Perhaps the biggest challenge designers face when choosing commercial wallcoverings is a distinct lack of dynamic and sophisticated designs. One designer referred to the selection as “an over- abundance of blah” and reasoned that paint was often the better alternative. This gave Grant’s innovative design team an opportunity, and they addressed it by defining that the Set collection’s most essential differentiating factors needed to be its unique perspective and high design aesthetic.

During the research stage the design team learned that there was a real lack of saturated hues available in commercial wallcoverings.

QUALITY INGREDIENTS
To ensure this vision was executed in all areas of the line, Grant reached out to Geof Kern, a well-respected fashion photographer with work in the permanent collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Kern and Grant had worked together for many years, but with a resumé that includes shoots for Harpers Bazaar and Matsuda, Kern was understandably hesitant when Grant approached him about providing imagery for murals that would ultimately reside in corporate environments. Grant assured him that with Grant Collaborative as the client, Kern could rest easy knowing the end result would be something he could feel good about. Additionally, it would not require Kern to create any new work; Grant suggested he go through his entire archive— 10,000 images he has created over the years—and select 12 images that held together as a group and made a statement. Although the overall line has seen strong success, the murals have been exceptionally popular. Grant muses, “I always tell designers it’s the only place in the world where you can get original Geof Kern photography for the walls.”

UNYIELDING DEDICATION
The surprising part of this story is that the firm’s involvement did not end when the products came out in production. Grant Collaborative continues to be deeply involved in making sure Set doesn’t get off track between production and when the product lands in the hands of a customer. Grant explains, “The real return on investment with Set is that we’re being compensated for the branding of the typical stuff, but what will become a new revenue stream for us long term will be royalties and licensing our name and our concept. Because of this it’s important to make sure that the product is presented correctly and intelligently … so we are training the sales reps and making sure they can do that.”

This kind of soup-to-nuts involvement may be a savvy approach, yet it’s not for the faint of heart. Grant has taken on a collection of unlikely roles such as training the existing sales force; interviewing new sales people, agents and distributors; planning distribution models specifically tailored for each city; and actually joining the sales team on the road presenting the system. Venturing into so many new areas of the business is a daunting prospect but an exhilarating one, and his bird’s-eye perspective has given Grant invaluable insights. To be so intimately involved from ideation through final sale means there is no gap in his understanding of the product … and it shows.

During the team's research at design firms they noticed petite female designers pulling heavy, awkward wallcovering binders from shelves; they decided to die-cut a handle into the binder to make it easier to manage.

In 2005 Set Wallcovering Systems debuted at NeoCon; this year it received the gold award for Wall Treatments and was chosen out of thousands as one of the five best products of the show. It may be surprising in this digital age that printed wallcoverings could create such a buzz, but like most things that receive ready acceptance, it is the extensive research and resulting innovation that puts Set far apart from the competition.

JUGGLING RESPONSIBILITIES
When asked if he has any free time, Grant laughs and replies, “Not a lot.” He is now in his second year as president of AIGA, which means traveling all over the country to speak at and attend conferences and events, but he uses these opportunities to their fullest. When in a new city he will meet with the Set reps and go on sales calls. He also uses Set in his lectures to demonstrate the crossovers between design and business, a topic that has always been of great personal interest.

But AIGA is much more than just a professional affiliation for Grant. It provides him with an ongoing dialogue and education, as it does for all its members. But most importantly it is a family and a very important support network. “I have always found that whatever I give to AIGA or whatever I give to helping advance the profession comes back to me tenfold in some way or in some form.” Perhaps the greatest gift Grant has given the profession and all those involved in Set is a license to blur the lines between business and design. He and his team have proven that designers are vital business partners whose contributions and insights can lead to innovations.