IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 29

Brokering the deal

How do most designer-manufacturer partnerships come about in the first place? Unsurprisingly, many commissions culminate longtime relationships with designer clients. David Rockwell and Roger Thomas, for instance, were both top customers of Maya Romanoff before launching their product lines. But not all partnerships are born from sales relationships. In fact, Maya Romanoff’s third collaborator, interior designer Amy Lau, wasn’t even a frequent specifier of wallpaper when she was tapped to re-imagine archival patterns for the company’s 40th anniversary. What she did have was a curatorial bent and a scholarly understanding of mid-century design, which suited her to the task at hand. “Amy was a bit of a wild card,” admits Laura Romanoff. “But her work was about going into the archives, wiggling her nose, and figuring out how to breathe new life into a selection of our offerings.”

Some companies, HBF for one, have been known to initiate requests for proposals. “We’ve orchestrated fully transparent design competitions, reaching out to a short list of firms with a brief,” says Stark. Invitees generally have expertise in the particular product category, be it conferencing or collaborative seating. “Some designers are probably more inclined to handle certain capabilities, especially power, data, or A/V,” he explains. Although most of its unions come about in this manner, or as an outgrowth of an existing relationship, HBF also gets unsolicited submittals. “Interior designers will sometimes approach us with success when they’ve identified a hole in the marketplace,” says Stark, noting that this is how Bottom Duvuvier’s conferencetable collection was sparked. “But that’s a little like being blindfolded and throwing darts at a dartboard,” he says of the strategy’s effectiveness. Agents occasionally play matchmaker, too; such was the case with HBF Textiles’s 2009 collection with Campion Platt. Manufacturers generally prefer to partner with designers who have successful track records and a marketable degree of fame. But emerging talents can get a foot in the door with a signature approach or groundbreaking research— and by garnering buzz. Design directors invariably admit to poring over magazines and blogs, staying on top of who’s doing what, and being design-information junkies. Says Miller, “I spend a lot of time looking at Web sites and portfolios. I also go to lectures, especially trade shows and IIDA events.”

perspective

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012

IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012
Contents
Contributors
From IIDA
Behind the Issue
Design Dialogue
Getting It, Together
What Clients Want: Product Manufacturers
Paths for the Protégé
Design Decoded
Resources
Behind the Design
Viewpoints
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 5
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Contributors
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Behind the Issue
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Design Dialogue
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 14
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 16
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Getting It, Together
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 20
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 22
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 24
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - What Clients Want: Product Manufacturers
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 30
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 32
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Paths for the Protégé
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 38
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Design Decoded
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 44
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 48
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Resources
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 52
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Behind the Design
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 55
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Viewpoints
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - Cover4
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