Interview with Todd Bracher

It is not uncommon to be a young, talented designer of international acclaim these days. But it is uncommon to be such a person and remain grounded, sincere, and connected to your beliefs all while maintaining a hectic career with highly visible clients. Such is the case with top industrial designer Todd Bracher. Todd is a hands-on designer, someone who carries a project through from start to finish with passion for both the process as well as the finished work, all with a big albeit humble smile. His work follows one basic tenant: that truth and honesty of an object comes from its essence, and that can be revealed through its most elemental form. His resume is most impressive - designing products for Zanotta, Fritz Hansen, Tom Dixon, Georg Jensen, Swarovski, Cappellini, Humanscale, HBF, Horm, Shaw Contract, among others - and the list is growing. Having spent years working in Copenhagen, Milan, Paris, and London, Todd is back in his native New York heading up his own studio and making waves on both continents. We recently asked Todd some questions about his work and he stopped for a tiny bit to fill us in...

RNR: You are back in New York now after a decade working in Europe. What brought you to Europe, and what brought you back?

Todd: For me I learn by doing.  Design is secondary for me.  I felt a curiosity and interest in culture and language.  I am a sort of anthropologist at heart and for me to learn all I can, being there in person was the most important thing.  Mind you design is a sort of byproduct of how I experience the world around me... my goal is to educate myself, take in as much as this will only benefit my work as I look to create relevant meaningful work around the world.

Dome lamp - Mater

How do you get your commissions? Do you seek out specific manufacturers or do they find you?
 

There are a thousand ways.  The most common way for me is time.  I have over the years taken the time to get to know the manufactures, been to their factories, have personal friendships with them.... with certain ones, over time, when things align we come together and create work.  For clients who've approached me, the same things occurs, we spend time to get to know each other... this is certainly business, but also we find a common personal ground which makes the relationships more productive but also interesting and fun.

What was the very first product you designed?

To market?  It was the Freud Sofa for Zanotta in 2002.  When I first moved to Milan, I spent the early days doing my homework and learning what factories had what capabilities.  Over this period I got into contact with Zanotta... and pitched them several designs... the Freud being one of them, which they took straight away.

Freud sofa - Zanotta
 

Do you have materials that you prefer to work with?

No, the material is the choice of the product. This is not determined by me most of the time. Each material has a physical personality which is remarkable... It woud be like saying if I had a favorite food or music... impossible to say. 

Alodia stool - Cappellini

What is your typical work day like?

Not as glamourous as I would prefer!  There is a lot of paperwork, a lot of legal things, a lot of following up, a lot of phone calls (lots), a lot of trying to get everything done so I can work with my team on design.

How do you approach a new project?

I approach new design with a very thorough research on two key aspects:  market and human experience. We prepare ourselves with all the knowledge that steers the design process... in fact 75% of the work is in this first stage.

Canard table - Horm

Is there a perfect object that you wish you had designed?

No, for me I am always most interested in avenues i've never explored, new challenges = new education.  I encourage possible collaborators to present their unique challenges... we tailor design solutions so anything is possible. 

What is your new year's resolution for 2012?

Bringing it all together. 

Nest chairs - HBF