|
|
Article: Designer creates standout successes out of a range of mundane products.(Smart Design)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
- Article from:
- Crain's New York Business
- Article date:
- August 12, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
As competitive strategies go, davin stowell's ranks as odd if not illogical. The chief executive of Smart Design typically charges over a third more than many of his rivals. ``A lot of times we're the high bidder and we still get the work,'' Mr. Stowell says.
The reason is simple: It's not how much Mr. Stowell demands, it's what he delivers-striking new designs of everyday products. For OXO, the maker of Good Grip kitchen tools, he helped not only to set the look of its first potato peeler and pizza cutter in the early 1990s, but to name the firm itself.
OXO's subsequent, stunning success helped establish Smart Design's reputation. Mr. Stowell says that ...