Craighill: Creating Enduring Objects and Sparking a Sense of Wonder
Founded in 2015 by architect trained product designer Hunter Craighill and headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, Craighill is a product design brand focusing on creating enduring objects and sparking a sense of wonder into people’s lives. The company strives to surprise and delight their customers through the conscientious production of enduring objects.
Craighill’s designers and makers work towards nurturing a culture of curiosity through the exploration of new processes, new materials, and new products types - and by sharing what they discover with their community.
Craighill’s belief is that by understanding how a product is made - and the thinking that goes into its design - can increase appreciation for the objects in our lives and discourage a culture of consumption and waste. By fostering consciousness of the built world, we can help shape a brighter future.
We caught up recently with Hunter Craighill to take us through his design process and what he and his designers have been up during lockdown.
Tell us more about how your products provide enduring value in a time of mass production and waste.
The enduring value that the objects we create provide is largely a function of the relationship between the owner and the object itself. We put a lot of time and thought into what it will be like to interact with these things—how do they feel in your hand, how do they look on a shelf or table, and what is their relationship to your daily routine and the other things you already own and cherish. We then make sure we use words and images to communicate how and why we made the product, and why we think it's special. Our hope is that all of these small elements yield a result in which the owner simply says "I love this thing." And if you love something, you're probably not going to throw it away. In fact if it breaks, you might even try to figure out how to fix it.
What are some ways that Craighill gives back to its community?
We think about giving back to our community in a few different ways. The simplest and most direct way is that we donate money to causes that are important to us as a company. Whether it's an arts center helping provide children with opportunities to learn about the magic of creating or a non-profit working to protect and defend constitutional values.
Readers: The above is an excerpt from our in-depth Q&A with Hunter Craighill in our Discover Delight Design Delivered quarterly e-magazine that members can access via our Spring box subscription.