Fast Company, the business magazine with a focus on innovation in technology and design, has announced its top 10 “Most Innovative Companies in Design” for 2015. On the list are familiar names like IKEA, Herman Miller, Michael Graves and Be Original Americas. Here’s a closer look:
IKEA product
According to Fast Company’s article, IKEA got a spot on the list “for launching designer collaborations to create furniture that is not only stylish, but cunningly functional.”
Herman Miller design
Herman Miller made the list “for growing beyond its office design origins into a design-oriented lifestyle brand. With its acquisition of Design Within Reach, Herman Miller joins a raft of furniture companies looking to diversify their product lines.”
Michael Graves Architecture & Design
Michael Graves Architecture & Design also made the list, “for tackling design backwaters with empathy and fresh ideas.” The magazine also commends how Michael Graves celebrated his 50th anniversary in business, “not just with the customary retrospective (in this case, at the Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey), but with the opening of the new Acute Care for the Elderly unit at Yale-New Haven Hospital. It is one of many such projects he’s overseen, and the newly renovated patient floor incorporates architectural elements and signage specifically designed to support the care of patients 65 and older, a long neglected group when it comes to design."
Be Original Americas chair
Be Original Americas also made the top 10 list, “for reframing the discussion of what to do about knockoffs. Alarmed by the magnitude of this trend, some of the biggest names in the furniture business—Herman Miller, Alessi, Bernhardt Design, Emeco, Flos, and Vitra, among them—have banded together to form Be Original Americas, an association of businesses, consumers, educators, and institutions committed to the protection of creators’ intellectual property.”Ammunition Group, Gumroad, 30 Weeks, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Code and Theroy and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems were also awarded with a spot, lauded for things varying from bringing older companies into the digital age to programs designed to enhance the education of design students.
For the entire list and original article by Fast Company, click here.
