This year FGW will be busy finalizing projects on behalf of two major product launches as well as introducing Elizabeth Lomond as part of the FGW team.
Tuesday
Las Vegas or BUST!
The Focus Group West team is headed to the annual Vision Expo West trade show in Las Vegas. As always, the show will provide a great opportunity to meet with clients and factories as well as catch up with good friends and colleagues.
This year FGW will be busy finalizing projects on behalf of two major product launches as well as introducing Elizabeth Lomond as part of the FGW team.
This year FGW will be busy finalizing projects on behalf of two major product launches as well as introducing Elizabeth Lomond as part of the FGW team.
Monday
Vision Monday: Elizabeth Lomond Joins FGW
September 20, 2010
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.— Focus Group West announced that Elizabeth Lomond will be joining their product development team as an eyewear designer to work on upcoming projects.
Designer and president of Focus Group West, Blake Kuwahara said, “We are extremely excited to have Liz join us at a time when our business is expanding.”
With more than 11 years of experience in product development and eyewear design, Lomond will be joining the rest of the FGW team including Kuwahara, fellow designer Thomas Ferguson, as well as architect John Lum, graphic designers Heather Chan and Becky Chan, and PR specialist Niki Ostin.
Lamond was previously director of product development at REM Eyewear. ■ ■
Wednesday
Designers at Home: Blake Kuwahara
Designer and President of Focus Group West, Blake Kuwahara is part of a new publication by Assouline entitled American Fashion Designers at Home.
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Check out more images and information at The Aesthetic Omnivore
Thursday
Elizabeth Lomond Joins Focus Group West
Press Release
September 1, 2010
West Hollywood, CA—Focus Group West announces that eyewear designer Elizabeth Lomond will be joining their product development team to work on upcoming projects.
Designer and President of Focus Group West, Blake Kuwahara says, "We are extremely excited to have Liz join us at a time when our business is expanding. Thomas [Ferguson] and I have worked together with Liz for over 5 years and know her to be not only a wonderful colleague and an excellent designer with a keen aesthetic awareness, but highly organized and efficient - a rare combination of talents which has been the key to her success."
With over 11 years of experience in product development and eyewear design, Elizabeth Lomond will be joining the rest of the FGW team – Blake Kuwahara, fellow designer Thomas Ferguson, as well as architect John Lum, graphic designers Heather Chan and Becky Chan, and PR specialist Niki Ostin.
Liz most recently worked on the highly successful launch of a girls’ optical line for Converse and Converse Heritage, a limited edition collection of eyewear and sunglasses sold in such high-end specialty stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and Holt Renfrew. She has developed and designed numerous worldwide eyewear brands including Converse, Barbie, and Jones New York. Previously, as Director of Product Development at REM Eyewear, she played a key role in the strategic planning of licensed brands and multiple private-label collections.
While known in the industry for her sophisticated style and color sensibility, behind the scenes Liz’s strong organizational skills, understanding of corporate compliance programs, and experience as a design liaison with licensors gives her a unique skill set to take a well-honed and balanced approach to design and development.
“Liz will be a great asset to our clients moving forward. We are all very glad to welcome her to our creative team,” said Ferguson.
Press Contact:
Niki Ostin
310.446.7700
niki@focusgroupwest.com
Tuesday
Fashionable Living: C Magazine features Designer Blake Kuwahara
Friday
Something new this way comes!
Focus Group West has some exciting news. Check in next week for details!!
Tuesday
Who Is: John Lum
Next up in our continuing series, Dana Palmer chats with resident architect for Focus Group West: John Lum. Learn how he turned a company that made industrial size washing machines into his studio space and the ins and outs of his design philosophy:
DP: What first inspired you to become an architect?
JL: I loved playing with blocks in the first and second grades, and had a great time imagining different buildings and houses. I thought it would be a lot of fun to be able to create buildings for a job, and I still love it!
DP: I know that you started off designing Elementary schools. How did you go from schools to optometry offices?
JL: The firm I worked for had a specialty in institutional work, and I landed a position as a junior designer. Over the next 7 years, I managed to become the main designer on several elementary schools as well as head up their interiors projects. When a couple of friends of mine, who happened to be optometrists approached me about doing a new practice, I was well positioned to design something spectacular, which happened to win a design award from Interiors Magazine. From there, I was contacted by other optometrists, and now I am currently designing my 19th practice.
DP: What specific challenges do optometry offices present?
JL: There are a few things I always need to consider when designing optometry offices: showcasing many small objects while having overall design coherence, providing enough back-of-the-house space, laying out the office so the flow works correctly, and balancing merchandise security while allowing client access. If I can balance those things, the office will be a success. The only other challenges is the fact that many of my clients are sole practitioners and starting new practices, so I often work with small spaces and tight budgets.
DP: Since then, what other types of businesses/spaces have you designed?
JL: I’ve done many restaurants, night clubs, and office spaces. Currently I just finished a plastic surgery consult office with an illuminated tunnel/ramp that leads from the lobby to the exam rooms. The idea was to create an allegory for transformation. I’m currently working on the new welcome center for the Bayview/ Hunter’s Point Shipyard development by Lennar. I also have a thriving residential practice mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area.
DP: From reading about your studio, it sounds like an amazing place. Explain the process of transforming a company that made industrial size washing machines to your studio space.
JL: I was lucky to get the building 10 years ago and was almost in an abandoned state, with 7 people living in the building illegally. I ended up gutting the building and created a studio space that takes advantage of the 5 large skylights in the back of the building. For me, this was one of the most difficult projects to do, as there were too many options for me to consider. Clearly it is much easier for me to do projects for my clients than myself. We’ve just installed solar, and our electric meter is going backwards!
DP: Explain a little bit about the design process you take when starting a new project.
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