VOL. 25: RAY EAMES/ DESIGN HEROINES

This is one of my favorite Design Heroines, Ray Eames. She’s our 25th heroine of the series, and I start tearing up if I think too much about her. She encapsulates everything I aspire to be as a human being- interested, playful, unafraid. And she’s never gotten enough credit for everything she did. So let’s push Charles Eames aside for a moment. Without further ado, RAY EAMES!

We’ve all heard enough from the men. The best way to learn about design is by looking to women who do it well. This is Ray Eames and here’s why you should give a damn.

We all know The Eames Chair, The Eames House, and even The Eames Elephant, so why the fuck don’t we know about Ray Eames?

TLDR: Ray had always been creative as hell. She grew up creating intricate paper dolls and went on to study fashion in college. Eventually, she made her way to Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where she crossed paths with Charles Eames, who became her husband and collaborator. They created everything as a duo, but people often gloss over Ray when discussing the Eames legacy, or worse, assume she’s a man.

Ray was a designer in every sense. She created magazine covers, films, clothing, homes, toys, furniture… the list goes on.

Ray became known for her iterative process. She was one of those people who just tried and tried and tried until things became the best they could be.

One cool example of this is she made plywood splints for soldiers in WWII and those splints were the first iteration of the furniture she would eventually make with Charles Eames. If you keep showing up, your ideas can turn into something you may have never expected.

Ray was incredibly playful and believed that design was for living. She famously said, “What works good is better than what looks good, because what works good lasts.” To this point, she made dresses with pockets deep enough so she wouldn’t have to mess around with carrying a purse. Talk about designing for living! So ahead of her time.

Ray Eames was happy if her mind was being expanded, if her creativity was being challenged, if her imagination was being utilized. And I think that’s the biggest lesson we can take away from Ray Eames.

I think about Ray when I’m scared to try or be perceived as a failure. If we don’t make a first attempt, we can’t iterate, and if we can’t iterate, how does our work ever get better? A creative life doesn’t have to be so fucking serious. The difference between you drawing a bad thing and a good thing isn’t life or death, right? (Still asking myself this question) Also, what even is bad versus good! (That’s a conversation for another day)

So…how can we use our imaginations to better our lives? And how can we have fun while we do it? I think looking to Ray is a good place to start.

Thanks for reading another volume of Design Heroines. And go learn everything you can about Ray! I love putting these together, and my life is so much richer for knowing the stories of these women. I hope it feels that way for you too. See you next time for number 26.