Carl Gustav Magnusson (born March 8, 1940) is an industrial designer, inventor, design juror and lecturer.

Life and career

Carl Gustav Magnusson was born in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and grew up in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He studied engineering and architecture at the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...

and architecture at the

Chalmers Institute of Technology Chalmers University of Technology ( sv, Chalmers tekniska högskola, often shortened to Chalmers) is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international leve ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. In 1966 he joined the Office of Charles and Ray Eames in California and shortly thereafter opened his own design practice in Rudolf Schindler's studio on Kings Road in

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

Knoll

In 1976 Magnusson joined

Knoll In geography, knoll is another term for a knowe or hillock, a small, low, round natural hill or mound. Knoll may also refer to: Places * Knoll Camp, site of an Iron Age hill fort Hampshire, England, United Kingdom * Knoll Lake, Leonard Canyon, Ar ...

as Director of Graphics and Showroom Design and was named Director of Design for Europe shortly thereafter. He designed Knoll showrooms in London, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, Florence, Rome, Amsterdam and Turin. In 1993, he was named Senior Vice President, Director of Design Worldwide, and, in 2003, Executive Vice President, Director of Design.profile
knoll.com As a design director, Magnusson widened the range of designers that Knoll commissioned work from—recruiting both established and younger talents. In the late 1980s, Magnusson rekindled Knoll's relationship with renowned designer and esthetic theorist, Ettore Sottass, which led to numerous iconic pieces, including the Mandarin chair and the Spyder table. Sculptor Maya Lin collaborated closely with Magnusson in 1998 to create Knoll's Maya Lin line of furniture that Knoll continues to sell today. Similarly, architect

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

worked with Knoll to create Knoll's Fog Collection. Magnusson continued to contribute his own designs to Knoll as well, including the Magnusson Desk (1993), the RPM Chair (1997), and modular office systems—Dividends, with David Noel; Currents, with Robert Reuter; and Autostrada, with Robert Reuter and Charlie Rozier. During his 29 years at Knoll, Magnusson was also active as a curator and educator. He established the Knoll Design Symposium at Cranbrook Academy of the Arts in Bloomfield Hills and in 1997; he co-founded with Albert Pfeiffer (AIA
The Knoll Museum
ref name="Hofstra, 2008" /> in

East Greenville, Pennsylvania East Greenville is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The population was 2,951 at the 2010 census. It is one of a strip of small towns that run together along Route 29, including Red Hill, Pennsburg and East Greenville. The boroug ...

. With over 60 years of Knoll furniture designs, the museum is considered among the most comprehensive display of archival collector items by any furniture manufacturer.

Ongoing Activities

Since retiring from Knoll in 2005, Magnusson has remained active as a designer, consultant and lecturer. Today he continues in the fields of office design and environment, as well as lighting systems, automobiles, and household appliances, furnishings an
textiles
In addition to Knoll, he has designed products for Teknion
Stegner Engineering
Arexit, Momentum Textiles
Allseating
and the MoMA Design Store (co-designed with his wife, architect Emanuela Frattini Magnusson).Official website for C.G. Magnusson
/ref> In 2005, Magnusson founde
CGM Design
which serves furniture and automotive manufacturers in product development and design strategy. He has lectured on design matters for BMW, Knoll
Maharam

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ancient town in Greece * ''Aia'', the collected ed ...

an
WaterworksIIDA
SCAD among others, is a frequent jury member for design competitions internationally and expert witness on design matters. In 2012, the design industry publication '
Contract
'' named him the 2012 design "legend" of the year, saying of him: "he is an industrial designer, as well as a curator, lecturer, mentor, inventor, organizer, talent scout, and visionary. And his influence has spread out in multiple directions around the globe."

Design Awards

Architizer
2017 - Ivy Umbrella Stand (created 1990 with Emanuela Frattini Magnusson
Contract Magazine Legend Award, 2012
* MAST Monitor Arm System for Teknion: Chicago Atheneum Good Design AwardIDEA/IDSA Award (March 7, 2012)
/ref>

iF Product Design Award
Conflux Lighting: Green Good Design Award
br>IIDEX Gold Award,
Neocon Gold Award for Lighting
iF Design Award,Building Magazine: Grand Award for Innovation; Innovation Award Lighting for energy efficiency

Synapse Chair: NeoCon Gold
b
Green Star Sustainability Award
b
Good Design Award
b
Bloom Award for Furniture
( ASID and ''Interiors and Sources'')
IIDEX/Neocon Marketplace: Innovation Gold Award
b
the iF Design Award
* Pacific Design Center Lifetime Achievement Award *The GOOD DESIGN Award 2017 for Lyss, designed fo
Allseating
*Interior Design Best of Year Awards - Merit Honoree for Lyss, designed for Allseating *IDEA Awards, Bronze for Lyss, designed for Allseating *The GOOD DESIGN Award 2018 for Zinc, designed for Allseating

Quotes

''"Design is function with cultural content. When function has evaporated all thats left is cultural content"''

''"Everything that I do has a certain mechanical logic to it, and follows my definition of design--which is function with cultural content."''

''"Innovation is a unique combination of existing ideas."''

''“Cultural content imbues the item with our history, our inescapable style of our time and its values. Yet, a designed object must meet the functional and manufacturing cost requirements that allow customers to afford it. If the price is prohibitive then what function does it perform?”''
contractdesign.com

"Dont fall into the Veblen effect"''

External links

Designers & Books

Contract Legend Award, 2012

* ttp://vimeo.com/11322201 Classic Driver, 2010* ttp://vimeo.com/4525385 Classic Driver, 2009

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnusson, Carl Living people 1940 births Swedish designers Chalmers University of Technology alumni Swedish emigrants to Canada University of Idaho alumni