself, the user, and the chair/object. It’s the same principle behind why we reach for a particular mug in the morning.

Assuming they all fulfill the basic function of holding liquid, what makes us choose one over another? After I fill my mug of choice (black and white, tall and narrow, perfectly thin lip) with my morning’s coffee, I sit at my desk where I’m confronted by a small army of designer pens, each designed to be the most ergonomic, the most comfortable for my fingers and wrist – yet I pass over all of them in favor of a cheap acrylic click pen. My head tells me I should choose the expensive pen with the cushy grip and carefully weighted body, but I for some reason I like the plastic one better.

Maybe form is more or as important as function in these low-performance objects. Not much depends on my chair or my pen besides my own personal comfort. But for high-performance objects like cars, planes and buildings where there’s much more at stake, it’s good to have guiding principles. I’d hate to fly on a plane with Corinthian columns and stained glass windows. So yes, rules are great, but breaking them is great, too, especially when the result is a beautiful, bright purple chair.

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