The Iterative Process of Design
People intuitively recognize good design; it invokes a sense of inevitability—a “should be-ness” according to Charles and Ray Eames. For those outside of design this can seem simple, but the truth is it’s an iterative process of exploring every possibility until you land on the one that is just right.
Designer Yves Béhar knows something about this from his work on SAYL. Achieving the refined feel of SAYL’s frameless took nearly three years. More than 100 different patterns were created—each evaluated and informing the next pattern. This was repeated until Béhar and Herman Miller landed on the final design that everyone knew was just right.
The result is a frameless back with ergonomic support molded into it. The first of its kind, the back moves, supports, and responds to the sitter in a natural way. When you look at it, you don’t see the process of design; rather you’re left with a sense that it is as it should be.