Tom Hardy (designer)

Last updated
Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy - Design Strategist.jpg
Alma mater
Occupation Designer, university teacher
Employer

Tom Hardy (born 1946) is an American design strategist and Professor of Design Management at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). [1] [2] As corporate design advisor to Samsung Electronics (1996-2003) Hardy was instrumental in transforming their brand image from follower to innovation leader by creating a new brand-design ethos: "Balance of Reason & Feeling", and building significant global brand equity through judicious use of design strategy and management. [3] [4] [5] While at IBM (1970-1992), he was an award-winning industrial designer [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] and later served as corporate head of the IBM Design Program responsible for worldwide brand-design identity. [12] [13] His leadership contributed to the revitalization of IBM's brand image via differentiated design such as the iconic ThinkPad. [14] [15]

Contents

Early life and education

Hardy's early life was spent in Alabama [16] where he graduated from Hueytown High School in 1964 and pursued his undergraduate education in industrial design at Auburn University (1964–1970) [17] under Eva Pfeil (German) and Walter Schaer (Swiss), former students at the famed Ulm School of Design in Germany. [18] [19] During his graduate work in the History and Sociology of Technology and Science at Georgia Institute of Technology (1995-1996), he consulted with Georgia Tech to create CoLab, a unique multi-disciplinary innovation laboratory that integrated engineering, marketing and industrial design for industry-sponsored projects. [20] [21]

Career

IBM

Early in his career, Hardy was the industrial designer of numerous award-winning IBM products, [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] including the original IBM Personal Computer introduced in 1981. [22] [23] [24] During the 1970s, he also designed advanced industrial design concepts for 'single user computers' during the infancy of personal computing. [24] His work included a human-centered design model in 1973 [24] to complement the IBM engineering prototype of SCAMP [25] dubbed by PC Magazine as "the world's first personal computer". [26] Examples of Hardy's advanced PC concepts are published in the book: DELETE: A Design History of Computer Vapourware [24]

As corporate head of the IBM Design Program, [27] [12] Hardy directed worldwide brand-design identity operations in concert with preeminent designers Paul Rand [28] and Richard Sapper. [29] [30] His design leadership accomplishments have been cited in notable publications, including a London Business School Case Study that documented Hardy's role in development of the first IBM ThinkPad notebook computer (1992) [31] [15] [32] [33] [34] [13] [35] together with a new differentiated product personality strategy. This work focused on providing more innovative character to help revitalize IBM's brand image in the 1990s. [15] [13] [35] [14] [36] [37]

Design strategist

Later an independent consultant, Hardy's work with Samsung Electronics (1996-2003) [3] [4] involved creating a strategic brand-design approach of duality: "Balance of Reason and Feeling", while integrating a comprehensive design management system and innovation strategy into the corporate culture. [38] [39] His introduction of brand-design infrastructure elements that were definable, repeatable, measurable, scalable and actionable has been cited in business publications as strategic assets that resulted in a unique identity for Samsung and helped elevate the company's global brand image and brand equity value. [38] [40] [41] [5] [42] [43] Another consulting example is Hardy's work with Ford (2005) where he conducted verbal-visual perception research with target customers as a framework for design of their first crossover vehicle, the 2007 Ford Edge.

Hardy's diverse consulting project experience includes: Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, Ford, Home Depot, J.P. Morgan, Lenovo, Lowe's, Maytag, Merck, McDonald's, Microsoft, NEA, Polaroid, Porsche, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Steelcase, Tupperware, Turkcell, Verizon and Xerox PARC.[ citation needed ]

Educator

Hardy currently serves as Professor of Design Management and Graduate Coordinator at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)., [1] [2] and has conducted corporate education workshops on innovative Design thinking and Scenario planning for companies such as Porsche [44] and Steelcase. [45]

