In the mid-1990’s architect Michael Graves was approached by Target Stores to create original home product designs for the discount chain. Target, looking to attract and further cater to their growing amount of upscale customers, sought to establish a line of home products that were both aesthetically pleasing and yet very comfortable and affordable. In order to do this, they looked for help from Michael Graves’ firm, Graves Design.
Graves, an architect at heart with an avid interest in product design, began his work in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s and quickly cultivated an outstanding reputation in the architect world. He belonged to a group of several others architects known as the “New York Five” that believed in the ideals of post-modernism and more specifically “the use of modernized classical forms and emphatic uses of color.” Graves’ buildings in particular suggested a sense of irony in relation to classical forms. They were derisive yet fun imitations of popular standards of the past.
Graves steadily created a repertoire of unique and exciting product designs throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s, such as his popular 1985 teapot that had a playful bird spout and was made for Italian design firm Alessi. Due to his work, Graves caught the eye of a merchandising director at Target who invited him to come to a store and take a look around. Graves found many products he believed could benefit from his distinctively kitschy yet sophisticated design aesthetic and they created over 350 different products from picture frames to patio furniture.
Graves’ designs proved so successful that his deal with target amounted to almost a quarter of Graves' entire business which helped him to reinforce his future endeavors in architecture. More importantly however, Graves and Target jointly fostered the idea of taking “the look for less” principle and relating it to home furnishings.
Graves, an architect at heart with an avid interest in product design, began his work in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s and quickly cultivated an outstanding reputation in the architect world. He belonged to a group of several others architects known as the “New York Five” that believed in the ideals of post-modernism and more specifically “the use of modernized classical forms and emphatic uses of color.” Graves’ buildings in particular suggested a sense of irony in relation to classical forms. They were derisive yet fun imitations of popular standards of the past.
Graves steadily created a repertoire of unique and exciting product designs throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s, such as his popular 1985 teapot that had a playful bird spout and was made for Italian design firm Alessi. Due to his work, Graves caught the eye of a merchandising director at Target who invited him to come to a store and take a look around. Graves found many products he believed could benefit from his distinctively kitschy yet sophisticated design aesthetic and they created over 350 different products from picture frames to patio furniture.
Graves’ designs proved so successful that his deal with target amounted to almost a quarter of Graves' entire business which helped him to reinforce his future endeavors in architecture. More importantly however, Graves and Target jointly fostered the idea of taking “the look for less” principle and relating it to home furnishings.
Posted By: Rob Goodman
Sources:
Goldberger, Paul. (February, 1999). A Postmodernist Goes Shopping. The New Yorker, pp. 23-24.
Business Week. (1999). Michael Graves Target Toaster. Retrieved October 7, 2009 from http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_23/b3632043.htm.
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