I saw the cane while in CVS the other day, and it did catch my eye. One of my projects involves creating a shower chair that people would actually want to use and I always look and see what is being offered in CVS and Target. Usually it’s the same blow-molded seat with adjustable aluminum legs we have all seen and probably thought “I hope I never have to buy that”.
So often the devices one sees in these commercial spaces are the absolute bare minimum of design. This cane caught my eye as the finish and features clearly had some thought invested in their implementation. I didn’t realize it was the work of the team that carries on the Michael Graves brand after his death in 2015.
CVS Health by Michael Graves Design
I had seen the Michael Graves Design logo on medical devices used in hospitals – like the Stryker collaboration on patient transport chairs. I hadn’t seen the designs in more publicly available stores but it makes sense for the brand. Democratizing design was mentioned as one of the goals of MGD when they created products for Target.
I found an article Fast Company just posted on the CVS product collaboration that mentions more about how disability informed some of Michael Graves designs later in his life – after he began designing for Target. Also interesting was that he became paralyzed in 2003 and his focus shifted to creating devices that might help persons experiencing disability.
Design firm that made Target a star is introducing a line of products (fastcompany.com)
Michael Graves Design and CVS Remade Canes and Walkers (curbed.com)
