Fletcher Eshbaugh

When I was young I had an interest in drawing, inventing, and playing around with ideas at a young age. I also had a strong fascination with Psychology and behavior which motivated me to the reasoning and emotion behind a particular design. Eventually I really fixated on logos and athletic shoes, designing them in my spare time as a child. This eventually led me to product design in schooling and my professional career where I have put this background to good work across several different fields of design.

1th Studio was started several years ago and really was focused on client needs in the fashion industry, with a tangential focus on branding and identity for small startup companies. This continued for a number of years, but for the past I would say 3-4 years has become focused on creating items that are idea driven and focused on my vision of the world as I see it.

Design is the ability to change things, the ability to make things better, and to inspire. There is something really satisfying about a well crafted design regardless of the medium. In the end it elevates your mood and enhances life in innumerable ways.

I still have a strong pull to the fashion world and designing bags and footwear. I am currently working on a couple of projects that are within this realm, but also give a nod to some of the themes I have been exploring in product design. I also love furniture in that it is such a concrete statement in terms of personality while also really getting to play with so many different materials and forms. There is something liberating about all the different iterations that say a table or a chair can become.

A favorite design is a tough one for me to zero in on. There are so many designs I get inspired by on a day to day basis. I think when you look back in history to some of the products that were created by artisans it really puts things into perspective. There is a certain sensibility and touch that a designer has to have in the mass production age, but there is something God like in the architecture and say religious artifacts of the last thousand years that inspires me.

The first thing I ended up designing in my career was a line of footwear for women through a small footwear company in New York City. I ended up becoming the lone designer at this company and was in charge of the entire range. It was a sink or swim environment, and although I think I did a solid job at the time I would love to go back and rework most or all of the designs.

I really do love metals and leather. Metal is such a permanent force and there is something so beautiful about how it wears, and the patina that develops over a number of years really can give it character that you cannot get with say plastic. Leather seemingly is on a downward trend due to misnomers like "vegan leather" which is nothing but either PU or PVC-I think once people start realizing how sustainable and natural something like leather is they will start moving back to it as a stronger material.

I feel most creative early in the morning and late at night. I will end up coming up with an inspired thought within a couple of hours of waking up in the morning, and then usually get on a roll in terms of implementation early evening until about 11pm. I used to stay up much later to design, but I found at a certain point it becomes counterproductive.

I think it is incredibly important to contextualize and ask questions. It ends up being a paradoxical act because in order for the design to succeed you really have to look at why it isn’t a good design, rather than leaning on any false assumption you might have created in your mind about the concept at hand. Beyond that, I think it is important to think about the details because these are the things that people will remember after the love or hate of the form becomes less novel. Getting those solidified and right is perhaps the most important on the checklist.

I end up having this electric wave of excitement upon first coming up with an idea or the finalization in my mind of a design. It ends up being quite a profound experience. Once things are settled in and I am working through a design I would say there is a generalized anxiety about what needs to get done, what has been done, and what should get done. Once things are released into the world though I still have a bit of dread looking at things because I tend to see everything that could have been better rather than what someone with fresh eyes is seeing. I have worked on getting better at this, to step out of myself and act as the final consumer on what is tolerable or not to them.

Once a design is realized I think it there is a sense of calm, but depending on the modality of distribution into the world, you really have to once again step it up in order to promote, disseminate, popularize the design. As I’ve mentioned, I do have a sense of all the flaws or the details of the design that could have been better. I think it’s a process through which you build and ever evolve the design-and if it is popular enough people will ask for that better version next.

The most successful designs have some timeless quality about them. Either the form, or the concept behind them. These through lines really allow the consumer to emotionally connect to the design and then it in essence is let into their world and becomes a part of themselves. I also am a firm believer that if you are to push the boundaries of design you must only push one aspect of the design, and leave the rest to be familiar cues. Without that it becomes to vast a departure and the consumer will have no psychic relation to the design.

When I am looking at any product I have a visceral reaction if it’s a strong enough product—either I am drawn or repelled by it. Otherwise it unfortunately falls into the white noise if there is no emotional reaction. From there I tend to examine why I had the feeling in the first place—what was the one or several things that made me react. If I end up being repelled to it I save space for the possibility that it may grow on me in time which I think we should all do. Sometimes your initial reaction is based in what is familiar only, and you need time to overcome that hurdle.

