Rebuilding What Was Lost: The Eames Design Firm in the Information Age SAI SHIVANI SOUNDARARAJ, LEILA LI, GABE PERSONS Ray and Charles Eames A Brief History Cranbrook Academy of Art 3 Ray, the painter; Charles, the architect Extending their fields Married in 1941 The Eames Lounge Chair Wood 30-year flash or laborious process? Organic Design in Home Furnishings (1940) Affordable, modern pieces 3 The L.A. Experiments 1942: Venice Beach U.S. Air Force Molded leg splints Kazaam! Designing within constraints 2 The Eames Design Philosophy What is design? Arranging elements for a purpose How does Eames design? Learning by doing Never delegate understanding. 2 What is design for? The best for the most for the least. Common man 2 Where are we now? Recently I was furnishing a multi-million dollar mansion, but the owner is not willing to pay $4700 for the Barcelona chair. But with a $650 knock off? He said, Go ahead and get me 4! the legit versions bring me much more satisfaction to use, look at and enjoy. I regret buying the knock-offs even though they were cheaper, and don't regret any of the vintage purchases. Would purchase multiple pieces, but a single one looks out of place. Current Line of LCW $ Base walnut model Overpriced Competition Who are they? Founded in 1905 1930: Modernist furniture 1946: Charles and Ray 4 models How do they function? Online store Distribution Shop by type and designer Selling designers The Good Marketing Techniques 1. Production video 2. Images of chair use Distinctive, conforming design 3. 3D models 4. Collaborative experience The Bad Lack of Focus Eames design and philosophy? 1. Work as play 2. Fulfilling need 3. Coincidence of design PRICE POINT LCW too expensive Inflation Cost of plywood Competitors Other upscale furniture? -- too expensive Molded plywood, solid beech arms Designed by Norman Cherner, 1958 Made in the USA by The Cherner Chair Company $1029 Grete jalk gj chair Design Grete Jalk, 1963 Laminated plywood Made in Denmark by Lange Production $2700 Competitors Reproductions Who are they? Online furniture stores Kardiel Mid-century reproductions Rove Concepts Affordable luxury pieces The Good Low cost Detailed specs Structure Materials Comparisons Market niche Clear Information The Bad Finish options Kardiel Designer information Rove Concepts Vague comparisons Clean sites, but boring User Scenarios Upper Middle Class: Returning Buyers New Buyers Familiar with Eames New Buyers Unfamiliar with Eames (but want designer pieces) References 1. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2. Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter Jason Cohn & Bill Jersey 3. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Metropolitan Museum of Art 4. Organic Armchair Vitra Design Museum 5. What is Design? An Interview with Charles Eames Madame Amie, The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: Exhibition and Book Review Nicolas Maffei, Spring 1999 Undercutting Designers 1. Value of designer 2. How HM improved designs Collaborative Effort Where does credit go? Flow of furniture Distributed photographs 6 Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen Plywood, upholstered shell Production issues Departure of Eero 2 Design from learning Splint holes Splitting chair Know your users Eames as hosts 2