Recap: Atlanta Design Festival interview with Bernard McCoy

BAC: Bernard, before diving into your work with Design is Human and the Atlanta Design Festival, I’d love to start with where it all began. Could you share a bit about your upbringing - where you’re from, and what early memories or experiences first sparked your curiosity about design and the built environment?

I remember hearing the story of you being stationed in Italy during your time in the Air Force, and noticing an older couple admiring a chair through a shop window - that moment seemed to have really stuck with you. Was that the first time design caught your attention, or were there earlier moments that shaped the way you see and think about design?

BM: I grew up in Decatur, Georgia where I attended Columbia High School (Go Eagles!) in the 70s. At Columbia, I ran track up to graduation. I also worked after school which gave me some measure of independence by having my own money. I remember working at a delicatessen and the owner, who was something of a sports jock, had a great sense of style and class which left a mark on me. His brother, also very stylish, owned a new Porsche and was an executive at Bass, a popular shoe brand known for the iconic Bass Weejuns penny loafers. That style of dress back then was what we called ‘Preppy’, and I introduced the style at Columbia which went viral and became a very desirable look at high school across Decatur and Atlanta. I guess back then I would be called an influencer today.

I think as a teen this was my first real encounter with design that made me feel a certain way and would have a lingering effect on how I would interact with culture and design later in life as an adult. Bottomline, my pathway to design started in fashion in my teens. It wouldn’t be until I was in my twenties that I would have deeper experiences that would begin to inform my preoccupation with design.

Observing that older Italian couple was one of those experiences that definitely changed my perspective. That encounter thought about questioning why and how things are made. I discovered that the real stories lie in appreciating the process, that’s to say — the best designs are those that tell stories.

Another early moment that I experienced worth mentioning is that of creating culture. Europeans are raised very young about design. It is not uncommon for Europeans to attend design festivals with their young. So, there is a culture where generations learn to appreciate and be curious about the built environment and the role of design in shaping it.

Over the years, I have been fortunate to have surrounded myself with truly exceptional creative luminaires who inevitably in a variety of ways have shaped my design IQ. Each is recognised in their respective professions and has taught me to relish the little details that distinguish good design from something that is truly noteworthy.

BAC: It is interesting hearing that fashion and personal style was your first encounter with design - that moment when you began to feel how design can shape identity and culture. Looking back now, what do you think the story was that you were telling through fashion at that time? Was it about belonging, independence, aspiration, or maybe something else entirely?

Also: as your understanding of design expanded beyond fashion into objects, architecture, and experiences - do you think that same story, the curiosity of the built environment and how design shapes it is still present in your work today with Design Is Human or Atlanta Design Festival?

BM: It was about self expression and individuality. I actually wasn’t looking at it through a creative lens at the time. I think it had more to do with youth culture and the things my generation was into - music, art, fashion. Teenagers in the 70s weren’t knowingly talking about design although good design was present and around us.

That early period did have a positive impact on how I would see the world as I grew older. I consider myself today more as a creative person and the start of that particular journey can be attributed to those high school years. However, my work with the publication -Design Is Human, and the Atlanta Design Festival was forged from the time spent in Europe going to Milan to attend iSalone del Mobile, London Design Festival, and eventually Dutch Design Week would follow. Attending all these highly successful events proved to be a tremendous source of inspiration and knowledge that helped me cultivate my ideas for my work in Atlanta.

Although on a smaller scale, programming adopted for Atlanta Design Festival is derived from many of the experiences from my travels at those international festivals including - talks, product showcases, film screenings, design-led installations, and new to ADF –the DIH Awards, just to name a few of the activities ADF visitors get to experience. The publication Design Is Human is unique in that it celebrates three pillars of design - the creative industries, the design economy, and culture. DIH examines rare behind the scenes activities, features interviews with established and emerging brands and their designers. DIH readers also get to experience design from around the world, they have an insiders peek into the world of international design fairs, schools of design, food and culture, and much more. One of my personal favorite DIH features is Design Museum London’s Design of the Year Awards which I served as a nominator of over 5 years alongside such luminaries as the renowned architect Sir David Adjaye, MomA’s Paola Antonelli, acclaimed UK artist Antony Gormley, and Phaidon Press’s editorial director Emilia Terragni.

BAC: Across everything you do, there seems to be a through-line of curiosity, observation, and an almost anthropological way of seeing. Do you feel you have a personal philosophy of design that guides your decisions? And if so, what principles are at the core of it?

Hearing you talk about how your experiences abroad shaped the backbone of both Design Is Human and the Atlanta Design Festival makes me wonder about your long-view thinking. When you imagine Atlanta 10, 20, even 30 years from now, what role do you hope design - and specifically the culture you’ve helped cultivate - will play in the city’s identity?

BM: Yeah, I think you have to be a really good observer of life and learn from unique experiences that might change your trajectory. I was fortunate enough to have spent time in Europe where I got to witness design as part of culture 360 degrees - and ultimately its (design’s) positive impact on society. My confidence grew as I became more embellished in my preoccupation in understanding how cities and contemporary culture can coexist in the built environment. By the time I had relocated back to Atlanta, my design IQ was elevated on what constitutes good design, but more importantly, what good design isn’t. To this day, I will always consider myself that of a student because there is always more to learn and act on.

My personal design philosophy continues to evolve but at its core I seek simplicity. Minimalism and functionality informs my aesthetics. More recent, I’m appreciating brutalist design as inspiration. In fact, to date all the previous Design Is Human Awards are heavily inspired by brutalist design. At every chance I prefer to ride a bike or walk over a driving car. Besides the obvious associated health benefits, it also forces you to slow down and enjoy culture and life’s simpler pleasures. For example, did you know that in Scandinavian cities, pedestrians and bikers are given priority over cars - how awesome is that? I believe design has to be democratic, open, thoughtful, and its goodness shared and embraced by all.

Let’s face it - we live in a designed world. Some cities have successfully employed design while others ignore it and fall further behind, economically and culturally. A design-city by definition leads economically, culturally, and sustainably. It makes no sense not to include designers at the roundtable in decision-making, especially when it comes to policy-making. The growth of the creative industry is the pillar to economic stability and there’s data that supports this fact. Design weeks like the Atlanta Design Festival presents an opportunity every year to celebrate Atlanta’s creative economy, its status and contemporary culture. ADF puts Atlanta on the right path to becoming a city recognized for showcasing innovative ideas to the world, and in return the world has its sights on what Atlanta is about. In the next decades to follow, Atlanta will be very different from Atlanta today - and design will be at the center of the city’s evolution in becoming a design-city worthy of praise and admiration.