In terms of responsibilities, I think that the designer’s responsibility is to stand up for a good design and fight for it. I have seldom seen in a business environment a uniform acceptance of an idea, concept, or design. And when I have seen it that idea may not always be the best. That said, I think it’s important for the designer to realize this is a commercial enterprise, and the limitations are in place to ensure success and profitability, which is another level of responsibility. Otherwise there is always a career in fine art. Outside of this, I think a good designer is mindful of what they are putting into the world, but I think that is an individual responsibility. Is plastic worth it if it shaped and changed the lives of millions of people positively? These types of questions should always be asked.

The design field has expanded exponentially in that there are so many more “non-professional” designers that have made their way into the field. I think the initial reaction of many designers is that of uncertainty-does this mean my livelihood is non-existent now? I think the contrary. There will always be room for good design, and always a way to lead the field no matter who inhabits that space. I also think it is a good way for existing designers to crossover into areas that they may not have had a chance to do so previously.

My last design exhibition was several years ago in New York City at the Ace Hotel for a new bag collection launch I did while designing at Coach for the Men’s division. I am currently working on securing space for Codependent and a couple of new projects that I am working on right now, so hopefully by the end of the year!

Inspiration for me comes from those eureka moments you have when an idea that has been tumbling around in your brain meets compatible external stimuli-from there you have those amazing design moments. This happens in conjunction with the more mundane approach of asking a question or being dissatisfied with the current state of affairs for a particular product. I try to get out as much and explore maybe some things and places that are foreign to me. Inspiration can be as simple as that, just really shaking the routine off and seeing how other people see things, especially during through travel.

My design style is eclectic and somewhat eccentric in ways. I always want to solve a problem, but I also want people to really examine the object and have an emotional connection with it. I think that when you are a little odd there is an excitement about it. I am not and never was a traditional product designer, always looking for the interesting angle that the product could exhibit. Outside of that I like to look at the influence of psychology and products which I would say is a strong characteristic of my work, along with a certain gestalt approach to how the design appears on the whole. I don’t want the consumer to have to connect all the dots, I would like to lead them a bit.

I live in NYC full time and I think that there is such an eclectic mix of cultures within the city, and so many ways people live beyond that and this really serves as a massive cauldron of inspiration. I think in regard to working in the United States there are so many talented designers, but there is an American feel for the designs. I have always gravitated toward more of a European or Japanese sensibility in that it is a bit elevated whereas I think that is not tolerated by most in the US. They are less open to change or innovation in a certain sense, but that is one of my challenges and for the industry on the whole-how do we elevate design in the US collectively but also still make it feel attainable for everyone?

I have worked as a consultant for companies for a number of years, but I have also worked at established consultancies and within the companies themselves. I think that it is very important to understand the politics of the situation you are in. There is a certain dynamic working with certain companies and industries that you can only find out about through internal involvement. Otherwise you are kind of shooting in the dark on a certain level. Conversely I think too much knowledge of how things are done can lock you into a certain way of thinking that the company may need to break free of, so it is a bit of a double edged sword.

My suggestion is to keep an open mind with designers. I find that most of us have what appears to be odd or unorthodox methods, personalities, and habits. It is incumbent upon the designer to make some effort though, but I think that many companies end up looking for someone that is exactly what they think they need, but in fact may not be the best option for them. Selecting a good designer is tempering the talent with the personality and looking down the road in terms of business-does this person have the opportunity to take us places, or are we just looking at some rather short term situations here?

My design process starts with a general idea, and then I like to start sketching to see what I have. I typically do this in a free form way with little constraint, and then select several directions that I think are viable. From there I will further the ideas and pick them apart, usually one to three make themselves apparent as concrete. I then form most of the details, and take it into the computer. Once that process is complete I find that most of the work is on the fabrication end, and i usually leave a little opportunity for adjustment or a possible left turn from what has been planned.

My five favorite design items at home are my Herman Miller Aeron chair, Codependent table, Marais stools, Rolex Milgauss, and my Nike Alphafly running shoes.

I start the day reading, and then onto a run which helps me think about the day ahead and what needs to be completed. Most of the time spent is really the logistics of executing a design whether for a client or my studio, 1th, and a small portion I carve out most days to think about the evolution of these designs. I try to sketch everyday and usually end up working on new projects during the evening. The weekend ends up being partially spent on working through these designs but I have managed to get better about having some balance in life outside of design.

