konstantin grcic on design

general view of the decisive design exhibition at the art institute of chicago image courtesy of konstantin grcic

industrial designer konstantin grcic, currently has an exhibition of his work on show at the art institute of chicago. the first comprehensive showcase of his work in the US, ‘decisive design’ brings together more than 100 objects which his firm konstantin grcic industrial design, has designed.

the exhibition is set-up in a way which allows visitors to interact and test the products on display image courtesy of konstantin grcic

grcic’s myto chair for plank on displayimage courtesy of konstantin grcic

grcic designs with an honesty of materials and an appropriateness of production methods, his practice characterized by simple and effective design solutions. he is particularly interested in new technologies and materials research. the production of his monza chair for plank is a good example of these explorations:

production of the monza chair for plankimage courtesy of konstantin grcic

production of the monza chair for plankimage courtesy of konstantin grcic

injection molded backrests ready for assemblyimage courtesy of konstantin grcic

recently designboom heard grcic speak about his design practice and his view on the fundamentals of design. grcic also discussed how design has progressed (or maybe digressed) over the past number of years. he spoke about how we live in a culture where many products have been designed with unnecessary features or components, taking away from the actual function or beauty of the object. here is an excerpt from his talk: