(function () { var tagjs = document.createElement("script"); var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; tagjs.async = true; tagjs.src = "//s.btstatic.com/tag.js#site=testSiteID123"; s.parentNode.insertBefore(tagjs, s); }());
Yves Béhar and Jaime Derringer hadn’t met in real life prior to their drive, but their different perspectives and backgrounds in design proved a complementary contrast. “I don't have a background in design at all. It’s a personal passion of mine, and I come at it from the perspective of the average person/consumer,“ says Derringer of her experience as founder of Design Milk. Béhar, on the other hand, had design in mind from the get-go. “Before I even knew design was available to study in university, I found design … or it found me.”As they drive around sunny San Francisco — fuseproject’s central hub and the city Béhar currently calls home — they talk about the industry, and how it's integral to human experience. Says Béhar, “There’s always been a lot of discussion in design about the functional side as well as the form — the cosmetic side, the aesthetic side. That debate has tended to overwhelm what people talk about and say about design.”He explains: “What’s interesting to me is the human factor, the fact that we actually design for humanity, for people. Maybe we have a slightly longer view of things today in that sense; it’s not about what something does or how it looks, it’s really about how it affects our lives and transforms our lives, how it makes us discover new things about ourselves and other people around us.”This brings the discussion to connectivity and wearable design. Derringer raises the question, “Does it add value to my life or does it make me feel like I constantly need to be connected all the time?” In that same vein, Béhar predicts the wearable industry will see change. “People want the data, so they want the connection all the time — sleep, movement, all those habits you need to keep track of — but they don't want the distraction all the time. It’s going to be an exciting time in the coming years. We're going to have to solve that.”The two arrive at the Golden Gate Bridge, and the significance is apt. This architectural masterpiece actually inspired a fuseproject-designed Herman Miller chair. “The team at fuseproject and I were looking for a new way to create suspension to support the body and support the back. We live right here and go over the Golden Gate bridge two to three times a week.” Béhar reflects, “I think it was one of the first bridges to demonstrate how beautiful engineering and structure and design can be.”