Niels Diffrient
A pioneer of ergonomic design, Niels Diffrient is driven by the need to improve the way existing products work. For Diffrient, product ideas originate from the specific human factors relevant to the product at hand. He delays giving his designs a distinct physical form until all relevant ergonomic factors are considered—an approach that results in furniture of unusual comfort and visual ingenuity. Diffrient’s Humanscale, a compendium of information on the data and dimensions that regulate the movements of the human body, is one of the seminal works of ergonomics and design. Diffrient has designed aircraft interiors for American Airlines and elements of the company’s corporate identity, the Knoll #71 and #72 chair series and the Borletti sewing machine with Marco Zanuso. His latest product is the Freedom chair for the Humanscale Corporation.