Design Out of Reach

A good story about a strong brand, a once-strong business vision that has gone awry

and the fight to get things back on track. Let's hope for all who care about design that DWR

gets its act together so they can become once again a voice for design / modernism / choice

for the greater public (and maybe, slightly....lower their prices a bit). I think DWR is a strong

case of having a premium product without building the foundation for irrational loyalty. I go

in there wanting a lot of things.... but I hardly walk out with anything (not good for their bottom line)..... but not say, like I'd pay $60 for a new Apple magic mouse even though I have a perfectly good generation 2.0 mouse at home. The transformation from want to have does not happen at DWR. That is a branding thing. Not a business thing (except for maybe their prices).

A good brand is a good story. DWR is a good story. I think if you look at some of the things said about DWR from the people who work there you'll see maybe the brand is not in its strongest

moment (branding is afterall what they say about you when you are not in the room)

"The current state of the DWR is actually really sad for some of us who worked there for years, in my case, over the course of 3 CEOs. The company not only helped to teach the nation, but it's employees about the great history of design. It filled our homes with pieces of art that we could live with and it introduced us to friends around the country who shared our love of design. However, I am sure that like myself, 100% of the employees who worked there under Ray have a cringe-worthy story or 20 about his irrational decisions, uncomfortable behavior in meetings, or unexplainable random outbursts. I'm sure others, or maybe some of those same people, were given opportunities they would have never been afforded in another company due to his refusal to hire experienced professionals in every department of the company. He was always so threatened by the intelligent opinions of anyone outside of his "pack" that half the time it was like arguing with your mean dad. In that way, I guess he was a father figure. The thought that the brand will survive while being navigated by those who are ONLY fiscally invested in the company does not make me optimistic. We always dreamed of a fearless, design-loving leader who would really mentor us and not bully us into selling fakes and accepting the trickle down of bad decision making."