One of my favorite designers, Karim Rashid, has interior design, product design and iconography down to a tee. As a leading cultural interpreter, Karim Rashid has created brilliant design, and in doing so, has simultaneously carved out an incredible brand for himself.
His color palette is one of the most vibrant constructs in the world of design, recognizable from miles away. His retail and restaurant articulation is as fresh as it is practical–it’s art that just makes sense. His pattern and lighting schemes – always appropriate.
While designing a table, his attention is no less on the wall behind the table, the pattern on the wall, the angles of the wall as it slopes towards the bar, the iconic bar stools that compliment the walls, that lead you to the floor, and then back to the tables. Design, at work.
His design, however, is actually working overtime. While it’s manifesting itself within the constraints of materials, fabrics and paint, it’s living outside of the box as well. It’s living and breathing “KARIM”–a signature style and brand that is so crystal, it echos as poignant as any rock tune or sound track. Karim could tag anything and it would be as memorable as any 5th Ave. icon or identity. And though Eames, Stark and Gehry have cashe and reverb within the graphic design and advertising communities, Karim stands alone rivaling the very brands that those industries create and advance.
One of the things that has gotten my attention over the years, is his self-made pattern and graphics – merging graphic design, iconography and explosive shapes into a communications stream that ties him to his work, forever. That identity system is always pointing back to a style, to a perspective, to him. Design, at work again. This prolific cross-pollination of “interior style” and “graphic voice” is pure genius – and it’s intentional. Much like ancient cultures and civilizations that speak to us from the past through iconic imagery, Karim has set into motion a vocabulary that will communicate his world, what he’s about, for generations to come.
In my experience, self promotion – tied specifically to a firm’s portfolio – has always been an important part of an advertising firm’s procurement and culture. The work needs to echo back and point to a place, a team, a perspective and a process. When an agency’s work can be described in just a sentence, and carry a meeting from pure reputation alone, then the doors are open for discovery and innovation; and that’s better for clients, collaborators and the firm’s people. Now, the work is more than just the day-to-day, it’s a part of a voice, a philosophy, and yes, a brand. Potential clients look at it and say, “That’s what I need, that thinking, those people, that perspective, I need that applied to my situation.” That’s design, at work.
