As much as the cooly corporate world loves its modular office systems and ergonomic chairs, there's much more that midcentury devotees adore about furniture monolith Herman Miller: names such as Charles and Ray, Isamu and George, and Ward and Yves. As much as furniture people exalt the manufacturer's frameless chairs, as much as Mad Men production designers call upon its wares for sets, as often as vintage ads and time capsule photos resurface to moderate fanfare, Herman Miller's success all comes down to the talents it has employed, starting with design director George Nelson in 1945, who hired famed husband-and-wife team Charles and Ray Eames (above), and continuing into the realm of cubicles, Aeron chairs, and, ultimately, the gross trendiness that is designer Yves Béhar. Below, old shots of some of the company's most famous designers, spanning almost 120 years.
· Herman Miller's long-form history articles [official site]
· All Herman Miller coverage [Curbed National]
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