DESIGN QUARTERLY 98/99
Nelson, Eames, Girard, And Propst:
The Design Process at Herman Miller
George Nelson [introduction]
George Nelson [introduction]: NELSON, EAMES, GIRARD, AND PROPST: THE DESIGN PROCESS AT HERMAN MILLER. Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 1975 [Design Quarterly 98/99]. Original edition. slim quarto. Perfect bound and stitched wrappers. 64 pp. 54 color and 64 black and white illustrations. 8-page Exhibition checklist laid in. Interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print. Colorful wrappers lightly rubbed, but a very good copy.
8.5 x 11 perfect-bound softcover exhibition catalogue with 64 pages and 54 color illustrations and 64 black and white illustrations. Edited by Mildred S. Friedman and designed by James E. Johnson. Catalogue of the exhibition at the Walker Art Center in 1975. An exceptional issue of a distinguished publication. Highly recommended.
- Introduction by George Nelson
- George Nelson by Olga Gueft
- Charles and Ray Eames by Esther McCoy
- Alexander Girard by Jack Lenor Larsen
- Robert Propst by Ralph Caplan
- The Design Process: includes a two-page spread on how the Eames Lounge Chair is manufactured
- Biographies/Bibliographies
Gilbert Rohde spearheaded a paradigmatic shift in Herman Miller's approach to design in the '30s. At his behest, the company abandoned its reliance on ornate reproductions and began producing furniture of the day -- unembellished, modular pieces designed for modern life and work. The catalogue for Rohde's Executive Office Group describes his designs as "office furniture that is modern from the inside as well as the outside, modern in the works as well as in the way it looks."
George Nelson had great things in mind when he set out to produce the first Herman Miller Collection catalogue in 1947 -- much to the dismay of CEO D.J. De Pree, who rejected the design based on the projected costs. But instead of downgrading, Nelson upped the ante, adding a hardcover and an unheard of three-dollar price tag. The gambit paid off (literally), and the 1948 catalog set a new standard for the industry. By 1952, Nelson had further honed his approach to honest, problem-solving design.
By describing the plight of the common office worker George Nelson and Robert Propst argue the insight and aesthetics behind "the Action Office." Nelson, then Herman Miller's Design Director, and Propst, its Director of Research, back their position with numerous examples of how Action Office promotes health and productivity: by encouraging people to change postures throughout the day; giving them ways to store and display materials; and allowing for adaptation so furnishings can adjust to the ebb and flow of the workday.
As Herman Miller's Research Director, Propst's investigation of "the office and the human performer" asserts that the constant, exponential change in technology and modes of work has left the physical environment lagging far behind. Since the revolution in work was based on communication, Propst argues that networks must be the primary concern.
Design Quarterly began as Everyday Art Quarterly, published by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis starting in 1946. The editorial focus aimed to bring modern design to the masses through thoughtful examination of household objects and their designers. Everyday Art Quarterly was a vocal proponent of the Good Design movement (as represented by MoMA and Chicago's Merchandise Mart) and spotlighted the best in industrial and handcrafted design. When the magazine became Design Quarterly in 1958, the editors assumed a more international flair in their selection of material to spotlight. Design Quarterly ceased publication in 1993.