Posted by Carly Ayres | Date Posted: 14 December, 2010
I recently had the opportunity to meet Cutter Hutton ’99, graduate of Industrial Design here at RISD. Hutton is one of the principal founders of Kaiju Studios, an industrial design firm here in Providence. Here are a couple of questions we asked him.
What led to you to start Kaiju Studios?
I started Kaiju Studios with Ayako Takase (also ID ’99) so we could pursue design on our own terms. We wanted to design products, furniture, and interactive experiences- to work across mediums so we could continue to learn and try new things. I think our education at RISD had a big part of this desire. The design process you learn there is a tool that can be applied to a wide range of opportunities, which isn’t always something you get to do out in the working world. We were maybe inexperienced and foolish to start so soon after graduating (2001), but have been extremely fortunate to design for some amazing companies since then.
What part of what you do do you find most satisfying?
The most enjoyable part of the design process is working as a team to pull all the pieces of research, the requirements and the ideas together and beginning to formulate concepts. The satisfaction comes when the we land on designs that we and the client believe in.
Challenging?
The design work and developing the narrative of a product is what we love to do; the part that is challenging is the getting out in front of prospective clients and selling yourself. I’ve always been more of a heads down, do the work kind of person, so the sales side of the job is something I’ve had to learn to do, and I am definitely still learning.
What have you designed since graduation that you are proudest of?
I’m very proud of the Airia Desk [pictured to the left] we did for Herman Miller; we designed it to be beautiful, intelligent and to be constructed of quality materials so it would last a lifetime. That is a hard question to answer, however; so much of the work we do never gets shown publicly as we do research and concept design work for our clients that helps them envision future products.
What is your best example of good design?
I’ve never been good at favorites, and there are so many fantastic examples of design that this question has always felt like what is the best example of delicious food. One product that came up in a crit at RISD this semester is the Mag-Lite flashlight – while it is a bit utilitarian it has a lot of characteristics a modern product should strive for. It is a simple, durable, high quality tool, it works flawlessly and is a wonderful object in the hand. It is made from close to 100% recyclable, high value materials, every component can be replaced so it can theoretically last forever, and I think it ages gracefully with wear. It has really remained unchanged in its core design (and cost) for 30 years, allowing the new LED upgrade to the bulb to fit in the first flashlight sold. Behind the product is a company that has maintained local production and its commitment to quality. Of course the biggest issue with the product (and all flashlights) is the reliance on batteries, but Mag-Lite’s second offering in the early 80’s was a rechargeable version.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
I want to continue to do hands-on design in the foreseeable future, but beyond that it isn’t so certain. I’m really interested in some of the side projects we are working on internally, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I am doing more self produced work and less consulting at some point in the future.
What was your favorite machine in the ID building?
The bridgeport! Sadly I’ve forgotten most of the things I learned to do on it. We have a milling machine in our studio now so I’m slowly starting to relearn.
What is one thing you wish you knew before graduating RISD?
I wish I knew how to better balance the “researching and determining what to design” part of the design process with the actual working out the details of the design. I know this is pretty common in ID at RISD, you spend a lot of time trying to figure out what to design instead of designing it. It keeps you from really iterating and getting deep in the details. It is obviously important to do that initial work to develop a meaningful concept, but the sooner you figure out how to manage your time in the design process the better your work will be.
What advice would you give to any students?
Work your tail off while you are in school, take advantage of the facilities, and interact with the other departments and students as much as you can. You don’t get that level of freedom in work along with so many talented artists and designers.
Cutter (left) and his wife, Ayako Takase.