Looking Back On Two Decades

A recent endeavor of mine was an installation at the Brooks Stevens Gallery of Industrial Design at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.  This exhibit celebrates the 20-year anniversary of the gallery and features historic work as well as a section devoted to the last 20 years of output from our company.  In addition to pulling together the exhibit I also participated in a panel discussion on the opening night.  Being that I started with Brooks Stevens just about 20 years ago this carried a little emotional weight for me.

The opening statement of our portion of the exhibit touched upon an issue I find very interesting from the view of a consultant design firm:

Industrial Design is often discussed using the language of visual aesthetics. The “function” of a product viewed as something to be captured within a stylish shell formed and polished to conform to the aesthetic vision of a lone designer. With success, that designer’s vision may extend to more and more products, imbuing them with a common “look”.  And so a designer’s brand language strengthens… 

The work of Brooks Stevens Inc. over the last 20 years doesn’t exhibit a common “look” nearly as much as it does a common “touch.” It is characterized by a focus upon bringing true value to the market and to the end user – crafting a balance between the factors of consumer desire, business viability, and functional feasibility. Aesthetic language is more impactful when it cooperates with functionality instead of fighting against it, and promotes the brand of the client rather than the brand of the designer. 

From products you touch everyday to products that touch your life in critical times… From nudging young dreamers to explore design to those careers started with BSI which have gone on to influence other firms and manufacturers…   

The touch of Brooks Stevens Inc. surrounds you – and it goes deeper than just the surface.

The BSG@20 exhibit also features work by Fiskars, Master Lock, Lunar Desgin, and GE Healthcare. The show will be ending its run on the 8th of February, 2014, and I encourage those of you who are in the area to visit this unique show before it closes.