Design for You Lives On
Remember our Design for You contest where we gave away 5 painted Eames rockers? Well, they’ve resurfaced on Mocoloco and been beautifully reinterpreted by Chris Sweet using Autodesk‘s Sketchbook Pro. Check them out here.
Design, Products
January 13, 2011
Balance, Design, Products
December 9, 2010
Design For You Winners
Last week we published the full list of winners in our Design for You contest. Thank you to everyone that entered and congratulations to all the winners! We interviewed some of the winners and found out that this was the first time any of them had received a prize like this…unless you count a bottle of wine taken away from a four year old. You’ll need to read on to find out about that one!
Illinois-based graphic designer Karla C. won the Eames rocker hand-painted by Mark Giglio (above and below). We asked her what she most liked about the design,”I like everything about Eames, the rocker is very comfortable plus it is an incomparable design. I am a graphic designer and my husband is an industrial designer, we’ve liked Eames design for a long time. Plus my girls love to sit on it and they take turns to read on it, another plus! I will keep it in my living room, so everyone who comes to visit can see it.” Has she ever won anything before? “This is the first time, and it was a EAMES ROCKER, I can’t believe it!”
How did the others winners feel? Tristan K., who won the Eames Hang it All had this to say:
“I like that it’s functional yet playful. It’s nice that something as utilitarian as a coat rack can be made visually pleasing, and provide a bright spot of color in your home. We’ll most likely hang it in our child’s room when we have kids. Kids like good design too.”
We asked Tristan if he’d ever won anything: ”I won a raffle when I was 4. The prize was a bottle of wine, which I was not allowed to keep. Kind of a bummer. This is much better.”
Lastly we interviewed Robert M., who won the Eames Splint (pictured below suspended from the ceiling at the Eames Office in Santa Monica. Ca)
“Starting off with your last question first – I do not win drawings – period. So, I am super excited to have had my name drawn. Maybe this will be a turning point. I have won auctions before, but then, that’s really just the right to pay for something which really isn’t the same thing. When I learned that I won, I excitedly called my wife and exclaimed, ‘Babe, I just won a splint!’ Needless to say she was a little baffled.
As far as the design goes, the splint has a number of physical characteristics that appeal to me and includes a second (or vice versa) layer of symbolism. Aside from the obvious that the splint represents the dawn of an iconic furniture design era and form, it also represents an outstanding design solution.
As an urban planner practicing economic development for the City of Pasadena, Ca, I am regularly presented with challenges that require a different approach towards finding a solution for multiple and often divergent agendas – this splint is of course a literal interpretation of that concept – working with a material that is typically rigid and flat and applying differing techniques to mold, bend and flex to create a form that is more curvilinear and accepting thereby resolving a number of limitations.
There are other elements that are aesthetically pleasing as having a “Found Art” appeal. I have always been drawn to art that utilizes a variety of materials and techniques that result in a somewhat dark theme involving doll parts, bits and pieces of things all interwoven and layered towards composition. However, while I can appreciate that aesthetic, I choose not to live within it (or I should say my wife states that we will not) but this allows enough to satisfy my taste, and be clean enough to meet hers.
There is also something about the original purpose of the splint that seeks to resolve or repair the affects and conditions of war on the human body and represents survival, healing, and repair from the affects and in that sense further reminds us of the damages and costs associated.
I should also note that it is a bit ironic that I am the recipient, having been known to be a little accident prone myself; I hope that I never have the cause to use it.”
You can see the full list of winners here. (Click contest winners at the top of the page).
Design, Products
November 2, 2010
Design For You: The Last Day
This is it. The very last day for you to go into the draw to win one of the 5 painted Eames rockers.
I’d like to thank all the artists involved for sharing their talent and time and energy. Mark Giglio, Phil Lumbang, Christopher Lee, Josh Cochran and Andrew Holder. Amazing work from all of you.
And good luck to all our entrants!
It’s been a blast!
Design, Products
October 26, 2010
Design For You
Today is the last day to enter your email address and go into a draw for the Embody chair. This chair began its life in the design studio of Jeff Weber and the late Bill Stumpf. They wanted to solve a problem – the lack of harmony between us and the computer we find ourselves seated at for most of our working day. Their idea? To design a chair that could do more actually have positive effects on the body. You can read the full design story here but Weber said “You can’t design without empathy. Since design has become more technology based, we’ve had to sit in our chairs in front of computers for longer periods, just like everyone else. We identify with the problems people have as a result of sitting.” Their solution to this 21st century problem was the Embody chair and you can read all about the design process here.
