In addition to being an inspired designer of well, almost everything, Brian Graham is one of the brightest, funniest people in our industry. As founder and creative director of his own firm, Graham Design, LLC., Mr. Graham focuses on furniture and products that enhance the contemporary modern workplace. After beginning his career in interior design at Gensler, he made the seemingly uncommon – but historically natural – progression into product design. I met with Mr. Graham on July 20th in his San Francisco studio. The following interview aims to capture at least some hints of how the designer came to be who he is today and what continues to inspire and drive him to create.
OI: Tell me a little about your background. Where were you born, and where did you grow up?
BG: I’m a second generation Southern Californian native, born and raised in Long Beach (laughs), often referred to as Iowa-by-the-sea. I grew up basically as a sailing bum. That was my sport, sailing and racing boats.
OI: Was there a moment growing up when you knew you wanted to get into design? An aha moment?
BG: It was a really long aha. I always thought I’d do something that had to do with sailing. Before I wanted to be an architect, I wanted to be a naval architect. My path has been a process of constantly narrowing my options – much like the design process. When I realized becoming a naval architect would require more math than I was willing to do, I narrowed it down to becoming an architect (less math) and then to interior designer. I wasn’t a great student, but let’s just say that I used to have great drawings on the margins of my homework. I did well in the things that interested me. My mother remembers me drawing fire engines in perspective at a really early age, because that’s the way I saw things.
My maternal grandfather was a Renaissance man. He was an art director and a screenwriter and, back in the time when you could do these things, he even designed a couple of buildings. He was very interested in Southern California architects of the day and took an interest in me. He had story after story, like how he met Cliff May [best known for creating the California Ranch House], and stories of other architects. I remember when I was about 14 or 15, he drove me to the brand new Art Center building in Pasadena, designed by Craig Ellwood [recognized for fusing the formalism of Mies van der Rohe with the informal style of California modernism]. It was phenomenal. As we walked around, I saw some of the work that was being done there, and I remember saying, “Grandpa, this is something I can do.” And he said, “Yes, you can.”
A few years later, at Long Beach City College, I answered an ad for a “draftsman.” Remember that? Drafting.
A small husband and wife interior design firm hired me with zero experience, but lots of enthusiasm, to work part time with them. The best part of the job was that they had a set of Interior Design magazines. Stanley Abercrombie was the editor then. He had a penchant for architects, and I noticed that there were a lot of architects who were doing interior design. So I saw a potential pathway for myself. Not long after, I was introduced to another architect who was a teacher at Cal State Long Beach, which had an Interior Architectural Design BFA program. All of a sudden I became a very serious student because I knew that I was working towards something. And that’s where I ended up.
OI: You made the transition from interior designer to product designer. How did that come about for you?
BG: It’s unusual, and that’s probably my strength. I still think like an interior designer, who just happens to design furniture. It’s about the whole room and what plays in that room. I was hired by Gensler in Los Angeles. If you were lucky, as I was, you’d get teamed up with some senior designers and start by working on millwork drawings. It taught me the level of intimacy and the importance of material dimensions.
I’d seen Don Chadwick [designer of many products, including the Aeron chair for Herman Miller] give a lecture on his work in furniture design at Cal State Long Beach, but it wasn’t until I got into the finite work of millwork that I really understood. It was there that I met Pat Baxter from Martin Brattrud. He was doing a lot of banquettes and lounge furniture for Gensler projects. I asked Pat how they developed new products, and how something new would get created at Martin Brattrud. I had no idea what that would entail. It was the seed of my beginning. I moved to San Francisco, still at Gensler, in 1989. Around that time, Halcon approached Gensler about the idea of designing a product with them, and I became the lead designer on the project.
We developed the Agenda Collection. This became a defining product for Halcon and helped to make them a significant player in the market. Then I helped with developing and introducing the Smart Casegood TM line- along with the (new at the time) concept of “people work in piles.”
A few years later, after leaving Gensler, I spent several years in what I considered “graduate school” when I worked with Bob Arko and the Metropolitan Furniture Group [now part of Steelcase’s Coalesse] on developing Teamwork. They taught me how a product is conceived, developed and introduced. I’ve been heavily influenced by my time at Metro. It was a seminal time. Metro functioned as a west coast think tank for Steelcase, capturing the latest trends we were seeing here. It was exciting to be part of that group. So many people who were there still continue to be influential today.
OI: What are some of the benefits of having come from an architectural/interior design background rather than an industrial design background?
BG: It’s about having an awareness of objects and a deep understanding of how what you design must “play well with others.”
OI: I love the short film on your website, where you draw similarities to the film industry and being an “independent director,” which is akin to working with different studios, but in our world they are the manufacturers. Can you describe your design process?
