Friday, October 19, 2007

21st-Century Work Habitats

A new Research Summary by Herman Miller. 21st-Century Work Habitats
Technology gives people mobility so they can work anywhere. Collaboration and the innovation it can spur call for places where people can come together. Attracting skilled, talented people is critically important, but so is creating spaces that keep them engaged. Multiple generations--each with its own ideas about how to work--share the same workplace. As these and other realities shape 21st-century work habitats, the industry that designs them faces new challenges. For some perspective on how these challenges are being met, Herman Miller spoke with four Chicago-based designers from the architecture and design firm Gensler. In this wide-ranging discussion, they speak about what they're experiencing and what they foresee.

wp_21st-Century_Work_Habitats.pdf (43KB PDF)

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

NeoCon East Photo Gallery

This years NeoCon East trade fair for interior design and facilities management was held in Baltimore, Maryland on October 17-18 2007. We've put together a collection of photos on Flickr where you can see, download and share photos with your clients, colleagues and friends. View our NeoCon photos on Flickr! and be sure to post comments on our Flickr pages.

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Friday, October 12, 2007

Herman Miller offers chairs on 'Second Life', Goes after Knockoffs

Herman Miller has ventured into the realm of virtual community, bringing their "authorized" designs to Second Life in an attempt to address the issues of illegitimate knockoffs. See their press release.

Basically, for a limited time, Herman Miller is offering SL residents free trade-ins on any fake Aerons - or on some of its other iconic products - for an authentic SL Aeron. If you don't have a fake, you can buy an Aeron for a small price.

Residents who have been creating and selling Herman Miller knock-offs up, however, are getting a less friendly offer from the company:

"[W]e've contacted those parties and informed them of our trade dress protections, copyrights and trademarks they are infringing, asking politely but firmly that they cease and desist," says the firm's spokesman, "Some have complied, others have countered with proposed partnerships, and some have yet to respond."

It will be interesting to follow this intellectual property rights showdown in the real world and to see of other companies will follow suit.

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