2016 April

Regarded as one of our most acclaimed industrial designers, Swedish-born Carl Gustav Magnusson has left his indelible mark on a wide range of products, including those for Teknion, Knoll, and MoMA.

After groundbreaking work with Ray and Charles Eames in Venice, CA, and opening his first studio in the 1960s, Carl forged a career of over three decades with Knoll, serving as Director of Design in Europe and North America.   His designs remain best-sellers to this day, including his computer monitor arm system (MAST) for Teknion and MoMA’s classic IVY umbrella, co-designed with his wife Emanuela Frattini.  During his Knoll tenure, Carl also initiated the Knoll Design Symposium at Cranbrook Academy of the Arts in Bloomfield Hills and co-founded the Knoll Museum in East Greenville, PA—considered the most comprehensive collection of archival items assembled by any single furniture manufacturer.  A sought-after lecturer and competition judge, Carl’s guiding philosophy is that “innovation is a unique combination of existing ideas”.  Since its inception in 2005, his firm CGM Designs has won 28 awards for designs ranging from furniture and textiles to race cars and a humanitarian project known as the micra-ambulance that can navigate narrow passageways in congested streets.

“As a lifelong devotee of design it is a pleasure to become a member of the MADWORKSHOP board,” said Carl Magnusson. “Its mission to act as a catalyst for new minds and their ideas is most appealing. The Foundation’s initial projects, as diverse as they are, are very promising and the ability to design, prototype and critique under one roof is inspirational. I look forward to contributing to their future and success.”