KARIN HIBMA AND MICHAEL CRONAN
CRONAN, BERKELEY, CALIF.
LENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP: 32 YEARS
Michael Cronan and Karin Hibma met in an art and mythology
class at Sacramento State College, now CSUS. They had everything
in common and still do.
“For years we had design offices and our solution to having our
lives be together was to work together at the office,” says Cronan.
“Now we live and have our studios on the same property. Life and
work are the same, aren’t they?”
“Michael is as fascinating in his intensity and enthusiasm for his
work as he was when I first met him,” says Hibma. What’s changed
most dramatically in their 32 years together is the business.
“What was once an art form—research, requiring knowledge of
resources, and of course, access to them—is now a simple check of
a few search engines,” Hibma says. “What was once a few days to
exchange paper documents by mail went through the innovation
of fax machines to the immediacy of e-mail. We can meet with our
clients and associates online. As a result, for us, design has become
less about images and more about strategic thinking and innovation.
We’ve worked on all sorts of projects, including designing
and marketing our Walking Man clothing.” Another major project
for TiVo—naming it—was a great experience for the duo. “TiVo
… is a plum because it’s so familiar to both design-world folks and
even our friends and family, and it’s become a household word,”
Hibma adds.
Art runs in the family. Son Nick is a senior industrial designer
at Fuse Project, and younger son Shawn is in his second year at
CCA with a double major in sculpture and furniture design.
For inspiration, Cronan and Hibma visit galleries and museums.
“We do a lot of brainstorming together,” says Cronan of their
work partnership. On the personal front, he says, “I love to cook
but Karin is so much better at it, and we live just up the hill from
Berkeley’s ‘gourmet ghetto.’”
Is there ever friction as a result of living and working so long
together? “Always!” Hibma exclaims. For them, even friction is
positive. “Wikipedia defines it as the ‘Energy of friction,’” she says.
www.cronan.com | www.michaelcronan.com | www.walkingman.com
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