As Herman Miller’s digital agency, we visited the Eames House in the Pacific Palisades a while back. Now we are proud owners of our very own Eames House (although it is a bit smaller and made out of wooden alphabet blocks) by House Industries. What a great combo: architecture + toys.
Hello’s collaboration with Herman Miller featured in HOW’s “My Best Work” column.
In every issue of HOW, the magazine features a noted designer to ask one question: “What is your best, favorite, or most memorable design project?” For this month’s issue, our CEO/Creative Director, David Lai, answered with, “Herman Miller.”
Hello has worked with Herman Miller for a few years now, and we’ve always valued our relationship with them and our shared philosophy on the power of good design. We admire Herman Miller for their thoughtfulness in approach in making things human, and love hearing all the stories they have to share.
There’s something really special about going behind the scenes of a company you truly admire. – David Lai
Last week we stopped by the Design is Blank showcase, a networking event for LA-based designers. Livelier than your typical name card exchanging get-together, the event was hosted by Designisblank.com, Bold Collective, and Fresh Pressed Screenshops. One of our favorite live-screened tees was the House Industries T-shirt.
“Toys are not really as innocent as they look. Toys and games are the preludes to serious ideas.” – Charles Eames
We saw this beautifully crafted set of Eames House Alphabet blocks at the Eames Office during the House Industries exhibition where they introduced their new typeface: Eames Century Modern. The Michigan-grown basswood blocks with screen printed letters, numbers, and symbols from the Eames typeface can also be arranged into a model of Charles and Ray Eames’s iconic home, Case Study House No. 8.
Having visited the Eames House and seen their archived work at Herman Miller, we deeply appreciate the Eames legacy and their philosophy of affordable, yet high quality furniture for the everyday person. The blocks introduce children to great design at a young age, but are also a collector’s item for Eames design enthusiasts who aren’t able to visit the house or own a piece of Eames furniture.
The blocks are available May 1st.
Last night we went to the Eames Office for the opening of the House Industries exhibition where they released their Eames Century Modern fonts collection. We played with the fonts on wooden blocks, looked at fonts on freestanding hand-printed installations, and watched them get screen printed onto tote bags. It was typography made 3D.
A night of font faces, Eames furniture, and a live band. So this is what typography enthusiasts do for fun– that’s pretty cool.
We like this design quotes screensaver from neography. On long days when your brain becomes as idle as your computer, these quotes kick things up a little in the noggin.
We caught an intimate exhibit on Ray Eames during our visit to the Eames Office where her well-known scraps of notes, clothing designs, and personal letters – which we found the most interesting – were displayed.
Ray’s handwritten luggage tag.
This letter was written by Ray Eames to one of her granddaughters, addressed to a gate at the JFK airport as a little surprise before her granddaughter boarded the plane. These notes and letters were Ray’s trademark style as small presents to her grandchildren.
Up next at the Eames Office is the House Industries Eames exhibition, we’ll see you there.
Ever wonder what it’s like to conduct a first-rate orchestra? Here’s your chance with the Bravo Gustavo game. Cue in the correct section of the orchestra and rack up your points–can you earn Super Maestro status?
We launched this game as part of an overall campaign to welcome Gustavo Dudamel who takes over as the LA Phil’s Music Director this year. The site features exclusive video (cool interview of Gustavo and composer John Adams), Gustavo’s Deutsche Grammophon recordings, and the Bravo Gustavo iPhone app.
The app allows you to choose a piece of music by the LA Phil and then conduct in real time using the accelerometer to adjust tempo. Conduct fast, conduct slow–you are in control of the orchestra. (If you’re shy you can tap the screen.)
Download the app.
This past weekend we attended the Dwell on Design conference here in LA. Our design intern, Matt, won the Dwell design competition placing first in the CoolCapitals/Wacom Challenge. He had 30 minutes to design on the new Wacom monitors. Grand prize: a new Sony VAIO!
We are excited to launch the new Herman Miller web site. We crafted the digital strategy for the site along with tools and resources for architects and designers. There is a new image library, videos, configurator, and a blog called “Discover.” The design and development was a massive effort and continues to be amazing to work on.
Herman Miller works for a better world around you, check out this brand video. BTW – Herman Miller really does bottle their own honey!