BG: It all starts with a hand sketch in my notebook. It’s then a synthesizing of disparate ideas and stimuli. I go back and forth to try to find that simple essence of something. A little distance can help too. Chasing a little white ball around for a day or two can help [Brian is an avid golfer!]. When I come back, I often find some clarity.
OI: We hear a lot about CNC, real time technology and tools like 3D printers these days. How has that affected your design process and how do you see that affecting product development in general?
BG: One of the things about transferring from being an interior designer to a product designer is that there’s no poché, the filled-in parts of the plan. In product design, you have to know exactly what everything is made of. Oftentimes I don’t have the luxury of tooling every part from scratch, so I have to use standard materials, shapes and thicknesses.
I think there is another challenge out there as well for us. Normally when I start a project, I’d come to the factory, tour it, and design something that could go through that factory well. Now, the product may not go through that factory. It may go through someone else’s factory, or even through four or five vendor factories, before it eventually comes together. We’re now relying more on a variety of vendors, with some overseas, which can make the process much more challenging. It’s a lot more work to make sure that what you’re doing is manufacturable.
OI: When you start a product design project, how long do you expect it will take before you see the results – to reach that first full-scale prototype?
BG: All are different, but roughly 18-24 months is typical. 12 months is a fast cycle. There’s vendor sourcing, order entry, sales training. Not everybody has dedicated model making prototype shops, and if the factory is really busy, then you have to get in line.
What you’re trying to do with a prototype is to get that first snapshot. That, then, is what everyone rallies around, and no engineering is wasted. That’s a lesson I learned from Brian Kane; he always prototypes his own products. There’s a level of control there, but you can still refine the design.
And, while it’s great to have enthusiasm and ideas, it’s all about the execution of the product. I never want to be the smartest guy sitting around a table of engineers. They know much better how to get a product through their factory than I do.
OI: You’ve worked with a lot of major manufacturers in our industry (Knoll, Martin Brattrud, Geiger, Halcon). What are some of the qualities that make for a great working relationship and great results?
BG: It’s much like marriage: forgiveness and understanding. (He laughs) All the companies you’ve mentioned understand that good design is a positive thing that helps them earn business, win jobs and grow their business. Good design. It’s a strategic advantage. Companies like these value what you do, and they’re supportive.
OI: If you work with ‘X’ manufacturer, does it affect you in working with ‘Y’ manufacturer later?
BG: Sometimes. This business is made up of four-to-five really big manufacturers and dozens of terrific small businesses. The small businesses never seem to have a problem if you’ve worked in the past with the big ones. But at the big level, if you’re working with ‘X’, you cannot work with ‘Y’ at the same time. Once you’re finished with ‘X’, if ‘Y’ comes calling, it’s alright. It’s understood.
This also goes back to the Hollywood analogy though. As an independent designer I’m expected to do something unique and authentic for each particular client.
OI: When you set out to design a product, can you describe some of the things that spark your original idea?
BG: Architecture. It’s a continual source of inspiration for me. I think about this and draw a lot on long plane rides. Sometimes it’s really abstracted, like looking at the relationship of planes and solids and masses. Or, I’ll look at some detail I see on another unrelated product, and I might wonder if it’s something that could become a pull or a leg detail.
I also try to rediscover what the masters were doing 50 or 60 years ago. Not for styling, but to understand how, despite the lack of technology they were working with then, they created such innovative, fresh products. During the war, for instance, when there were limitations on materials. We don’t really have limitations like that now, but maybe you could impose something like that?
OI: What drives innovation from your point of view?
BG: Innovation means something different for every manufacturer. Working together, I try to solve problems unique to their specific needs.
OI: How do you design products that are fresh and not iterative?
BG: It’s the subtle little differences – nuances, materials, finishes and proportions – the really basic design principles, that are the ultimate differentiators.
OI: How do you stay inspired?
BG: I don’t have a choice. It’s the difference between waiting for your muse to strike and being a professional. I’m a professional; I hit my marks and perform. Michael Vanderbyl taught me that if you have a variety of things that you’re working on, you can make a move from one problem or product to another, which allows your mind to open up. There are a lot of things that I’m always working on. So I’m hopefully feeding my design machine. If I practiced golf like this, I’d be much better than I am!
OI: I’d describe your product designs as being elegant and classic with a modern sensibility. What was your inspiration for the Ratio Table, which you designed for Decca Contract this year?
