When Steelcase created an oval office table based on a Frank Lloyd Wright design in 1937, the company made an earthshaking change in its industry. When Herman Miller chose to begin styling "modern" furniture in the 1930s the company's leaders put their stake in innovation.
These decisions allowed people to see a new aspect of the office that never existed before. Before then, most furniture makers were trying to reproduce Victorian-style furniture that didn't make sense for either offices or homes.
That attention to design – the art of solving problems – set the stage for the companies' success for years. And today, innovation and design still hold the secret to success. Like many Midwest communities, Grand Rapids is struggling to move from an economy based on building things to one based on dreaming them up. Today, the most valuable tool in manufacturing, the one that can't easily be exported, is lodged between the ears of the workers here. Design, and the creative businesses that are its kin, have a strong history in Grand Rapids. It's a sign of hope for the future.
"I call it impounded energy. There's a lot of talent and capability around here, that used together, could be a whole lot more energy if there was a much greater interaction between the different parts," said John Berry, senior analyst for consulting company Greystone Global, where he works on design and leadership issues.
What is hereIt all starts with talent. And the conversation has to start with education. Ask around the design community, and it's clear that Kendall College of Art and Design at Ferris State University is one of the biggest assets the community has.
The school graduates 200 people annually, providing the backbone of design talent in the community. These folks are dreaming up new furniture and appliance designs, creating Web pages and sketching out landscapes.
"We prepare students for professional careers as artists and designers, said Oliver Evans, president of the college. "We also want to make sure they have the ability to do innovative work that will help define what the world of tomorrow will be like."
Although many students find their way into the furniture design world, others go on to design shoes, video games and gizmos and gadgets.
Evans said the school emphasizes the aspect of design for problem solving, so that no matter what the students end up making, the training is relevant.
Although Grand Rapids has a bevy of talent in creative business, from advertising and graphic design to filmmaking, the center of gravity is in the halls of the furniture-makers.
There are the big hitters, Herman Miller, Steelcase, Knoll, American Seating and Haworth. They attract and keep talent to the region, and often when they leave the companies, they start their own design consultancies, like IzzyDesign. And some designers are so talented, like Thomas Newhouse, that they become a design consultancy in themselves.
The Grand Rapids Furniture Designers Association is a powerful group of artists, all them rely much more on innovation and creativity than machine tools and access to hardwood or railroad lines.
"Design is absolutely an economic driver wherever it is located," said Chuck Saylor, president and founder of Spring Lake furniture designer and producer IzzyDesign, which is owned by multiple-product-maker JSJ of Grand Haven. "I always equate innovation with design. If you just try to talk about design by itself, a lot of times people will digress into things like style, not attached to innovation."
What is business, after all, if it's not solving problems?
Saylor said the region has assets that aren't fully realized in design as well. For example, there's a history of textile development, leading to a natural, but unrealized association with the fashion industry.
One design area that has come on strong of late is architecture. Firms such as Integrated Architecture and Design-Plus are creating buildings that define how people think about their environment. IA's striking headquarters on Lake Drive is a subject of curiosity and stands as a testament to the value of design.
"We think that's a great investment, but we have facility managers who come through our building and are aghast because we don't have enough people per-square-foot," said Trish Spaulding, spokeswoman for Integrated Architecture.
But the building's presence tells others in the area it's OK to do something innovative and it tells visitors that Grand Rapids has more to it than they think, she said.
"We think it helped kick start an appreciation for a different kind of design. We have a desire to make Grand Rapids a city equal to the things that are in it. How do you attract the top research scientists in the country to a city that doesn't have a sea coast. It has a lousy winter and a short summer. How do make the city have its own draw? Part of it is through architecture. If you have stunning buildings, people will be drawn to it," Spaulding said.
Many of IA's architects worked and trained in other cities before returning home to Grand Rapids, brought back by the quality of life and desire to make an impact on the environment in Grand Rapids, she said.
The design of the new David H. Hunting YMCA stands out as does DeVos Place, but small projects, like the zero stormwater runoff, sustainable East Hills Center (of the Universe) building by architect/developer Guy Bazzani of Bazzani Associates, make just as big an impact.
Grand Rapids leads the nation in the number of LEED certified buildings, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. That alone is a calling card for the community.
Dreaming up a solution to a problem goes beyond pencil to paper. Advertising and graphic design firms, long have housed some of the most creative talents. Grand Rapids has a strong community of local ad agencies.
Among them is BBK Studio, a design consultancy. It counts IzzyDesign and Herman Miller among its clients, and has been growing. Yang Kim, one of the principals of the 22-person Grand Rapids firm said the area is beginning to be recognized for its talent.
"I think there's a lot of good work being done that is recognized on a national level. It's sort of a sleepy little town, or, its reputation was sleepy. But as there are more things happening here in terms of business there are related service sectors that support (our business). There are more things for us to promote and work on," Kim said.
Kim matriculated to Grand Rapids via after attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. She was an intern at Herman Miller and "just never left."
She is evidence of how jobs in the new economy can cross between industries. It's the talent, not the industry that matters.
Indeed, the same people who are designing Whirlpool appliances now, could also be creating new medical devices for research scientists at Van Andel Institute.
The futureBecause of advancements in technology, there are hobbies and boutique businesses that have a chance to flourish in the region.
Take filmmaking. Certainly Michigan isn't recognized as a leader, but talented people are assembling to make films.
Anthony Griffin, an amateur filmmaker and co-director of a new independent horror-flick film festival Chiller Thriller, thinks the Grand Rapids area is bubbling up with talent.
"Really the only thing holding people back from being a filmmaker is lack of talent," said Griffin, who created a feature length film called
Fairview Street, Griffin said.
There are 190 members in the West Michigan Film and Video Alliance, and the group is growing, brought closer by online social network pages like Myspace.
"It's what my friends and I call the Wild West of filmmaking," he said of the time and the region. "In the next few years there will be a hit from the" small, independent filmmakers.
Photographs top to bottom:
Integrated Architecture office at night - photo courtesy I.A. / Carr Ciadella Photography
John Berry - photo courtesy of John Berry
Integrated Architecture office - photo courtesy I.A. / Jim Hedrich-Hedrick Blessing
Yang Kim - photo courtesy of Yang Kim