For those interested in how things are made, there's a fantastic slide-show showing the step by step processes involved in making a Select Nelson Tray Table over at the Discover blog. The table is made from moulded plywood, a process Herman Miller helped to pioneer. The original tray table was designed by George Nelson in 1955 as a solution to smaller modern living spaces. It is collapsible and portable with the idea that it could brought out when entertaining guests and packed away again. Anyone purchasing it today may not want to hide it away in a cupboard, particularly the 2011 limited edition version, reworked as part of the Herman Miller Select range. It has a decorative timber inlay based on George Nelson's Flock of Butterflies clock, in walnut and santos palisander veneers and white ash. Visit the discover blog to tour the workshop and learn just what is involved in bringing it to life.

Posted by Lauren Evans

We've found some interesting comparisons between Steve Jobs and Charles Eames recently. Over at the gigaom website, one of San Francisco's most influential tech websites, writer Om Malik suggests those who have read the Steve Jobs biography should see the recently released documentary Eames: The Architect and the Painter as an addendum to the book. He notes the similarities between Charles Eames and Jobs; "they both were very clear in distinguishing what is design and what is style. And more importantly both made simplicity their mantra". He references a review of the film that appeared in the New York Times that also references Jobs in its introduction questioning whether Jobs, like Eames was "primarily a designer, an engineer, a computer nerd or an artist? A benevolent guru or the center of a cult of personality?" The article is well worth reading, find it here.

The comparisons being made are certainly thought provoking and it will be interesting to see how Jobs legacy grows as time and technology moves on - will he will remain as revered as the Eameses still are today, half a century later?

Read the full gigaom article here.  The documentary Eames: The Architect and the Painter will be released in the Asia Pacific region this year but for those who want a sneak peek, it can now be viewed online in its entirety via flash or as an app at the PBS website, here's the link. 

Posted by Lauren Evans

Over 650 pieces of The Herman Miller Collection were previewed at Miami's Art Basel last week, furnishing the private collectors lounge and both restaurants at the art show. The idea behind The Collection comes from none other than George Nelson who in his introduction to the 1952 Herman Miller catalogue, spoke of "the continuing creation of a permanent collection designed to meet fully the requirements for modern living." Nelson's philosophy was the starting point for this new collection. The team behind it began by taking pieces from the Herman Miller archives and updating them to meet contemporary standards of sustainability and durability and it looks as though they might have had quite a bit of fun along the way.

For the first time new pieces from George Nelson have been presented including thin edge case goods and the Nelson Pedestal Stool. A stunning new version of the Eames shell chair that employs moulded plywood in place of the current coloured polypropylene is a highlight. You will also find Eames dining chairs upholstered in bright pink and orange (below), the Eames Lounge in white leather and ash and Tuxedo sofas upholstered in Alexander Girard fabric. Further archival pieces will be introduced as the Collection grows and new designs are being developed with the current generation of talented designers. Asia Pacific readers, you won't have to wait long to see for yourself, the Herman Miller Collection will be touring the region in 2012... so stay tuned!

Posted by Lauren Evans

If you celebrate Christmas, it's about now that boxes of decorations are dragged out and dusted off to decorate the tree and home. We're in need of a little inspiration this year and thought we'd share with you our favourite decorative finds to help get into the Christmas spirit. How will you be decorating your home for the festive season?

On the top of my wishlist is this lovely set of technicolour glass birds from Nova 68 that look as though they came straight out of the 1950's, but are in fact thoroughly contemporary and shipped around the world thanks to the joys of online shopping.

Etsy is an absolute treasure trove of inspiration when it come to hand-made and crafty christmas decorations. These lovely paper hearts (above) made from vintage maps from bookity take my fancy. As do these crotchet decorations from peaqo (below).

Finally, children and adults alike couldn't help but be delighted by a Christmas pyramid on the table, powered by four twinking tealight candles. My family has one that's been passed down from generation to generation that tinkles as it spins, so I have a soft spot for them. I think this wooden one by Erzebirge (below) depicting the nativity scene is particularly lovely.