Contributions and recognition

Government

In 1992, Hardy was invited by the U.S. Presidential transition team to participate as a member of President Bill Clinton's Roundtable on Design. [46] The purpose of the event was to create ideas on how innovative design can contribute to America's competitiveness, sustainability and inclusiveness. [47] Following the Roundtable on Design, he was selected to testify before the 103rd Congressional Committee on Science, Space and Technology as to the importance of design innovation in commercialization of technologies and U.S. competitiveness. [48] Hardy also participated in another government design initiative in 1993 as Chair of a National Endowment for the Arts' Design Program working group to propose a White House Council on Design. [49] And in 2000 he was appointed to the Presidential Design Awards Jury for Federal Design Achievement in Graphic Design and Industrial/Product Design [50]

Design management and product design

The 2007 anniversary issue of PC Magazine highlighted Hardy's innovative management leadership role in the original IBM ThinkPad development process and deemed him 'Innovator of the Year 1992'. [33] Most recently, two products directly influenced by Hardy during his IBM career were selected in 2016 by Time Magazine as being among "The 50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time". They are: (#5) the first IBM Personal Computer 5150 and (#21) the iconic IBM ThinkPad 700C. The 50 products were cited by Time as "The tech that forever changed the way we live, work and play". [51]

Awards for Hardy's industrial design of IBM products: [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM Personal Computer</span> Personal computer model released in 1981

The IBM Personal Computer is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a team of engineers and designers at International Business Machines (IBM), directed by William C. Lowe and Philip Don Estridge in Boca Raton, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ThinkPad</span> Business laptops and tablets series by Lenovo

ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop computers and tablets, the early models of which were designed, developed and marketed by International Business Machines (IBM) starting in 1992. IBM sold its PC business, including laptops to Lenovo in 2005, and since 2007, all new ThinkPad models have been branded Lenovo instead. The Chinese manufacturer further developed the line, and is still selling new models in 2024.

IDEO is a design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 500 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, environments, brands, and digital experiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM PC Convertible</span> 1986 laptop computer by IBM

The IBM PC Convertible is a laptop computer made by IBM, first sold in April 1986. The Convertible was IBM's first laptop-style computer, following the luggable IBM Portable, and introduced the 3½-inch floppy disk format to the IBM product line. Like modern laptops, it featured power management and the ability to run from batteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM ThinkPad 701</span> Subnotebook computer with foldout keyboard

The IBM ThinkPad 701 is a subnotebook in the ThinkPad line by IBM. The 701 is colloquially known as the Butterfly due to its sliding keyboard, which was designed by John Karidis. It was developed from 1993 and sold from March 1995 until later that year and priced between $1,499 and $3,299. The 701 was the most sold laptop in 1995 and has received 27 design awards. It was based on either the DX2 or the DX4 version of the Intel i486, combined with CT-65545 graphics chip from Chips and Technologies. The 701Cs version used a DSTN display, while the 701C used a TFT LCD. It was pre-installed with Windows 3.11 and for the DX4 models also with OS/2 Warp 3.0. The 701 was discontinued because the keyboard design was no longer a necessity after screen sizes increased. After its discontinuation there has been some speculation about a new notebook with a butterfly style keyboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM 5120</span> 1980 portable business computer

The IBM 5120 Computing System is a 16-bit microcomputer developed by IBM and released in February 1980. Marketed as the desktop follow-on to the portable IBM 5110 Computing System, it featured two built-in 8-inch 1.2 MB floppy disk drives, an integrated 9-inch monochrome monitor, 32 KB RAM, plus an optional IBM 5114 stand-alone diskette unit with two additional 8-inch 1.2 MB floppy disk drives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenovo</span> Chinese multinational technology company

Lenovo Group Limited, trading as Lenovo, is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related services. Products manufactured by the company include desktop computers, laptops, tablet computers, smartphones, workstations, servers, supercomputers, data storage devices, IT management software, and smart televisions. Its best-known brands include its ThinkPad business line of laptop computers, the IdeaPad, Yoga, LOQ, and Legion consumer lines of laptop computers, and the IdeaCentre, LOQ, Legion, and ThinkCentre lines of desktop computers. As of 2024, Lenovo is the world's largest personal computer vendor by unit sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AST Research</span> American computer manufacturer (1980–1999)

