Herman Miller Issues Open-Source Design Challenge on Unbranded Designs’ Platform

Global Design Leader Seeking New Design Talent to Create Innovative Products that Facilitate Individual Work in a Shared Environment

Herman Miller, a global leader in design, today launched the company’s first-ever open-source design challenge to discover new design talent and identify commercially viable designs. Partnering with Unbranded Designs, Herman Miller issued an open design brief titled “Designing for the New Office Nomads” which highlights the emerging problem of enabling individual productivity in an increasingly shared work environment. Designers are asked to create a research-based design that both visually and technically address the proposed problem.

“At Herman Miller, we believe that by casting a wider net for design talent through Unbranded Designs’ open-source platform, we are able to efficiently tap into global creative networks, and in the process, bring new voices to our design team and innovative solutions to our development pipeline,” said Gary Smith, VP Product Design and Exploration at Herman Miller.

Designers have until October 22^nd to submit their initial product designs. Submissions will go through a review process including open feedback from the broader design community as well as a judging panel of Herman Miller design experts. Designers will have several opportunities to incorporate feedback and make revisions before the judging panel ultimately selects the winner.

The judging panel will consist of a cross-functional group of Herman Miller employees that will engage with the community through three evaluation points: initial selection, finalist selection and winner selection.  Designers will also have the opportunity to receive early feedback from the Herman Miller Design Exploration team by submitting their concept by the October 6^th Early Submission Review deadline.

The winning designer receives $10,000 cash, and Herman Miller will evaluate the design’s potential for development and scalable manufacturing.  If the winning product goes to market, the designer will receive royalties on net sales, consistent with Herman Miller’s typical royalty arrangements.

Non-winning finalists will receive prizes, recognition throughout the process, and feedback from a world-class juried panel of design experts, to ensure that they still find value in the opportunity.

Designers will maintain complete ownership and rights to their design upon submission to this challenge. In the event that a design is selected as a finalist, the designer will have the opportunity to enter into a separate agreement directly with Herman Miller, which addresses intellectual property ownership and royalty compensation.

“Our goal is to empower a diverse creative community by providing opportunities to solve real problems. There are many talented, thoughtful designers all over the world who simply lack the connections or the resources required to be successful.  But once you strip away those barriers, you are left with ideas. Unbranded Designs is simply an avenue for those ideas to be discovered and developed in a meaningful way,” said Sameer Dohadwala, co-founder, Unbranded Designs.

Please visit http://unbrandeddesigns.com/challenges/Office-Nomads to read the full design brief and the official terms and conditions of the design challenge.

About Herman Miller, Inc.

Herman Miller’s inspiring designs, inventive technologies and strategic services help people do great things and organizations to perform at their best. The company’s award-winning products and services generated approximately $1.9 billion in revenue in fiscal 2014. A past recipient of the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, Herman Miller designs can be found in the permanent collections of museums worldwide. Innovative business practices and a commitment to social responsibility have also helped establish Herman Miller as a recognized global leader. In 2013, Herman Miller again received the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s top rating in its annual Corporate Equality Index and was named among the 50 Best U.S. Manufacturers by Industry Week. Herman Miller is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR.

About Unbranded Designs

Based in Chicago, Unbranded Designs is a company dedicated to engaging the global design community to create innovative, purposeful products that empower people where they work and live. Through Unbranded Designs’ proprietary open-source platform, designers everywhere have the opportunity to respond to design challenges from leading product manufacturers and be a part of a global design community whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver the most innovative furniture products.

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Complete Schedule for the Herman Miller Design Challenge

October 6: Early Submission Critique. Any submissions received to this point are eligible for a critique from the Herman Miller Research & Design Exploration team. Designers will be able to incorporate this feedback into their submissions prior to Submission Close date.

October 22: Submissions Close. All designs for this challenge must be submitted by this date

October 23-24: Private Submissions Review. The judging panel will convene for the first time to privately evaluate all submissions and identify all high-potential designs to move on in the process

October 27: Public Revision Period Opens. All remaining designs will be made public for the broader community to offer targeted feedback and critiques. Designers will be able to rapidly iterate and revise their designs directly on the Unbranded website to show progress and changes

November 3: Public Revision Period Close. Public review and feedback closes

November 4-6: Finalist Selection. The judging panel reconvenes for a second time to select finalists. Each finalist will be given structured critiques and feedback points from the panel to consider

November 7: Finalist Announcement. Finalists will be publicly announced on the Unbranded website

November 17: Finalist Revisions Due. Finalists will privately submit their final designs

November 18-20: Winner Selection. The judging panel will meet for one last time to select the winning design for this challenge. The winning designer will begin rapid prototyping and development of their concept with HMI and Unbranded Designs

November 21: Winner Announced!