Posted by Lauren Evans

The above offering is by design retailer Moss and it comes with some fine pedigree. The two lounge and ottomans are original vintage Eames in Brazilian rosewood veneer as specified by Charles and Ray themselves, but a timber we stopped using for the lounges in 1992, when it became listed on the endangered species list. Moss have upholstered them in the Maharam fabric 'Repeat Dot' by Hella Jongerius. Personally, I'm a great fan of Hella and Maharam, so crossed with Eames it's a happy combination for me (I'll take the one on the left please!). What are your thoughts on them?

Posted by Lauren Evans

Wang Zhi Hong is a Taiwanese graphic designer and art director. We first discovered Wang Zhi Hong after admiring the printed material he designed for the Xue Xue Institute's 100 Years, 100 Chairs exhibition. After looking through his portfolio it becomes clear that book design is his strength and his published work prolific, for which he has won many awards in Taiwan and internationally. His work is refined, elegant and typographically beautiful -we love the way he graphically combines languages. He really seems to be leading the field in publishing in Taiwan, so we decided to find out more... enjoy our interview below.

What led you to pursue a career in design?
When I realised there’s a difference between drawing and design.

Describe a typical day at the office.
Usually I keep a 13:00 to 06:00 schedule, dealing with what work requires, and spending some time surfing the net for all kinds of information.

Tell us about your design process – do you begin by hand or head straight to the computer?
Always on computer.

What inspires you?
Words - not just the look of them, but also the meanings behind. 

Who has influenced you?
Josef Müller-Brockmann and Neville Brody.

What have been your most rewarding achievements?
Knowing I have made some positive impact on graphic design in Taiwan’s publishing market.

What impact does living and working in Taiwan have on you as a designer. Can you tell us about Taiwan’s design culture?
Taiwan has a unique historical background, influenced by multiple cultures. Taiwan’s design culture embraces such diversity and meanwhile grows its own style out of it.

You seem to have a strong relationship with the Xue Xue Institute in Taiwan, can you tell us a little about that?
I would not say "strong," but surely we will be working together on certain projects.

What’s next, anything you’re excited about?
Not particularly, perhaps looking more into starting my own publishing business.

How do you want your work to be remembered?
As an inspiration to some people, like the works of the veteran designers to me.

Check out Wang Zhi Hong's website and blog to discover more.

It's design week in Beijing until Oct 3rd and there's a real buzz in the city. One of the Herman Miller team visited the Beijing's 798 District last week whilst on holidays and was really excited by the many galleries, studios and artists that now inhabit the area. In its previous life the district was an industrial site built in the 1950's, but since the 1990's it's been gradually reformed into a thriving art and design community (some lovely photographs above, thanks to Caroline and Matt Perry). Below is an intriguiing chair installation being set up for this weeks art fair. 

Highlights of design week include the first Beijing International Design Triennial with the general theme of 'good design' and five exhibition sub-themes; creative junctions, rethinking bamboo, reason design emotion, good guys and what if. The exhibition runs until October 17th and you can also view it online.

It's quite a momentous week for Beijing, as this is the first time a design triennial has been held in China and even Asia. The ultimate goal of design week is to transform the statement "Made in China' to 'Designed in China' and they have over 130 different activities happening, with 30 international events and 90 Chinese Exhibitions. With an audience of about three million people it has the potential to radically transform the way China and design are associated, so it is pretty exciting stuff.

(above) 'Power of Reproduction' by He, Jie, part of the Creative Junctions exhibition

(above) 'Banquette chair with Pandas' by the Campana brothers

We love the concept of a Pop-up Project and Sydney's historical district The Rocks has a fascinating one on at the moment. Australian Trent Jansen and Henry Wilson have been given free reign inside a beautiful heritage building to create a gallery, workshop and retail space, showcasing their own work and a selection of other contemporary Australian designs chosen for their ethical production, function, beauty and daring. It's a unique project in that the space is constantly evolving and reliant on the people that visit it. Trent and Henry will be using the space as a workshop as well as hosting talks, dinners and events throughout the rest of this year. They want you to come and participate in the project and open up a dialogue about design. We caught up with Trent to learn a little more about it... 

How did the opportunity to inhabit the space in The Rocks, Sydney come about?
Henry found out about the Rocks Pop-Up Project somehow, not sure how. We were eating together one night and Henry mentioned it. I enquired the next day to find out if we could submit a proposal, to find out that the next round of proposals was closing two days later. We quickly wrangled together a proposal and luckily they liked it.

