Herman Miller Leaf Lamp

Herman Miller and fuseproject's partnership was further extended with the formation of a multi product lighting arm. The Leaf lamp was the first lighting project for Herman Miller, and established an ongoing collaboration that lead to the creation of the Ardea and Twist lamp. fuseproject designed the brand strategy, product, logo, packaging and art direction of the new lighting business for the company.

strategy

In 2005 Herman Miller approached fuseproject to explore lighting as a possible extension of the brand and business. Our initial research into lighting technologies, their corresponding user benefits, environmental impacts, and cost projections put a highlight on LED’s as the technical backbone for new product development.

After four years of development, the strategy paid off with the successful launch of HM’s first lighting product, the Leaf personal light. With it’s sculptural form, expressive lens technology, and innovative touch controls allowing the user to adjust not only brightness but also color temperature, it was a dramatic reinvention of the task lamp. The Ardea lamp followed soon after, allowing superior flexibility at an attainable cost.

The strategy to focus on compact size, new utility and user adjustablilty was again employed to great effect in the Twist lamp. This slim, sleek and adjustable fixture sticks securely to the bent metal shelving and storage common in design systems, and allows the user to easily adjust for direct downlighting, or a more ambient “wash” effect on a surface.

Together these three products have become a strong foundation for growth into a new category for our longstanding partners.

product

The focus for design when creating these lamps was to demonstrate Herman Miller’s continued leadership in innovation, performance, and sustainability by using fewer raw materials and providing a lighting solution that’s efficient to operate and maintain. The LEAF lamp is an advanced LED task light that brings a new experience of light: it is the first lighting product that offers users the choice of warm mood light and cool work light. It is remarkably energy efficient, using 40% less energy than an equivalent compact fluorescent for the same light output. It's universal touch interface made the LEAF lamp a big success for Herman Miller both internationally and domestically, spawning several lower cost next generation products, including Ardea and Twist. Ardea is a new task light inspired by nature with minimal impact on the environment. Named after the great herons, Ardea displays similar versatility as the bird's necks that flex for hunting. The Twist LED task light is an energy-efficient, eco-friendly solution that provides value, simplicity and personal control for individual users. With its thin, tubular profile, the Twist LED task light is distinguished by its clean, simple aesthetics. Lightweight and easy to manipulate, its features characterize its name, Twist.

Recognition

Awards

  • Green GOOD Award

    • Herman Miller Leaf, 2009

  • Spark Awards

    • Silver - Herman Miller Leaf Packaging, 2008

  • Red Dot Design Award

    • Herman Miller LEAF Light, 2008

  • IDSA - Business Week

    • Herman Miller LEAF Lamp Strategy, Silver Excellence Award, 2007

  • ID Magazine Annual Design Competition “Consumer Products”

    • Herman Miller LEAF Lamps, 2007

  • Spark Award

    • Herman Miller LEAF Lamp, Spark

  • Organic Award

    • Herman Miller Leaf Lamp, 2007

  • Interiors & Sources Editors’ Choice

    • Herman Miller Leaf Lamp, 2006

  • Building Magazine Editors’ Choice

    • Herman Miller Leaf Lamp, 2006

  • Architectural Record Magazine Editors’ Picks

    • Herman Miller Leaf Lamp, 2006

  • Interior Design, “Best of Year/Roscoe” finalist

    • Herman Miller Leaf Lamp, 2006

  • Popular Science, “Best of What’s New” home category

    • Herman Miller Leaf Lamp, 2006

  • Chicago Athenaeum

    • Herman Miller LEAF, 2006

  • CES Innovation Awards

    • Consumer Electronics Honoree - Herman Miller Leaf Lamp, 2006

  • Building Magazine, “Grand Prize Award for Energy Efficiency”

    • Herman Miller LEAF, 2006

  • Best of Neocon

    • Herman Miller Leaf Lamp, Gold, lighting category, 2006

Exhibits

  • Art Institute of Chicago

    • Permanent Collection

  • Brooklyn Museum

    • Herman Miller Leaf
    • Permanent Collection, 2010
    • Brooklyn, New York

  • Mint Museum of Craft + Design

    • Herman Miller Leaf
    • Permanent Collection, 2010
    • Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Musee National D'Art Moderne/Centre Pompidou

    • LEAF for Herman Miller permanent collection, 2007
    • Paris, France

  • MoMA, New York

    • LEAF for Herman Miller permanent collection
    • 2006

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