Remember that this is essentially commercial art-you need to be profitable, but that does not need to hinder you. Constraints are your friend, no matter where they come from, and be as flexible as possible in terms of what life shows you. That said, have conviction about the overall plan for you and your career, and while young look for a mentor that is doing exactly what you want to do. So much of life can be better done with someone who has been there before, and most of your professional career will rely upon the relationships you make both good and bad in your early career.

The positive is that you can help make products, and the tangible in this world serve people better. Even making something beautiful has it’s place, and it is great to be able to see consumers using your product and enjoying them. It’s not really a negative, but design tends to be an all consuming profession. You are always looking, critiquing, getting ideas, et cetera and it is hard to turn it off, so if you don’t love it you may want to get into something else.

The golden rule in design is to put a bit of your soul into things. Work on creating something that is uniquely from your perspective whilst avoiding alienating the consumer.

I think it is very important to understand every facet of design from the beginning of the process to the end. If you are just good at one part of the process there is definitely a place for you, but designers lose leverage with clients and themselves when they couldn’t say go out and make the thing they are designing or at least have a working understanding of the processes. I also think that outside of that no matter the pursuit you need to keep working through the tough and the uncertain times, just keep pushing forward because that continuous drive is the one predictor of success.

I like to sketch with pens, and i have a couple of different ones-a felt tip and a roller ball that I use daily. Outside of that I like to use illustrator quite a bit for layouts or proportion, certainly the graphic side of things, and I use Fusion 360 for 3D. Outside of that I rely upon many fabricators that I have worked with to utilize prototypes, 3D printing, samples, et cetera.

To be honest, it is a challenge to keep on schedule and I need to remain vigilant about it on a daily basis. Focus on the tasks at hand for the day and accomplish them. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, and sometimes my list is too long, but if you break things into bite sized pieces it makes insurmountable obstacles manageable.

The entire process of my table Codependent was about two years from design to production, but there was limited time that I was able to put into it so it was delayed a bit you could say. I think for bags and shoes it is super quick and you can be in market in 6-9 months. Electronics might take a year and a half though. it depends entirely upon the subject of design. Something like a vase is pretty manageable, but when you get into complex systems and manufacturing it all adds up.

Why did you design what you did? Essentially people want to know the work that lead to the final design.

My most important job experience has been the work i have done in visual merchandising recently. It has been one of the bigger challenges of my career, and the least of that has actually been design related. I have been tasked with managing both a team, internal segments of the business, and all of our global vendors which has been a handful. It has really taught me patience and strengthened my determination as a designer.

Coach, Beautyblender, Covergirl, Dell, Gap, Miller, LG. Not to mention many small brands that I have worked with extensively.

I really enjoy furniture and bag making—there is an artisanal component to them that even in their commercial modern form feels like it has a history. That it’s more than some future artifact or novelty to be found a thousand years from now with some big mystery about what it is—these couple of pursuits are tied to the past and the future equally, not just a flash.

I have more furniture and bags coming, and also working on a few projects outside this that I’m excited about but not giving away.

All of the items I design and release through 1th Studio are to this point solo projects. I am still surrounded by some brilliant people that help me execute. Periods of my life have been occupied with full time pursuits and those have been both individual and team pursuits.

I do have several projects that I am working on concurrently, but nothing I am really able to talk about right now unfortunately. I am looking forward to bringing them to life though and sharing soon!

People can get in touch through my website, 1th.io which is the best way to reach me.

I have been in the design industry for about 20 years now, working with and for companies such as Coach, Beautyblender, Nine West, Tommy Hilfiger, Dell, LG, Miller, and many more. Prior to this I graduated from the University of Cincinnati's DAAP program with a degree in Industrial Design.

My grandmother was an early influence in art and history, and from there I was profoundly influenced by what Nike was doing with athletic shoes in the early 90's, specifically Tinker Hatfield. This really opened the greater world of design to me and I realized I had a passion for almost every facet of product design as well as other disciplines such as fashion and graphic design.

My priorities are that there is a meaning or a message behind each design. I look at design like writing a song in that there is a meaning behind the design for me that can be interpreted by the consumer in a way that is totally theirs. First and foremost I want to make something better than the way I found it in a beautiful solution though.

Elation, joy, despair, frustration! I think that my emotions run the gamut. The most exciting is the eureka moment when you have the concept figured out form and function wise. After that it is a back and forth between feeling challenged and hammering away at the solution. It is always fulfilling to see the final product fully realized before moving on to the next design.

