05.05.09

Herman Miller Materials Program samples

Collateral, Business

Herman Miller offers over 1,600 material choices for use on its products; understanding the available choices and their use is essential to a frequently circuitous design process that involves exploration, play, learning, making comparisons, developing solutions, being influenced by differences and similarities, wanting a specific item and being open to suggestion. The goal was to make the process delightful with a program that’s sustainable in its manufacturing and processes, simple and reliable, efficient and cost effective and informative. As part of an ongoing redesign of the entire material offering being (led by Susan Lyons, Herman Miller’s Materials Consultant) Brooklyn-based Michael McGinn Design Office established a new paradigm for designing with materials. The program consists of two equally important components: physical samples to be seen and touched and a Web site to explore and understand. It’s a holistically conceived solution that recognizes the relationship between experiencing and understanding materials while eliminating wasteful practices. Developed to support the way that designers actually work, it was conceived from the perspective of the designer and specifier who must make informed choices.

Michael McGinn/Bryan Hallam/Jennie Maneri/Jeff Anzulewicz, designers; Michael McGinn/Sharon Gresh, creative directors; John Balestrieri, Tinrocket LLC, programmer.

mmdesignoffice.comwww.hermanmiller.com