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Herman Miller Opens the Vault, Reintroduces Eight Archival Alexander Girard Originals
Initially Launched in the 1970s as Environmental Enrichment Panels for the Office, the New Poster Format Invites These Beloved Prints Home ZEELAND, Mich.,
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[{"type":"text","content":"Initially Launched in the 1970s as Environmental Enrichment Panels for the Office, the New Poster Format Invites These Beloved Prints Home\nZEELAND, Mich., March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- It would be impossible to discuss mid-century design without Alexander Girard. From upholstery to wallpaper, and restaurant interiors to branding for an international airline, Girard's catalog raisonné was profoundly diverse, and his personal aesthetic—joyful, optimistic, brimming with unusual combinations of color—became indistinguishable from Herman Miller's when Girard became the founding director of the company's textile division in 1952. During his 20-plus year tenure, Girard introduced more than 300 textiles, thoughtful objects and furniture—including the genre-defining Environmental Enrichment Panels included in Herman Miller's Action Office series. To celebrate Girard's continued legacy and significance to the design community, Herman Miller is reintroducing a series of Girard's Environmental Enrichment Panel graphics as posters—a format ideal for placement in the modern home.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nGirard originally intended the Environmental Enrichment Panels for use in the workplace as a means of adding levity to offices, encouraging creativity and productivity by energizing workers with an extroverted color palette and geometric patterns. The team at Herman Miller carefully analyzed his original screen-printed designs, finding a modern medium that not only maintained the integrity of the originals, but elevated the beloved artwork to be used in new ways and spaces. \n\"Pattern has always been the entry point into Alexander Girard's irresistibly optimistic universe,\" says Ben Watson, President of Herman Miller. \"His original intention was to use these prints to infuse color and energy into the workplace. In today's world, work happens everywhere, and one's home environment can be equally as creative and inspiring. These timeless designs are just as powerful as they were when introduced in 1972.\"\nThe series will include several distinctive Girard patterns in varying sizes, as well as iconic designs like Bouquet, Palace, Double Heart, and Eyes. The posters will feature a faithfully recreated, high-resolution digital print of Girard's original on 100% cotton paper, framed in American maple with a natural, white, or black finish. T...