Graham Design lives in the upper floor of an unassuming grey block of a building nestled in between the San Francisco design district and Potrero Hill. Behind the modest façade resides Graham Design studio, comprised of Nancy and Brian Graham.
Upon entering the space, we noticed the attention to detail in the organization of fabrics and finishes. A well curated collection of art and design books scale bookshelves and layers of trace paper with Brian’s shop drawings are tacked onto corkboard. Evidence of the creative process is clear, with stacks of pamphlets and notebooks, a worn in workstation and scattered pens.
In 2019 we spoke with Brian and Nancy Graham and interviewed Brian for our 30 Questions Series.
What comes to mind when you think of the future of design?
N: I would hope that design becomes more integrated into solving our biggest problems in the world today and that it replaces “design thinking,” the actual design.
B: Nancy and I have this saying, “well, ‘design thinking,’ we’re designers, the thinking is built in.” I think the future of design is at an interesting crossroads. There’s never been “design” used more as an adjective, a noun, in a descriptive way as it is today. And yet I think there’s still a general misunderstanding of what design actually is. I hope that people will continue to want to define and understand more about how design really does have an impact to form a social perspective, a civic perspective.
N: There are design problems and could be solved by design if there was more openness.
What is the biggest difference between European and American design?
B: The spelling [laughs]. I think American design tends to want to add on superfluous stuff that’s not necessary. The best European design is reductive and more elemental. The thing that informs me and constantly challenges and inspires us is, how can we remove the unessential and get down to the essence of something but still make it compelling as an object?
N: I would equate it to getting dressed and accessorizing. You put everything on and with accessories, you then take something off.
B: I think that’s a really great analogy, only for me it ends up being my left shoe.