AST Research, Inc., later doing business as AST Computer, was a personal computer manufacturer. It was founded in 1980 in Irvine, California, by Albert Wong, Safi Qureshey, and Thomas Yuen, as an initialism of their first names. In the 1980s, AST designed add-on expansion cards, and evolved toward the 1990s into a major personal computer manufacturer. AST was acquired by Samsung Electronics in 1997 but was de facto closed in 1999 due to a series of losses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Design management</span> Field of inquiry in business

Design management is a field of inquiry that uses design, strategy, project management and supply chain techniques to control a creative process, support a culture of creativity, and build a structure and organization for design. The objective of design management is to develop and maintain an efficient business environment in which an organization can achieve its strategic and mission goals through design. Design management is a comprehensive activity at all levels of business, from the discovery phase to the execution phase. "Simply put, design management is the business side of design. Design management encompasses the ongoing processes, business decisions, and strategies that enable innovation and create effectively-designed products, services, communications, environments, and brands that enhance our quality of life and provide organizational success." The discipline of design management overlaps with marketing management, operations management, and strategic management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subnotebook</span> Obsolete term for smaller laptops

Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, or mini notebook, is a type of laptop computer that is smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Sapper</span> German industrial designer (1932–2015)

Richard Sapper was a German industrial designer who was based in Milan for much of his career. He is considered to be one of the most influential figures of post-war Italian design. His products typically feature a combination of technical innovation, simplicity of form, and an element of wit and surprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen computing</span> Uses a stylus and tablet/touchscreen

Pen computing refers to any computer user-interface using a pen or stylus and tablet, over input devices such as a keyboard or a mouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of personal computers</span>

The history of the personal computer as a mass-market consumer electronic device began with the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s. A personal computer is one intended for interactive individual use, as opposed to a mainframe computer where the end user's requests are filtered through operating staff, or a time-sharing system in which one large processor is shared by many individuals. After the development of the microprocessor, individual personal computers were low enough in cost that they eventually became affordable consumer goods. Early personal computers – generally called microcomputers – were sold often in electronic kit form and in limited numbers, and were of interest mostly to hobbyists and technicians.

Strategic design is the application of future-oriented design principles in order to increase an organization's innovative and competitive qualities. Its foundations lie in the analysis of external and internal trends and data, which enables design decisions to be made on the basis of facts rather than aesthetics or intuition. The discipline is mostly practiced by design agencies or by internal development departments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Dziersk</span> American industrial designer (1959–2020)

Mark Dziersk was an American industrial designer based in Chicago, Illinois.

The history of tablet computers and the associated special operating software is an example of pen computing technology, and thus the development of tablets has deep historical roots. The first patent for a system that recognized handwritten characters by analyzing the handwriting motion was granted in 1914. The first publicly demonstrated system using a tablet and handwriting recognition instead of a keyboard for working with a modern digital computer dates to 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleven LLC</span>

ELEVEN, LLC is a product development studio with offices in Boston, Massachusetts and New York City, New York. The studio was founded in 1996 by Ben Beck, Dave Harting, Doug Marsden and Glen Walter. Since then the company has designed products and experiences across multiple categories: from consumer goods and housewares, to electronics, medical machinery, sporting goods, and furniture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM ThinkPad 700</span>

The IBM ThinkPad 700 is the first notebook computer for the ThinkPad brand that was released by IBM on October 5, 1992. Another series was released alongside it, the ThinkPad 300 series. The 300 series was meant to be a cheaper, lower performance model line over the 700. It was developed as a successor to the L40SX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM ThinkPad TransNote</span> Notebook computer by IBM

The IBM ThinkPad TransNote is a notebook computer by IBM.