Our Design for You competition is winding down. Next week, next Tuesday to be exact, will be the final day you will be able to enter to win one of the five painted Eames rockers. Plus the person with the most friends and family who have signed up will win an Aeron chair. But now time is really of the essence. You’ve got until November 2 – next Tuesday. Get onto it!
Products
October 19, 2010
Design For You: The Eames Plywood Splint
Today is the last day to go into the draw for the Eames plywood splint. I was at the Eames Office recently and couldn’t resist snapping their display of splints. These light weight plywood pieces were the Eames’ response to the heavy stiff metal splints that were used during WWII. About 150,000 of the Eames product were produced. When the war ended the Charles and Ray took the work they’d done with the splint and molding plywood and used it in their furniture designs.
Below is a splint proudly displayed on the living room wall of freelance writer Bill Robinson. You can read the full story on his favorite wedding present here.
Balance, Design, Products
October 11, 2010
Design for You: Andrew Holder
As promised here is the interview with Andrew Holder – the final artist behind the painted Eames rockers. The Design for You competition continues with three more weeks until entries are closed. You can read more about the prizes here.
How long have you worked in your current studio? And where is it? I moved from Pasadena to Eagle Rock about five months ago. It is only about six miles away from my the old place but somehow it feels more “LA” to me. I work from home so my studio consists of a spare bedroom and a garage which I have yet to take advantage of. Eventually (hopefully soon) I plan on doing all of my printing and painting out of the garage but since moving here I have mostly been doing work for clients so there hasn’t really been a need to set it up.
Describe your style? How would you define your aesthetic? My style tends to be very graphic. Geometric and organic shapes combined with a lot of different textures. Partly due to the fact that a lot of my work is screen-printed. Aesthetically, it’s kind of hard to say since I jump around a lot but it definitely has a nostalgic or retro quality to it. I have heard my work be described as future folk before but I am not entirely sure what that means.
As an artist how do you keep your space organized? I’m thinking here of the physical space but also your computer. Are there any particular programs you find really useful? Shelves, lots of shelves and drawers. Basically anywhere I can hide things. Having a garage is great, I no longer have printers and power tools looming over my head waiting to attack with the next earthquake.
What would you change about your workspace if you could? The windows, though they are great and provide good lighting, swing inward and make it difficult to put furniture anywhere. My desk and shelving are where they are because they have to be. The mid wall light fixtures don’t help the situation either.
What do you most love about your space? The old beat up wood floors and, contrary to my previous response, the lighting.
Tell me about the experience of painting the Eames chair? How much prep did you have to do? What inspired the final design? Well, since I had to finish the piece within a short amount of time I arrived knowing what I was going to do with a mock up in hand. Admittedly, I was a little freaked out about being filmed but it turned out to be a great experience and I really enjoyed it. It was good to put faces to names of people whose work I knew and admired. The design I came up with based on the tag line of “for a better world around you”. I knew I wanted it to be simple and have something to do with nature so I came up with the bird/peacock design. It seemed to work well with the form of the chair.
What inspires you? Everything. People, places, events etc. I try to get out of the studio, experience new things and break routine as much as possible. Sitting within four walls all day can be quite mind numbing.
Design, Products
October 4, 2010
Design For You: Mark Giglio
The Design for You competition has captured the imagination of over 10,000 of you. And there is still 3 weeks to go before we get to the final prizes. Good luck all who have entered!
Here’s the fourth in our interviews with the artists who painted the Eames’ rockers for the competition. Dave Cuzner interviewed the Oakland-based artist Mark Giglio for us back in January. We revisit his studio to hear about the experience of working on a classic piece of furniture.
How long have you worked in your current studio? My studio is in Oakland California and I’ve been here for almost 9 years. Soon I’ll split my time between here and my new home studio. I’m mostly doing graphic design work out of my studio because it’s a small space in an apartment. Then at my home studio I’ll have a wood shop and printing area. I’m really excited to be able to do a lot more with the two spaces.
What would you change about your workspace if you could? Before I would have said limited space. But now I tend to only think about making a new desk for my home studio and what materials I’ll make it out of. And how I can build out my home work space to be modular so I can easily go from wood shop to print shop to painting studio.
What do you most love about your space? That it’s my personal space with all the things I like being around. My projects, my books and things I’ve collected on my travels. They are all there. I often spend a good amount of my time freelancing in other people’s offices so I really appreciate coming back to my own space. It’s really nice having a personal space to experiment and work in.
Describe your style? Graphic and simple.
