BREAKFAST LECTURE AT HERMAN MILLER

Creative Mornings puts on free monthly breakfast lectures ‘for creative types.’ They have 29 chapters worldwide and by some stroke of luck, one here in Toronto. These talks are popular, and if you don’t register early you are likely to miss out. It’s not often the speakers are Graphic Designers (let alone veterans in the industry), so when the sign-up opened at 9-something A.M,
I was at my computer ready.

This being my second ‘networking’ event of the week, I thought I knew what to expect — a few edibles (vegan unfriendly), and staying mute while listening to the featured speaker. The lecture was hosted by the Toronto Office of Herman Miller, allowing us an opportunity to acquire insight and feel for the company by exploring their space.

I was surprised by the extensive breakfast spread and numerous fancy coffee/latte/tea machines (I’m old school). I made a bee-line for display tables littered with design porn. I was taken aback when two girls actually utilized the nature of this occasion and introduced themselves. One did all the talking. She was very friendly and interested. Being quasi-socially awkward and distracted by my surroundings, I blanked on questions to ask her. Luckily, my outgoing colleague chimed in. My interpersonal skills clearly suffer when I’m not caffeinated. When we took our seats I noted the quantity of photographers (4 visible).

Herman Miller is a Michigan-based furniture and equipment company with an office in Toronto. It was renamed in 1923 when DJ De Pree became president after joining the company 4 years following it’s conception as Star Furniture Co. Herman Miller was De Pree’s father-in-law who kindly loaned De Pree the money to purchase the company.

Steve Frykholm was the first internal Graphic Designer at Herman Miller. He joined the company in 1970 after teaching Nigerian girls screenprinting as a member of the Peace Corp. He says he didn’t know how to screenprint at the time, so he learned with them. He is most known for his screenprinted picnic posters for the company, which are in museums such as MOMA, the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design. He has also won a number of awards from AIGA, American Center for Design, Communication Arts, and Print.

He shared the lecture with Clark Malcolm who has been at the company since 1983. He is also an accomplished author/co-author or editor of 16 books.

This modest and jovial duo delivered a casual and comedic presentation with the dynamic of a cute married couple. Malcolm promised to tell us “the truth” but
“couldn’t guarantee fact.”

They began with a key story that changed the outlook of De Pree and in turn shaped the ethos of Herman Miller. After the death of a Millright, De Pree visited the Millrights wife at their home. His wife showed De Pree poetry that the Millright had written. This supplanted the notion that “everybody is extraordinary,” which he adopted into the hiring process, basing future decisions on honesty and integrity.

When asked for their thoughts on the future of design and the rapid evolution of digital technology and practices, Frykholm stated though the possibilities are exciting, “design principles will not change.” He told us that designers have to pull up their socks and work hard. In demonstrating his approach to something dull like an annual report, he explained that he thought of the assignment as an opportunity to tell a story as opposed to an arrangement of numbers. One year presented ingeniously on the translucent packaging of a rain poncho. I can’t think of too many companies that would provide their designers with such creative freedom, which I can imagine contributes to Frkyholm’s long-standing loyalty to the brand.

During the question and answer session of the lecture, an audience member sought their perspective on the notion that “everyone’s an artist” given current social media outlets and technological abilities. They struggled to suppress a lengthy opinion, and answered with tactful optimism, but remarked “design is in your DNA” and “don’t these people have day jobs?” Frykholm also encouraged us to strive for authenticity.

The only thing detracted from this otherwise inspiring experience was the fellow with a camera who sat in front of me and shot continuously using his flash. I was blinded every 5 minutes and left with a headache. I wanted to tap him on the shoulder and inform him that a flash was not necessary, nor were 3,000 photos of someone in virtually the same position.