When I first moved to NYC, I ended up having many jobs in different disciplines so not like a traditional product designer. This at first I think was a hinderance in terms of gaining work and clients, but I soon realized that there was a space that wasn't occupied between the worlds of fashion, product, and graphic design fields which has become my signature. I am also profoundly influenced by and interested in psychology which makes itself evident in much of my work.

I have shifted the business model of my venture 1th Studio from being client focused to really becoming a design house for my designs direct to market. I am currently working on several projects that I hope to launch in the next several months which are very exciting so stay tuned!

My advice is to find a mentor, and to really work on perseverance. Following through on your designs and ideas are really the key to success even in the face of adversity, and what better way to navigate it than with a mentor when you are at your greenest.

Design something every day or every week. Get in the habit of showing it on social media and don't be afraid to fail. Once you understand that it's not catastrophic to fail, it will free you to be open and confident in your ability and as a result your designs.

I start the morning by reading general and design news, and then I go for a run to clear my head and think about the tasks at hand for the day. I try to schedule blocks of time for tasks and really not bite off more than I can chew. I am definitely guilty of trying to pack too much into a day and that is just counterproductive and deflating. I schedule some time in the afternoon or early evening to get away from things for a while and then usually make dinner and hop back to my desk for a bit of work before I go to bed.

I try to see what other designers are doing, or at the very least what people are doing so you can stay in tune with the "collective unconscious" but I do think that there is a limit. If you are continually chasing trends or other designers its like falling down the rabbit hole and you totally lose your sense of self and sense of your design ethos after a while. You need to be careful.

I know a product or project is well designed if I want to steal the idea or feel an adequate level of jealousy. Kidding aside, there is an excitement about a good or great design that excites and inspires me to create something better-not regarding that design specifically, but in whatever project I am working on. It's almost a bit of competition where there wasn't any before, a challenge.

Your design is never ready unless you set boundaries, timelines, et cetera. The design could go on infinitely without being finalized, so you do need to press yourself to finalize. It is tough, but you realize that if things are successful enough there will be a request for a newer better version, and at some point what you are improving is not worth the time. And some feedback you just won't get until it's fully realized and commercial. That goes beyond you sitting at a desk coming up with a slightly better version of what you have done.

My biggest design work is my newest release, the table Codependent. The project was born out of a mutual fascination and interest in the fields of psychology and design. I am particularly proud because it is part of an ongoing series "Anima-Forma" -essentially the physical manifestation of a psychological condition, bringing psychology from covert to overt in terms of a commercial product.

I think right now I am particularly impressed with quite a bit of Mathieu Lehanneur's work, so I would have to say he's definitely a favorite. His work has such a refined sensibility, you just want to live in that world. Outside of that I would want to speak with Alexander McQueen as I thought he was a true visionary in the fashion world. I would also give a big nod to Philippe Stark for sort of introducing product design to the masses in a modern way.

I live in NYC so really any influence you can think of globally can be found within a few minutes, maybe a half hour or so. It is inspiring in that you can get out of your world for a little bit and become a part of something that you normally don't inhabit. Culture absolutely shapes your designs, and I think what is great is we are seeing quite an eclectic influence on mainstream design these days, it really has opened up to offer more than anyone thought it could. Outside of that my lifestyle is rather straightforward but I am drawn to the oddities and the unique in this world which certainly shapes how I design, it becomes a freedom.

I would say I am not the easiest to work with when it comes to design, but I also try to create a rapport with the people I work with. We end up spending so much time together you really want to develop a relationship, but you need those boundaries of what is acceptable for work and what is not. There is a fine line though because the reality is that this is work and there are no shortcuts.

I just recently completed a total rebranding effort for East End Temple, my congregation in NYC that was a pro-bono initiative. I think that there are moments like these when you feel a sense of obligation to the community to lend your talents to organizations and people that matter.

I am just extremely thrilled and honored to have received a Gold A'Design Award for my table Codependent as it validated a lot of what I felt in the project, and it has given it a greater stage and visibility to the world which is wonderful. As well, there has been an increase in interest from the public and my colleagues which is fantastic.

My grandmother and I used to spend quite a bit of time together and we would discuss art and history even as a very young boy. She was a part time docent at the Columbus Museum of Art in her spare time, so she had quite a bit of knowledge to impart and was passionate about it which influenced me a great deal. As I got older, I became specifically obsessed with Nike shoes and design which lead me to product design as a career focus. I studied the University of Cincinnati in the DAAP program majoring in industrial design and really focused on blue sky projects. Through the university cooperative learning program, I was able to intern at several design consultancies in the US as well as an extended internship at New Balance. After attending university I ended up in NYC working in several fields-fashion, product, graphic, and visual merchandising to be specific and decided that a blend of these fields was who I really was as a designer. It has made the path interesting but provided opportunity that wouldn’t have been available if I worked in a more linear career path.