BG: Well, for the past 10 years, I’ve been advising Decca Contract on their showroom look and products. This year, we decided to develop stories for the showroom vignettes which I hoped would resonate with people. And I felt something was missing. I knew from designers and dealers in the industry that there was a need for a simple communal table that people could gather around. Decca has amazing veneers and wood capabilities, so I knew they could make it. I started drawing a big rectangle like a classic farm table. And it ultimately became this simple thing that as you approach it from one angle, it looks one way and then changes as you walk around it.
It’s funny, because [Decca Contract President] John Fischbach asked me, “How long did it take you to come up with that?” And I remember that Charles Eames had a great quote when asked something similar. He said it was “a 30 year flash”, because they’d had the idea 30 years before they finally had the technology to make the product.
OI: Your company, Graham Design, does a lot more than “just” product design. Can you describe some of the other services you provide to clients?
BG: I always have some level of a consulting relationship with my clients. But it’s so much more than just developing products; it’s more strategic than that. Where before I was filling product voids, now I’m helping manufacturers find those voids, and advising them on where they may need to go.
My model is Michael Vanderbyl. He’s a graphic designer, yet he influences so many other things with his clients, like showrooms, branding and advertising. I get involved in those decisions as well, because they’re interconnected, but I’m more furniture-focused.
OI: What is it like working for a company like Decca Contract, where you’ve had a truly broad scope of work?
BG: My key relationship at Decca is with John Fischbach. Because of the challenges of working across time zones [Decca is located in China], we’ve become more sophisticated in how we work together. We use a collaborative platform called Base Camp. It posts everything in project buckets, tracking everything we do online and in the cloud.
Three years ago, my wife Nancy Graham joined me after a career in sales and sales management at Stendig, Sunar Hauserman, Geiger and Knoll. She developed the Élan by Decca brand from scratch. It was great. She dove in and, working with others, developed the brand and identity, wrote briefs and identified market opportunities. She created all of that and continues to refine things. So, consulting is presenting us with many more opportunities for expansion.
OI: What would you say most distinguishes west coast or San Francisco designers?
BG: Despite the clichés, we’re not laid back. There is an openess to new ideas. Architecturally I think of Neutra and Schindler, who emigrated to the west coast from Europe, the Eames Studio and the Southern California case study houses. These continue to be inspirational and enduring. What they did at that time was really sophisticated and daring.
OI: What advice do you have for designers who want to get into product design today?
BG: Young designers are not waiting to be asked to design things. They’re just doing it. The idea of lining up to be anointed to go work for a furniture manufacturer is radically receding.
My advice? Don’t sell one idea or one thing. Sell your ability to do anything, and a lot of different things. Identify problems in the marketplace. Sell your point of view. And build relationships.
OI: What are your top five products, rituals, or things you can’t live without?
BG:
- My wife, Nancy. She has impeccable taste, and she really cares. Working together has deepened our relationship in a way I didn’t expect.
- My morning cup of Peets coffee, or Sightglass coffee on 7th Street, if we have out of town guests. The space there is phenomenal; it’s really well designed.
- A morning walk – for gathering ideas. Inevitably, it clears my mind.
- I’m an avid golfer, and I completely get out of my design head for a few hours when I play.
- My sketchbook and pencil. I use a German Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook and a Blackwing Pearl Palamino Pencil, which is now being made in Japan. This is how I talk to myself and get ideas down.
OI: Who has had the most impact on your career?
BG: Brian Kane and Michael Vanderbyl. They’re dear friends, they’re mentors, and they are my brackets. They’re in this market. They understand it. They come at things completely differently, and they produce excellent results.
OI: Who is the hot young designer to watch?
BG: Justin Champaign, with Most Modest. He’s pushing new boundaries and is a bright young talent.
OI: Where would you travel tomorrow for inspiration?
BG: New York, for the energy. It’s always interesting. And my new favorite would be London. The design talent there is pretty amazing.
OI: If you went back to school, where would you go?
BG: Anywhere with a football team! (laughs) No, really it would be Pratt. It would be to go to the school the masters went to. There’s such a connection to history.
OI: What are you reading now?
BG: “You’re My Favorite Client,” the second book by Mike Monteiro, who runs Mule Design. It’s really funny and spot on.
OI: Who has been your favorite client over the years?
BG: The next one. No, really, that’s like choosing your favorite child! So, I’ll say the next one.
OI: What’s next?
BG: NeoCon in 346 days [Brian shows his countdown clock app (T-0) on his iPhone]. The busiest part of NeoCon is now, post-NeoCon. From a product standpoint, we’re all looking at what needs to be done before they open the doors next year.
I’m working on a variety of things, from a singular seating object to entire new product systems, for a variety of clients.
I’ll see you in Chicago next June!
For more information about Brian Graham and Graham Design, please visit www.grahamdesignsf.com