up with Brooklyn-based retail outlet Carol’s Daughter to design a new home for its bath and body products. “We created a space where you just don’t view the products but experience them as you would in your home.” —CMB
ARQUE DICKERSON, ST. PETERSBURG, FL: ENGINEER, ARQUE DICKERSON INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: Anyone who’s afraid of flying might not notice that a plane’s decor can ease inner turbulence. But indeed, patterns, shapes, and lighting can have a calming effect. Though he’s no Dr. Phil, Arque Dickerson’s work with airplane interiors has a psychological underpinning. His job is to make passengers feel good about their surroundings. “The worst thing you can do is do a design and let things fly apart color and texture-wise.” The 81-year-old Tuskegee Airman and fighter pilot with the Army Air Corp. has been designing custom aircraft interiors since the 1960s. As
a pilot, he also has worked with engineers to redesign instrument control panels. Dickerson’s handiwork is known internationally and includes helicopters, private jet planes, and 747s for Northwest Airlines, Canadair, Boeing, Raytheon, and British Aerospace. —CMB
WILSON W. SMITH III, BEAVERTON, OR, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, NIKE TENNIS & COURT DIVISION: When Serena Williams introduced her infamous “sneakerboot” at the 2004 U.S. Open, Wilson Smith, the shoe’s designer was the talk of the industry. The Nike Shox Glamour SW is the tennis champion’s first signature shoe from Nike, which Smith, 47, says was about more than a sexy image. “We created a shield … a detachable piece that became a boot that went all over Serena’s leg. I realized the kind of support a boot can give to the calf muscles and prevent injuries during warm ups.” The former architect began his career at Nike in 1983 designing interiors. He rose to stardom at the Jordan Brand, where he created the Air Jordan XVI and XVII. The Jordan Brand represents about 4% of Nike’s $12 billion in annual sales. Smith has infused art and architecture with athletic footwear. “It’s really form follows function, which is the way it is in architecture,” says Smith. As he sees it, each design is expressive—its own masterpiece. —CMB
may 2005 : BLACK ENTERPRISE : blackenterprise.com : top Photograph BY robert hughie
form & function
LAMONT MORRIS, PAWTUCKET, RI, PRODUCT DESIGN MGR, ADVANCED CONCEPTS GROUP HASBRO: It’s not uncommon to find LaMont Morris on the floor of his office, tinkering with the latest Hasbro toys. But his work isn’t limited to child’s play. It also involves sketching ideas, preparing mechanical designs, creating 3-D programs, and building models. The 46-year-old, highly trained industrial designer is credited with the Real Meal Oven from Easy Bake, an upgraded version of the original model that has enchanted young gourmets for
30 years. Morris’ design features a toaster-type unit, rather than the light-bulb heating method of the earlier oven. The design artist also created the Travel Lite Brite picture maker. A renaissance man in his own right, Morris was first inspired by a biography he read as a boy on artist and inventor Leonardo DaVinci: “It totally opened up