Samuel "Sam" Lucente is an industrial designer.

References

  1. 1 2 "SCAD Design Management Faculty".
  2. 1 2 Catalog, Savannah College of Art and Design, 2015-2016. Programs of Study: School of Design, Design Management Program: Faculty, pp.100-03
  3. 1 2 Cain, G, (2020) Samsung Rising: The Inside Story of the South Korean Giant That Set Out to Beat Apple and Conquer Tech, New York: Currency, pp.113-116
  4. 1 2 Chung, K.; Hardy, T.; So, S., ″Strategic Realization″ , Design Management Journal, Winter 2000, pp.65-9
  5. 1 2 Chung, K.; Freeze, K., "Design Strategy at Samsung Electronics: Becoming a Top-Tier Company″, Design Management Institute Case Study - Harvard Business School Publishing, 2008, p.8
  6. 1 2 3 International Information Technology Exhibition: SMAU, (Italy) Industrial Design Award: IBM 5230 Data Collection System/Series 1, 1977. Pizzi, M., Grilli, N., (1998) Thirty Years of SMAU Industrial Design Award, Milano: Amilcare Pizziart grafiche S.p.A., p.28
  7. 1 2 3 Annual Design Review,I.D. Magazine, Product design award: IBM 5230 Data Collection System/Series 1, 1977, p.110
  8. 1 2 3 Industrial Design Excellence - Gold IDEA. Industrial Designers Society of America, Product design award: IBM 5120 Computing System, 1980, p.3
  9. 1 2 3 27th Annual Design Review.I.D. Magazine, Product design award: IBM 5120 Computing System/Series 1, 1981, pp.44-5
  10. 1 2 3 29th Annual Design Review.I.D. Magazine, Product design award: IBM System 23-Adjustability Model, 1983, p.37
  11. 1 2 3 iF, Die Gute Industrieform. Hannover Messe (Germany), Product design award: IBM System 23-Adjustability Model, 1983, p.98
  12. 1 2 Nussbaum, B., ″Hot Products: Smart Design is the Common Thread″, Business Week, June 7, 1993, pp.5, 6
  13. 1 2 3 Bruce, M.; Jennaker, B., (1998) Management of Strategic Alliances, Sakakibara, K., New York: John Wiley & Sons, Chapter 4.
  14. 1 2 Hardy, T., "Rebuilding Trust: Design Saves the Brand″, Innovation, Summer 1998, pp.39-43
  15. 1 2 3 Sakakibara, K., "IBM ThinkPad 700C Notebook Computer Case″, Centre for Design Management - London Business School, 1994, pp.25-9, 30-9, 40
  16. DesignAlabama: "Design200", 2019
  17. "Student Designers Present New Concepts for Ocean Hardware and Systems", Armco Steel Corporation, Middletown, OH, 1969, pp.7, 8, 11
  18. Lindinger, H., (1991), Ulm Design: The Morality of Objects, Cambridge: The MIT Press, p.133
  19. Spitz, R. (2002) The Ulm School of Design: A View Behind the Foreground, Fellbach: Edition Axel Menges, pp.140, 146, 201, 207, 211-12, 431-2, 438, 441, 453
  20. Bullock, W., (2012) Sustaining Sustainable Design Innovation, IDSA Education Symposium, Boston, p.6
  21. Bullock, W., Reeder, K., Thomas, J., (2014) PIRL: Innovation and Research - Opportunities for Interactive Education , IDSA Education Symposium, Austin, p.7
  22. 1 2 28th Annual Design Review, I.D. Magazine, Designers' Choice: IBM Personal Computer, 1982, p.37
  23. Markis S., ″A 25-Year Trip on the Silicon Highway″ , The Edmonton Journal, August 26, 2006.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Atkinson, P, (2013) DELETE: A Design History of Computer Vapourware , London: Bloomsbury Publishing, pp. 62-3, 66-8, 70, 73-4, 76-9, 86-8, 90-1, 138, 140
