Custom Laminate Case Study: Karim Rashid
With a diverse clientele including the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Umbra, Sony, Georgio Armani and Yahoo!,
Karim Rashid’s work is known all over the planet. And for this wildly popular, award-winning industrial designer,
plastic is his material of choice. “I work with all materials, but plastic is my favorite. To me it represents the
21st century,” says Rashid.
Recently dubbed ‘the poet of plastic’ by TIME magazine,
Karim had no prior knowledge of the custom laminate process,
but was thrilled at the prospects of creating an original
design that would be produced in high-pressure laminate. “I’ve
worked with plastics for years but until now I’d never had
the opportunity to create a two-dimensional project. Plus,
I was always quite shocked at how conservative laminate colors
and patterns were. For many projects, I never considered laminate,
not realizing I could design custom surfaces that have a perceived
dimension and depth.”
It’s
that vision that led him to create “Morphscape,” a laminate
design that’s now being used in a restart project known as
“Landscaping Philadelphia.” Used on all walls, ceilings and
floors, Rashid created what he refers to as a “non-stop surface
scape.” “Laminate is such a great, high-performance material
that needs greater variation, more energy, more interesting
prints and uses. It’s just starting to get the respect it
deserves. And in terms of creating a custom design, the process
was seamless and simple,” he added. “I was very involved.
Wilsonart would send me samples and I would make the necessary
corrections to ultimately create the perfect pattern.”
Currently, Rashid is working on designs for several hotels and restaurants – with laminate playing a
definite role in the overall décor scheme. “Laminate is phenomenal. It can heighten our environment,
adorn our surfaces and meet our need for more economical and contemporary interior landscape options.”
So what’s next from the so-called ‘poet of plastic’? Keep watching. www.karimrashid.com
Custom Laminate Case Study: Anastasia Vasilakis
Frenetic. That’s the word Anastasia Vasilakis uses to describe her unique combination of photography
and painting. “There’s implied motion in whatever I’m doing,” says Vasilakis. “I hope that my work makes
your eye really move. My goal is twofold – to keep you in motion and to keep you interested.”
A graduate of Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute, Vasilakis has used
her extensive abilities in paint, video and photography to
help promote such varied companies as Polygram, Sports
Illustrated, Reebok and Levi Strauss to name a few. Her
unique, narrative approach was ideal when it came to designing
with laminate. “I was thrilled at the idea of creating an
original design that would be produced in laminate. I had
never worked with it before. But I thought it would be an
interesting medium to see my work on and was intrigued by
the idea of creating a repeated pattern. I only knew of laminate
from my mom’s kitchen! I never dreamed it could have so many
applications.”
Vasilakis’
work is rich in color. So, naturally, how the color translated
to the laminate was a concern. “I was worried if the colors
would hold and how the process would affect the look. Since
my work is textural, that was very important to me. Needless
to say, I was quite surprised at how well the colors held.
Wilsonart sent actual laminate samples for me to approve and,
right off the bat, they looked great.”
For Vasilakis, future prospects of designing with laminate
look promising. “There are tremendous possibilities,” she
adds. “Walls. Installations. Product Design. The list goes
on. I would welcome more opportunities to create custom laminate
for specific applications.”
Custom Laminate Case Study: Gavin Wilson
Throughout his career, Gavin Wilson has worn many hats. He
helped co-create and co-publish Blur magazine, where he simultaneously
functioned as music editor. He has also been responsible for
providing images to a monthly DC comic, illustrating for snowboard
and record companies and composing electronic music for films.
Needless to say, Gavin has been, and continues to be, an incredibly
busy man. But regardless of his schedule, he still finds time
to tackle artistically challenging projects. So when he was
approached about creating an original design that would be
produced on laminate, he jumped at the chance.
“What was different was that it made me think through the use of pattern on surfacing,” says Wilson. “Thinking of it
in those terms, I realized the pattern really had to hum and work on the surface.” That’s exactly what his design does.
Gavin envisions his laminate creation applied to tabletops or countertops, where people can look at each square in the
pattern and visually penetrate the depth. “My work is comprised of many images. I want people to get close enough to
actually see those images.”
Going into the process, Gavin had many questions. “How does a photo
image end up on laminate and how well does the detail show
up? I had many concerns about resolution. Then I saw the reproduction.
It was incredibly close in terms of a digital output.”
Gavin was so pleased with his foray into custom laminate that he openly welcomes an opportunity to do more. “I’ve been thinking
of creating a surface image that can be built into an object. I like the idea of creating an entire wall of laminate sheets that
make one image. When you’re up close, you can see detail. And when you’re far away, you see one gigantic image. What a perfect
way to utilize the language of technology!”