Class Reflection October 2

Our visit to EQ3 gave us the opportunity to witness how a successful (Winnipeg!) furniture company negotiates the integrity of their designs with the constraints of mass production. The design team's presentation of their design process, from inspiration to final product, was informative, and it revealed that the designers must balance their own esthetic desires with the perceived desires of the public, and of course, a financial bottom line. While EQ3 has become a successful company by producing reasonably priced, modern furnishings, I found it discouraging that their designs were more market then creative driven. While I understand that just as price is determined by the intersection of supply and demand, so too EQ3's products must sell to the masses, however, I must admit that all that beige left something to be desired.

Furthermore, I agree with Lindsey that it is discouraging that EQ3 does make sustainability more of a consideration in their designs. With several members of the EQ3 team being U of M ED grads I expected to see more initiative into ecological design and sustainable practices.