Chairs Limited
Founded in 1989, Chairs Limited began designing and manufacturing ergonomic accessories and chairs. For well over 30 years, they have been producing workplace furniture, produced in Nova Scotia from Canadian-made components.
Neither a story about chairs nor graphic design; instead, this is about the longevity of business relationships. Marc Bélanger and I met in 1990, attending the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design. We graduated about the same time and started businesses on similar timelines. In 1995, Marc was working on a catalogue for Chairs. Their logo looked as if designed by a committee of ergonomists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, kinesiologists, physiotherapists, and HR specialists. After some advice from Marc, the company allowed him to suggest a change. Tuque Design—Marc Bélanger—and I shared an office at the time, and for a couple of days, we collaborated on a new logo. Marc had the inventive idea of using an office chair to replace the lowercase ‘h.’ To this day, I cannot recall who did what, other than to say we were proud of the result: even though it died on the vine.
A few years before that work, I recall a member of the GDC visiting class urging us to look around, implying, “these will be the people who help you for the rest of your career.” So true. Our paths—Marc and I—crossed numerous times in 30 years. Sharing office space, working at Form:Media, and recently going after RFPs as prime and sub-consultant. I don't anticipate a “last time’ anytime soon.
And the logo? While not designed by Marc, they have replaced the uppercase ‘H’ of their business name with a chair, less successfully, I would add.
Design: Marc Bélanger (Tuque Design) with input from John deWolf (123 media design).
Client: Chairs Limited. Timeframe: 1995.