  25. SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable), a prototype name for an IBM advanced microcomputer made in 1973
  26. Friedl, Paul J., "SCAMP: The Missing Link in the PCs Past", PC Magazine, PC 2, No. 6, November, 1983, pp.190-7
  27. Aldersey-Williams, H., (1992) World Design: Nationalism and Globalism in Design, New York: Rizzoli, pp.155, 170, 172
  28. Heller, S., (1999) Paul Rand, London: Phaidon Press, Limited, pp.149-50, 158
  29. Brandes, U., (1993), Richard Sapper:Tools for Life, Göttingen: Steidl Verlag, pp.145-6
  30. Olivares, J., (2016) Richard Sapper, London: Phaidon Press, Limited, p.77
  31. Swaby, R., (2011) Behind the Design of the Greatest Windows Laptop EVAHHHHH
  32. Dell, D.; Purdy, G., (1999) ThinkPad: A Different Shade of Blue, Indianapolis: Sams/Mcmillan, pp.10, 80-1, 125, 171-5, 180-2, 187, 457, 469, 496
  33. 1 2 Metz, C., ″25 Years of PC Magazine: Year Eleven/1992″, PC Magazine, May 2, 2007, p.48
  34. Hamm, S., (2008) The Race for Perfect: Inside the Quest to Design the Ultimate Portable Computer, New York: McGraw Hill, pp.73-4, 77, 81, 99
  35. 1 2 Golden, P., ″Big Blue's Big Adventure. Part 1″ ,
  36. Hardy, T., "Innovation & Chaos", Design Management Journal, Summer 1994, pp.35-9
  37. Trelstad, J., ″Code Name: Leapfrog″,I.D Magazine, May–June, 1993, pp.70-3
  38. 1 2 Nussbaum, B., "The Hungriest Tiger", Business Week, June 2, 1997, p.99
  39. Delaney, M.; Hardy, T.; McFarland, J.; Yoon, G., ″Global Localization″, Innovation, Summer 2002, pp.46-9
  40. Bremmer, B.; Ihlwan, M., ″Cool Korea″ , Business Week, June 10, 2002, p.5
  41. Krishnan, R.; Kumar, K., ″Capturing Value in Global Markets: The Case of Samsung Electronics″, SCMS Journal of Indian Management - Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, October - December, 2005, pp.67-8
  42. Farhoomad, A., Vishwanath, D., "Samsung Electronics: Innovation and Design Strategy", Asia Case Study Research Centre, University of Hong Kong, 2009, pp.6, 16
  43. Bhoir, N, Dutta, S., Kundu, K., Lodh, D., Pramanick, P.,"Samsung Electronics: Success by Design", Kohinoor Business School: Mumbai, 2008, p.5
  44. Annual and Sustainability Report of Porsche AG 2018, p. 64
  45. Steelcase: "How Will Artificial Intelligence Shape Our World?", 2018
  46. Brown, P., "Political Design? Well, Yes.", The New York Times, December 10, 1992.
  47. Perlman, C.; Sorkin, M.; Woodward, S., ″Dear Mr. President: Answering Clinton's Call for a Design Strategy in America″, I.D. Magazine, March - April, 1993, p.2
  48. ″Establishment of a Design Council in the Department of Commerce″, Hearing Before the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, U.S House of Representatives: 103rd Congress, Second Session. June 21, 1994, pp.184-8
  49. "A Proposal for a White House Council on Design: A Strategy to Harness the Power of Design", National Endowment for the Arts Design Program, June 1994, pp.8, 9, 24
  50. "Presidential Design Awards 2000" by General Services Administration and National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 2000, p.31
  51. Eadicicco, L, Fitzpatrick, A., Howorth, C., Luckerson, V., Peckham, M., Pullen, J. P., Raab, J., Vella. M. ″The 50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time″ Time, May 3, 2016.