Designer
Bill Stumpf
William Eugene "Bill" Stumpf (1936–2006) was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After serving in the U.S. Navy he earned a bachelor's in industrial design from the University of Illinois and a master's in environmental design from the University…
Biography
Background
William Eugene "Bill" Stumpf (1936–2006) was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After serving in the U.S. Navy he earned a bachelor's in industrial design from the University of Illinois and a master's in environmental design from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he researched how people sit with specialists in orthopedic and vascular medicine.
Signature Style
Stumpf developed scientific criteria for chair design: a chair should support the body in many positions, from upright to reclining, slouching or leaning forward. He cared less for "haute design" than for "the genial middle ground of everyday experience."
Notable Works
- Ergon chair (1976), the first ergonomic work chair
- Equa chair (1984) with Don Chadwick
- Ethospace system, as principal designer
- Aeron Chair (1994) with Don Chadwick
- Embody chair for Herman Miller
Legacy
Stumpf was a key figure in Herman Miller's shift to research-based design. He received the 2006 National Design Award in Product Design posthumously from the Cooper-Hewitt.