Tell us about your relationship with Henry, how did the two of you end up working together?
Henry and I have both been designing around Sydney for a while. I am not sure how we met, but I visited Henry in Eindhoven while he was doing a Masters at the Design Academy and he came to visit me while I was working with Edra in Tuscany last year. We get along really well and seem to have very similar ideas about design.

Which other Australian designers are you featuring in the exhibition?
In the gallery at the moment we have work by Adam Goodrum, Tomek Archer, 1.1 (Stefan Lie and Rod Walden), Gregory Bonasera and a young Sydney based jewellery designer named Thea Fortmann.

What's been the highlight of the pop up project so far?
The official opening party was this Wednesday night (just gone) and it was great. We had over 100 people come through and everyone seemed to have a great time. The highlight of the evening was watching my brother Reece taking a bath on George Street in Henry's Analogue Hot Tub.

Check out Trent & Henry's facebook page for more info and photos.

The elegant and supremely comfortable Eames Lounge and Ottoman is being produced in pure black as a limited edition.  Designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1956 the Eames Lounge & Ottoman was an instant hit.  Today it lives in museums like MoMA in New York, in stylish interiors everywhere and even as a tattoo on one devotee's arm.  It has been the subject of documentary films and books and even has its own fan website.  Our limited edition black version is a sleek and stylish reissue of this icon of design. 

The black on black edition will be made with the unparalleled craftsmanship and attention to detail that has gone into each Eames Lounge & Ottoman for more than 50 years. Both the chair and ottoman are hand assembled with individually upholstered and replaceable 6-inch-thick cushions. The seat is permanently tilted at a 15-degree angle to take the weight off your lower spine and properly distribute it to the back of the chair. The lower back piece supports your lower back so you feel relaxed and supported as you read, move around while talking, or watch a movie.

Only 100 Black on Black Eames Lounge & Ottomans will be made. Each purchaser will receive a framed illustration noting the chair’s unique edition number.

The limited Edition Lounge & Ottoman will only be available through selected Herman Miller dealers. So check out our Where to Buy section and contact your local Herman Miller dealer to see if yours is participating.

Graphic Designer Don Ervin was the creator of one of our most memorable advertising campaigns, the poster above featuring silhouettes of our classic furniture range set atop a red background with the Herman Miller logo in the centre. Although he's not as well known as some of the other designers in our history, this poster is surely one of our most recognisable. A recent article on Ervin's life in T Magazine Graphic Content | A Logo Legend  by Steven Heller suggests this poster was so successful that its influence can be easily recognised in graphic design campaigns today. Heller cites Apple's recent print campaign for the ipod (below) as an example, stating that "Good ideas are often recycled". It's an interesting comparison of two pieces of graphic design, half a century apart.

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Ervin worked for 8 years as a member of the George Nelson Office and shared some his memories of working there with Metropoilis Magazine in 2009, less than a year before his tragic death in a car accident at the age of 85. “Everybody worked hard and late,” Ervin says. “We were all underpaid, but it was like going to a special camp.”(Nelson & Company: Iconic Workplace, 1947-86 by Paul Mekovsky and Belinda Lanks). The article is well worth a read to learn more about the legendary Nelson and his associates.

Other standout designs from Ervin's career include the stylised 'T' logo he designed for Transamerica (above) and the promotional material for the movie 'The Misfits' he designed whilst at the George Nelson office. We'll leave you with his memory of working on this as told to Metropolis Magazine.

"I also did all the promotion, titles, ads, and the trailer for The Misfits, the movie with Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. George and I went out on location in Nevada, and I also had to go to Hollywood to make the trailer, for which I used a whole lot of still shots of Reno that Magnum photographers like Elliot Erwitt and Bruce Davidson had taken, in a very rapid sequence. It was something different at that time. The idea for the titles were these jigsaw puzzles which didn’t fit—misfit—and they moved toward each other, and then they interpenetrated and kept on going. It worked pretty well. Later, I was introduced to Marilyn Monroe as the person who was going to do the trailer. And she, believe it or not, said, “The air-conditioning in my trailer doesn’t work.” (Nelson & Company: Iconic Workplace, 1947-86 by Paul Mekovsky and Belinda Lanks, Metropolis Magazine, June 17 2009)

A rather unspectacular exchange with Marilyn Monroe perhaps, but his work was nothing short of spectacular and his contribution to graphic design will not be forgotten.