Liquid Agency is helping to guide the development of the Slice brand, a maker of innovative products that cut, slice, grate, etc. Part of the brand development includes the selection of world class designers and architects with whom we collaborate on product design. We started with a series of office and kitchen products by Karim Rashid, one of the brightest stars in design today. Next, we engaged none other than Michael Graves – easily one of the most influential architects of the century – who is working on an entirely new category of products.

Michael Graves is well known for many landmark architectural projects that include the Humana Building in Louisville, the Clos Pegase Winery in Napa, several Disney hotels, and the Washington Monument Restoration project. Despite this, he may be better known for his design of products for companies like Alessi (for whom he designed the famous Tea Kettle with the little bird on the spout) and of course the many diverse products that bear his name at Target.

In order to evaluate the first round of concepts, TJ Scimone – the CEO and founder of Slice – and I went to Princeton, NJ, where Michael Graves has been practicing his craft for over 40 years. We sat down in a comfortable conference room at the Michael Graves Design Group (the part of the firm dedicated to product development) surrounded by objects bearing the architect’s familiar signature colors and shapes.

Before Michael entered the room, I was a little nervous, of course. Architects can be a bit pretentious – especially the ones that have reached as great a reputation as Michael Graves. But instead of a self-absorbed icon, I was pleased to meet a man who is extremely approachable, funny, vibrant, and amazingly modest. Michael attended the meeting and actively participated in discussing the various design directions – adding his opinion about colors, textures, shapes and the functionality of the products. The team at Michael Graves Design Group’s did an excellent job of meeting the brief for the project, which was to develop products that turned ordinary tasks into extraordinary experiences.

After what turned out to be a very well organized and thoughtful presentation we shared a meal…then, much to my delight, we visited the back of the studio, and Michael shared with us some of his recent paintings, and we chatted casually about the work of Picasso and Morandi – two of my favorite artists.

I walked away from this meeting inspired and delighted. The night before, Barack Obama had won the presidential election – a historical turning point for this country that was celebrated not only in the US but throughout the entire globe. It was great to follow up that memorable moment with the opportunity to meet such an important figure in design and architecture – and on top of it to find that he’s not just talented and smart – but also an incredibly nice person.

Captions:
A: (L-R) Alfredo Muccino, Michael Graves and TJ Scimone pose for a picture at MGDG headquarters in Princeton, NJ.
B: The tea kettle by Michael Graves for Alessi is the company’s best selling item with over 1 million sold to date.
C: A sampling of the many products Michael has designed for Alessi.
D: Michael Graves shows Alfredo Muccino one of his paintings in progress.
E: A corner of the studio where Michael surrounds himself with paintings and books.

Author: Alfredo Muccino
Category: Brands in general