Editor’s Letter: Gensler 50 and Onward
A true “must” of my staff’s workday, every day, is the assiduous monitoring of the business of design. We do this via industry events, observing the cast of characters, noting how they perform. Then we spend even more time wading through the eternal stream of news saturating our entire society, design included. Channeling all this content, for our own operations as well as for our readers’ consumption, is a heroically hard job to keep up with, but it’s one we perform impeccably. Keeping a commanding grasp on both the biz of design and its cultural impact, on real people’s lives, is the secret of our success, the reason why we are thriving in our 80s, as in years old. And Interior Design promises to be just as strong and relevant for decades to come.
We don’t hold the patent on longevity, but we do share that trait with another household name, a firm established a very respectable 50 years ago. G-e-n-s-l-e-r. Any young designer, just starting out, would do well to look carefully at its rich history, methods of work, invaluable services, and financial strategy, the How To Succeed in Business thingy. Yes, editors at Interior Design have always followed Gensler comprehensively, and I am enormously proud, at its half-century mark, to dedicate an entire issue to the world of design’s undisputed leader. The projects conceived and implemented worldwide, by a 5,000-plus designer pool, make our November 2015 issue a precious document, a once-in-a-lifetime event. What it is not, however, is a look back to the past, so tempting for 50th birthdays. No, no, no. Its closest kin, rather, would be a freezeframe clip, a screen grab of a true American Original as it progresses to the next 50 years of design experiences, solutions, and achievements. Join me, in these pages, as we observers cheer Gensler. For those of you who are part of Gensler, bravo! We look forward to covering and feting you for the next 50. —Cindy