I can really say that Nike and Tinker Hatfield originally influenced me to be a product designer and as I explored the broader world of design I became passionate about so many more facets of design, products, and ideas. What motivates me is the next great idea, the next beautiful thing, and the challenge and opportunity of coming up with something special.

I chose to become a designer. I think there was a fork in the road where I wanted to be either a psychologist or a designer-if anything I was dissuaded from becoming a psychologist by my father. He is a practicing psychologist and strongly recommended against it.

I design a little of everything. I typically work on shoes &bags, branding and identity, visual merchandising, and furniture. I really kind of look where the opportunity to create something special lies and focus on that, but generally speaking I think there is a huge swath of traditional product design projects that I would love to play around with which I am currently exploring.

Be determined to take an idea from start to finish and not get discouraged if people don’t like it. There is a power in perseverance that minimizes long term failure. Push through even if it feels tedious at times, those moments are going to be what separates you from designers that are not as successful. You need to be willing to do whatever it takes.

The difference between a good designer and a great designer is focus and determination. A good designer paints within the lines and creates something good, a great designer knows when and where to break the rules, and always has a good reason to do it. The great designers also explore many options to get to their final result, and good ones just explore maybe a few.

It is sort of like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s view on obscenity, essentially “I know it when I see it” when it comes to design excellence in my opinion. I think though that there is a certain timeless or transcendent quality about those types of designs that make them extraordinary. Having that “Aha” moment of realizing the design solution, when you just get it is a solid marker in determining a great design. When it reveals itself to you really.

The value of good design is innumerable, but a lot of times is seen as expendable or discounted which is unfortunate. I think there is the business side of it, that there is lasting value in having a good design, but there is also sort of a communal aspect to good design in that it elevates everyone’s life that is in contact with these ideas and products. If we fill the world with good design, there may be better choices made. One begets the other, a sort of psychological inertia toward the positive.

I would love to design currency or sports uniforms officially. I have been playing around with some ideas and may just give it a try as a personal pursuit. I would love to get involved in some American staples like that where it would be interesting to see how far you can push it, and can you provide a balance of high design and tradition.

I think it would be amazing to design a building inside and out as there are so many moments to design, but these spaces end up being profound to the user, more so than objects in a way, but they do work in tandem to fully create a mood or moment.

There is no secret recipe to success in design except perseverance. It would be wonderful if there was a code or a quick way to the top but there isn’t. I firmly believe it is about pushing through, level upon level without any extended stagnancy if there is a secret. Once you stop pushing is where you end up limiting the opportunities to disseminate your designs and ideas.

Philippe Stark was one of my early favorites-everything he did for a period of time I was fascinated with. Leebeus Woods, Tobias Wong, Mathieu Lehanneur, the Bouroullec brothers, and I do find Virgil Abloh interesting—not everything he does hits for me, but a lot of his ideas, and his volume of output and drive are inspiring for sure.

Mathieu Lehanneur’s “Ocean Memories Collection” is amazing as it really captures the true emotion of the sea. Just as masterful is the technological feat of engineering and manufacturing the objects themselves. Crosby Studios interior work is amazing to me in their use of monochromatic themes with color. I am drawn to those spaces.

I think my Codependent table is my greatest design to date. I think it is great because the form is interesting and odd in a way, but beautiful. I also love the meaning behind it, and really the fact that I was able to capture in physical form a psychological condition.

I think being a designer is all about being open to new opportunities, cultures, experiences, et cetera and really becoming a catalogue of these moments. That expands your visual dictionary, and resources. Studying why products and designs are successful should just be as effortless and automatic as breathing. Constant intake and processing of the external world.

I think I would have either settled into Psychology or perhaps Archeology. Both of these fields I am fascinated by and developed an interest in from an early age.

Design is many things, but there are a few that I tend to put toward the front of the pack. Making things better than the way you found them, in some ways not being noticed, or in other ways being the most conspicuous. Is it functional? Is it beautiful? Is it both of these things at the same time?

I have had many supporters along the years: my family, my friends, and going back to college, one of my amazing professors Dale Murray really believed in my work which got me started in a positive direction.