Pratt designers find ways to give visual interest and ease of manipulation to the place settings and utensils they create. Pratt’s pioneering industrial design program was launched in 1936. Ever since, the Institute has prepared its graduates to design effectively for mass production, working within the requirements of trade and industry to create useful machine-made products made more alluring, and hence more marketable, thanks to the aesthetics of their design. Over the years Pratt has generated many tabletop designers, who carry on a tradition of sensual elegance originated by the legendary Eva Zeisel, a Hungarian refugee known for her work in ceramics, who taught at Pratt from 1939 until 1953. Zeisel gained a widespread following in America, inspiring hundreds of students.
Saving Labor, Responding to Human Needs The gospel of good design for mass production gained further momentum through the teaching of Marc Harrison, B.I.D. ’58. As professor of industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design for 39 years, Harrison added a humane dimension to the design imperative. In a course he taught, titled Man Machine Interface, he advocated designing machine-made objects to respond to human needs. By “needs” he meant such abstract requirements as beauty, comfort, and reassurance, ideas that led to his most famous work: the redesign of the Cuisinart food processor. Tomas kolisch
courtesy of creative ware
Pratt alumnus George Schmidt’s Casuals melamine tableware
“The appearance is the most important aspect of flatware design,” notes Lawrence Feer, B.I.D. ’53, M.I.D ’56, professor emeritus, Industrial Design, Syracuse University, “but aesthetics not withstanding, flatware pieces need to accomplish their functions.” At his first job with Oneida Ltd., he was assigned to design spoon handles with strong aesthetic and market appeal while respecting functional and production criteria. For five months Feer drew variations on spoon handles all day long, making actual size plan and elevation drawings, just as he had been taught at Pratt. His efforts yielded a pattern called New Era, to suggest the flatware’s modern simplicity, with just a hint of decoration to lend a classic touch to the casual dining experience. New Era was first introduced in Oneida’s premium silverplate in 1954. The pattern became popular enough to produce in the company’s finest stainless steel as well under a new name, Forever, in 1957. New Era and Forever enjoyed more than 34 years of continuous sales. Disneyland selected this design of timeless quality for use in its restaurants in 1985. It is still in circulation today.
Pratt graduates spread the gospel of good design for mass production. Carrying on the Design Legacy “Eva Zeisel encouraged us to study the forms in nature and to sense the endless subtleties that transcend into each other,” recalls Gerald Gulotta, B.I.D ’50, an independent design consultant with an international practice, who taught at Pratt for 30 years (1955-1985) while also aiding design education in Portugal, Mexico, and China. He concentrated on ceramics, glass, stainless steel, and silver for such clients as Steuben Glass. His search for form was often guided by the culture of the country in which his designs were manufactured overseas. His award winning work is held in the collections of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Newark Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Another of Zeisel’s renowned students was Lucia DeRespinis, B.I.D. ’52, among the first to meet the challenge of designing tableware for the cramped conditions of air travel. While at Minners & Co., she originated a dining service for American Airlines to upgrade their image. “I can’t remember a day when I didn’t love what I do,” says DeRespinis, who established her own business in 1988, while pursing a second career as an adjunct professor at Pratt since 1980. Five years ago, she initiated a course in tabletop design, which focuses on designing refined eating tools and plateware from teapots to teaspoons for a world market.
Alumna Miriam Mirna Korolkovas’s Snacky knives
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