Anyone who has ever been to Target would instantly recognize the Michael Graves section simply by the distinctive blue boxes lined up at the base of a kitchen-products gondola. 'Graves blue' is a Wedgwood-y shade, as iconic as Tiffany's robin's egg blue. Born from the color of architectural blueprints, it's a complex hue not easily matched with a Pantone number. But it's Graves's favorite and, naturally, the one he chose to use in his first collection.
Target, it seems, had other ideas. Graves remembers submitting his first collection -- which featured a toaster, a blender, and an ice bucket, all with blue handles -- to the trend spotters at Target's headquarters. 'They said, 'Well, we love it, but the blue will have to go,' ' he recalls, laughing. ' 'Blue doesn't sell. Half of America doesn't like blue, and the other doesn't like green. It's got to be neutral.' ' The standoff continued until Ron Johnson, then head of the discounter's home products, mediated the dispute. 'I had to step in and say, 'Guys, these are Michael's products,' ' says Johnson, who now oversees Apple's retail stores. 'Design works if it's authentic, inspired, and has a clear point of view. It can't be a collection of input.'"
When the line launched in stores, Graves was instantly vindicated. From day one, the toaster has been a hit at Target, and five years later, it's still available. "That's the fundamental difference about design," Johnson says. "It endures."
"Between the Lines," Fast Company, 1 Aug 2004,
www.fastcompany.com/magazine/85/open_betweenthelines.html.
