December 22, 2009

House Industries is a font foundry that has created fonts for and/or inspired by the iconic textile designer Alexander Girard, the architect Richard Neutra, and the naughty lingerie line Agent Provocateur. It also makes toys, clothing, furniture, and art. Andy Cruz, the creative director for House Industries, recently answered some of Bradford Shellhammer’s questions.

Bradford Shellhammer: How do you describe the work of House Industries?

Andy Cruz: It’s a blurry line between work and hobby at House.

B.S.: Do you always start with a font and then the other creations follow?

A.C.: Letterforms are usually the starting point — they’re what keep the lights on — but we always try to take the storytelling beyond a graphic-design tool. Selfishly, a lot of the products we make are things we’d like to have for ourselves.

B.S.: I am intrigued by some of your projects with other design giants. Could you share a little about your collaborations with Agent Provocateur?

A.C.: Our friend Barnzley, a partner in the House33 store in London, introduced us to Agent Provocateur founder Joe Corre. Joe was using an off-the-shelf typeface for his I.D. that was firmly entrenched in an exponentially expanding operation. He wanted something that was a little bit different and executed in a way that his hack competitors could not easily steal but also blended in with his existing program. We penned a flowing Spencerian wordmark as well as an AP corset monogram and a proprietary font for use on everything from knickers to door handles.

B.S.: Richard Neutra? Alexander Girard?

A.C.: It goes back to creating opportunities to work on projects you really dig instead of things that suck your soul. Rather than just collect books or art from our design heroes, it’s more fun to really get our hands dirty … not only try to develop some cool stuff but share what we love/learned from the experience with others.

B.S.: The Girard project has yielded some great creations, like the dolls and the nativity scene. Were there any Girard projects you’d hoped to do that did not work out?

A.C.: That was the hardest part of the Girard project … knowing when to say when.

B.S.: When the designer is dead, as in the case of Girard and Neutra, how do you honor the legacy while creating something new?

A.C.: The best way we can honor those whose work we admire is building something inspired from the ground up … either as a font or an object. It’s much more fun than taking the “licensing” route and slapping an archive image on a fashionable product that nobody is gonna give a shit about in two or three years.

I think Eames Demetrios crystalized it for us: “Design is a willingness to surrender to a journey. You often hear about ‘design driven’ companies, but most of them that want to license the Eames name are thinking of it as an acquisition for their collection of brands. Every once in a while, you encounter a company like House Industries that is willing to go on that journey and grow our brand as well as theirs.”

B.S.: You’re based in Delaware, a place not necessarily associated with design. Does being in Delaware impact your work?

A.C.: I’ve found that being away from “the action” often makes you work harder.

B.S.: Your David Dodde serigraphs are stunning, especially the Neuhart work. Can you elaborate on the process of making these prints?

A.C.: Thanks. David has been pulling squeegees with House art since the beginning and has become a natural extension of the studio. We decided to try and strip things down and do a series of simple letterforms and images in a limited color palette. Again, stuff that would look nice hanging at home.

B.S.: As a blogger, I am impressed with your blog and how long it has been in existence. Many company blogs go unkept, but yours is filled with great information. What value do you see in your blog, and who is ultimately responsible for it?

A.C.: Sheesh, that reminds me — we gotta put something new up.

B.S.: What’s going to be the big House Industries news in 2010? Any exciting projects?

A.C.: We’ve been grinding hard on the Photo-Lettering and Eames/House projects for a few years. … Hopefully this spring they’ll be race-ready.

B.S.: If you could create a typeface for one fashion designer or brand, who would it be and what would you do?

A.C.: I don’t think it’s so much the dream project as much as it is finding the right person(s) to work with. I can’t tell you how many times we thought the stars were aligned, but then comes some narrow-minded (often corporate) wedge that either waters things down to taste like everything else or just plain kills any possibility of doing something memorable.

B.S.: Lastly, what’s your favorite font?

A.C.: I’m easy: Futura.