GRID2 Selected To Upgrade 2008 Pinnacle Awards Presentation

Furniture World Magazine

Leading strategic design firm GRID2 has been selected by American Society of Furniture Designers and Jane Matteson, ASFD executive director, to upgrade the visual presentation of the 2008 Pinnacle Awards. The organization recognizes recipients for furniture design excellence at a gala event, held each year during the fall High Point Furniture Market. Martin Roberts, principal of New York-based GRID2, is highly regarded for his international design team’s expertise in the areas of graphics, branding and built environments. GRID2 has created some of the most effective and productive retail spaces in a host of consumer categories including furnishings, jewelry, cosmetics and luggage. Roberts began his career as an industrial designer in the U.K. and is a skilled furniture designer whose most widely distributed product is sold through Design Within Reach online catalogs and stores. In High Point, he is perhaps best known for his affiliation with the American Leather showroom design project on the penthouse level of the Showplace building. “We are thrilled to work with this prestigious organization and to be able to contribute our design sensibility in a way that helps to honor home furnishings designers, who play a critical, yet often behind-the-scenes role,” said Roberts. “Good design marries art and function for the consumer’s benefit and well-being – and that’s no small undertaking.” The creative team at GRID2, led by seasoned graphics designer Betty Chow, vice president and partner, along with public relations professional Leslie Newby, owner of Greensboro-based Brand Communications, will contribute to the creative force responsible for developing a fresh and dynamic new look for the Pinnacle Awards, which will be presented on opening night of the October High Point Market. Matteson is leading the ASFD through a transformation to elevate the design aesthetic and more accurately reflect the organization's mission to recognize furniture designers – the unsung heroes of the industry. Furniture/Today is the major underwriter of the 2008 Pinnacle Awards. Other sponsors include World Market Center, High Point Market, Furniture Style, Weyerhaeuser, Showplace, Appalachian Hardwoods, International Home Furnishings Center, Home Furnishings Business, Home Lighting and Accessories, Merchandise Mart Properties, Leggett & Platt, Elmo Leather, Hickory Springs, Furniture Design Studios Inc. Additional information about the ASFD Pinnacle Award is available on the ASFD Web site at www.asfd.com or by calling (336) 617-3209.