Wednesday, October 27, 2010
I guess I am still getting used to being a real graphic designer because visiting the Jonathan Adler store for class is such a surreal idea that I am continuing to convince myself that we actually went here for a field trip! I can say for certain that a trip to Jonathan Adler would not be part of the curriculum had I decided to stay in Political Science! We met with Ben Brougham, who is one of Jonathan’s stylists, and he works on special projects as well. Aside from the fact that Ben had impeccable fashion and a glorious British accent, he has some real insight into the company and the genius of Jonathan Adler.
He began by explaining that Adler’s items can be separated into three categories:
1. Pop – referring to pop culture, the 1960s mod era, and the use of white and color.
2. Deluxe – luxurious items, old Hollywood Glam and such
3. Natural/Modern Rustic – natural wood tones and inspiration from (in my opinion the best furniture ever) mid-century modern design.
With these three categories Ben went on to emphasize that the overarching theme that Jonathan abides by is called “Happy Chic.” This idea is really hard to argue with… maybe it is because I am in the demographic that gets his tongue and cheek attitude, but it seems almost impossible not to laugh and smile when in the store. One of my favorite things that I noticed was an advertisement for jonathanadler.com painted on the wall inside the store that said: “your 24-hour pot dealer www.jonathanadler.com.” It was these little details that I noticed which made me smile and think “wow, what a great idea” at the same time.
(I found the above mentioned slogan on the website… here is a screen shot!)
For me, the only disappointing aspect of the store is that there was a complete absence of Violet, almost as if it had been excluded from the color party that is Adler. I could not think of a clever way to ask where my color (I feel almost defensive of Violet now!) was but I guess that means I will just have to keep returning to the store to seek it out… that should not be a problem!
One other note… if you only click once on jonathanadler.com, make sure you read his about page!
After reading his Bio (besides the fact that it is in list form which is fantastic) if you are not on the floor laughing, then there is something seriously wrong with you!