Martha Chatham Wakelin
Designer
PROJECTS
Project |01
Project |01 Construkt Collection
Winner of ADEX Gold Award
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This Collection was inspired by Russia's Constructivist Art movement of the early 1900's. Patterning featuring sleek shapes, tantalizing texture and a striated palette of neutrals began as a market-driven product intended for a budget minded specification, without sacrificing high style and design. I conducted thorough product field testing nationwide to establish pattern and color palette choices. Acting as Creative Director for photography, I conceptualized and designed each set from initial prop selection to final placement in the photo shoot. This collection ranks as one of the top sellers for it's brand and the colorline remains fresh years after its introduction.
Project |02
Project |02 Rendezvous Collection
Winner of ADEX Gold Award
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This was the first project I began work on as the Senior Product Designer for Shaw's Designweave division. The challenge was to create a modular coordinate to two existing Broadloom styles so that a contract specifier would have more versatility within a high-end office space. The development team was also receiving requests from the field for a few bright colorways to be added to the palette. As I contemplated the selection of bright hues to add to the palette I began to be inspired by Hella Jongerius' fabric collaboration with Maharam in her Repeat series and how the occasional bright stripe infused a neutral palette. Based on this inspiration, the "Brites" portion of the series was created and proved much more usable than any solid bright palette would have been. This was the first photo shoot that I had experience with and it inspired a passion that became one of my favorite aspects of my career at that time. I selected all of the props and was onsite as Creative Director for all aspects of the process. The Product Development and Marketing Directors were so pleased that they allowed me to Creatively Direct all future product photo shoots from selection of props, to the entire set design as well as working with the photographer to establish the best product perspective. This collection is still widely specified 7 years after its introduction.
Project |03
Project |03 Touch Collection
Winner of ADEX Platinum Award
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Modular offerings inspired by ordinary objects that elicit the warmth of human emotion- translated into patterns that evoke a sensation of calm and comfort. I had the great opportunity to work in a group-based design project in collaboration with LAUCKGROUP. This modular collection featured 4 individual collections whose styles had a pattern offering of various scales that could be used throughout the same installation. The selection varied from highly textural Luxuriousness to Craft to Whimsy. I worked closely alongside marketing to contribute much of the verbiage for marketing materials, as well as conceiving and directing the entire photo shoot for all 4 collections which encompassed 16 products in all. The Collection debuted at NeoCon that year and was the focal product of our Showroom. I designed the layout for the showroom, and was onsite at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago to direct the installation of the carpet as well as marketing media.
Just a sample of my work. To see more or discuss possible work >>