He learns most of them by spying on people: visiting their workplaces, watching them make purchases and, in the case of one of his clients, Burton Snowboards, riding down Vermont mountains to come up with the inspiration for a new form for boot bindings. Beck, 40, the son of interior designer Dale Beck and George Beck, who designed the first portable TV for G.E. in the '50s, studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and opened (Eleven) four years ago.
The boutique firm won three Industrial Design Excellence Awards last year, including one for a hanging cap rack that neatly holds the hats by the little buttons
on top. Beck's firm also creates its own
line of products, which includes a
surprising amount of pet items, from a retractable leash with a flashlight to a covered Kitty Litter box. Says Beck: "It's
just simple things, like trying to make life more pleasant even though it's just a cat taking a dump."
 |
|
|
|
View samples of Ben Beck's award-winning product design. |
|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
Name: Ben Beck Age:40 Why critics are taking note: The industrial designer's smart products are in demand from Microsoft and Motorola to Oakley. |
|
|
||