As an artist how do you keep your space organized? Bookshelves and organized piles. I like things to be organized or categorized in a certain way and found piles and bookshelves work best for me. That way things are out in sight and I know right where everything is. Clutter distracts me so my space is usually very organized. My laptop is pretty much like my surroundings, over organized. Everything is hidden in a folder in a folder in a folder.
Tell me about the experience of painting the Eames chair? How much prep did you have to do? What inspired the final design? Being apart of the ‘Design for You’ project was really awesome. I’ve been an Eames fan for a long time so getting to work on a rocker was really cool. My final design was inspired by the rocker itself and from the creative brief which was to design something around Herman Miller’s motto “For a better world around you”. I sat and thought a lot about how a rocker might be used before I started sketching. The thing that stuck with me the most was story telling, how a mother might be rocking her child and talking to it. Which then lead to how important it is for us to all talk and share things. To pass on environmental wisdom to one another so we can build a better world around us. Once I had my concept I sketched things out and finalized my design about two days before painting the chair. Then the last thing I did the day before the shoot was make my cushion. Cut the pattern from my scrap fabrics and sew them together.
What inspires you? Learning about new processes to make something with, exposing myself to new things through travel, going to museums and libraries, meeting new people and friends. Trying to learn and expose myself to new things, I think that is what keeps me inspired the most. And also always wanting to make something new. I really love making things and that ultimately is what keeps me going.
Design, Products, Technology
September 27, 2010
Design For You: Chris Lee
We continue our interview series with the artists behind the Design for You painted Eames rockers. Here’s Christopher Lee, a graphic artist with a penchant for toys and organized chaos.
How long have you worked in your current studio? And where is it? I left my job last October to work as a full-time freelance illustrator. My studio is the second bedroom in the townhouse that I rent.
Describe your style? How would you define your aesthetic? I experiment with a lot of different styles and don’t really feel bound by just one. My favorite style to work in usually mixes handmade textural qualities, muted color palettes, simple characters and type. I would describe my aesthetic as minimal but with whimsical undertones.
As an artist how do you keep your space organized? I’m thinking here of the physical space but also your computer. Are there any particular programs you find really useful? I shove all of my paperwork under the rug! I actually wish I had more formal places for things. My closet is fairly messy but all of my pens, paper, packing supplies and other various things I use on a daily basis are close at hand. Actually my whole office is organized chaos because I like to fill my space with as much inspiration as possible. It’s a little messy in that regard but I have a whole house that I can keep clean. In regards to my computer, I find FontExplorer X Pro invaluable for organizing my fonts. I’ve tried other programs in the past, but this one takes the cake for me.
Tell me about the experience of painting the Eames chair? How much prep did you have to do? What inspired the final design? Painting the Eames chair presented a bunch of different challenges for me. This was the first time I’ve ever painted anything. That was was probably the biggest hurdle for me to get over. I sketched the piece first and then brought it into Illustrator where I planned the colors and finalized the composition. I printed out the illustration and started mixing colors and writing down the ratios so that when it came time to painting the actual chair I could focus on just the painting part. I was inspired by the idea of a shepherd in nature. An entity of sorts that guides and oversees all that is living.
What inspires you? I really dig the mid-century modern furniture and architecture. There was just so much design history during that period. I’m also a fan of this DIY “Etsy” movement that is influencing a lot of things these days. My girlfriend is always a constant inspiration along with our Boston Terrier, Ponzu.
What would you change about your workspace if you could? I wish I had more space. Everything is pretty cozy at the moment.
What do you most love about your space? I love my vintage 80’s/early 90’s toy collection. The corner that my desk is situated in is my own little nostalgic retreat. If I’m feeling stressed all I have to do is glance at something and I’m transported back to 1989.
Design, Products
September 27, 2010
Design for You: Leaf Light
Our Design for You competition continues. This week the prize is Yves Behar’s Leaf Light.
It’s amazing what a good desk lamp can do nowadays. The Leaf Light works hard on a number of levels. It’s an elegant design that uses as little material as possible with 96% of the finished object being recyclable. Its LED system allows you, with the slide of a finger, to change the light from warm to cool. And, as with all Behar’s work, it looks good. To enter to win simply leave your email address here and we will place you in the draw for the light and all the upcoming prizes.
Design, Products
September 24, 2010
Design For You: The Aeron
With all the prizes now unlocked in our Design for You competition all you need to do is enter your email to be eligible to win. There are still 5 designs to win plus the painted Eames rockers. And, as a little – or rather big – extra we’ve also included an Aeron chair. The way to win that chair is to get your friends and family to sign up. The one with the most signatures will win the chair. You can read all about it here. Good luck!