The design process between Ray and Charles was strongly collaborative. Graphic design The graphic and commercial artwork of the Eames Office projects can be largely attributed to Ray. Separately from Charles and the Eames Office, she designed twenty-seven cover designs for the journal Arts & Architecture from 1942 to 1948. She also contributed to the Eames furniture advertisements for Herman Miller (since 1948). Ray Eames had a sense for form and color and is largely responsible for what is recognized as the Eames "look". This attribute made the difference between "good, very good, and 'Eames'." Ray Eames did not do drawings, but she documented and kept track of everything that was worked on in the Eames Office. She documented and protected the enormous collection of photographs that the office accumulated over the years. Plywood design Between 1943 and 1978, the Eames Office produced numerous furniture designs that went into commercial production , many of which utilized plywood. The first of the Eameses’ plywood pieces was a splint made for the US Navy. This idea came when one of Eameses medical friends, told the Eameses about the problems caused by unhygienic metal splints. The metal splints were mass produced and used simple designs molded in one plane rather the a more ergonomic compound curved design that better responded to the human body. Ray Eames's early background in fashion design proved useful for this project, as the design for the splint 's form resembled a clothing pattern with a system of darts to contour the plywood to the shape of a soldier's leg. The Navy commissioned the Eameses to mass produce 150,000 units of their splint design . Their company became the Molded Plywood Products Division of Evans Plywood. The splint funding allowed for Charles and Ray to expand their production and experimentation of creating furniture with plywood . 231x231px|Leg Splint, designed for the Navy during WWII The Eameses’ splint, specifically how it utilized bent plywood , was a significant breakthrough for their trademark design. They would use the same bent plywood in later seminal chairs, such as the Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) and the Eames Lounge Chair. 237x237px|Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) Notable Furniture The following sections provide brief explanations for a few of the Eameses most notable pieces of furniture . Ray and Charles Eames worked together to create these objects. Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) Charles Eames, Ray Eames, and Eero Saarinen applied what they learned about plywood from making their Navy splints to chair-making. The chair they came up with won the Museum of Modern Art’s Organic Designs in Home Furnishings contest, and began being produced by Herman Miller  in 1946. Time Magazine called it the century’s best design in its December 31, 1999 issue. Time wrote that “Eames took technology to meet a wartime need (for splints) and used it to make something elegant, light and comfortable. Much copied but never bettered.” Lounge Chair 246x246px|Eames Lounge Chair In 1956, the Eameses introduced their Lounge Chair. The luxurious chair combined molded plywood with cushioning. They are still produced today, and are largely understood as a status symbol. Charles Eames described the way the chair’s upholstery wears as “like a well-used first-baseman’s mitt.” Shell Chair The Eames Fiberglass Shell Chair was first available for purchase in 1950. It had been created in 1948 for the Museum of Modern Art’s “International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design.” The whole seat being made of plastic  was a wholly novel creation, and the chairs were also made in distinctive colors , especially for the era The very first shell chairs were released in three colors—Parchment, Greige, and Elephant Grey Hide. Less than a year later three more colors were added, Seafoam Green, Lemon Yellow, and Red Orange. These six colors made up the "first generation" of Eames shell chairs, made from 1950 to 1954. Films The following films were created by Charles and Ray Eames for the Eames Office . The Eames Office's Legacy The Eames Office has historically been remembered primarily for its furniture. However, the design philosophy of Ray and Charles was much more holistic, and did not revolve around just furniture. The Eameses were also filmmakers, information designers, and design theorists. For example, the New York Times wrote in 2015 that “By the mid-1950s, the Eameses had become as indispensable to the American computer company I.B.M. as they were to Herman Miller,” the company which produced Eames furniture . Ray and Charles believed that design was “a way of life,” and they applied that belief to everything they did. The Eameses also had an intense appreciation for craftsmanship, which was largely fueled by their research trips to India, Japan, and Mexico. The Eameses were also known for their dedication to designing quality objects. Ray and Charles were “fellow workaholics.” In creating the Eames Lounge Chair, they tried 13 different versions of the armrest before finalizing the design .
The designs of Ray and Charles were closely collaborative. Graphic design The graphic and commercial artwork of the Eames Office projects can be largely attributed to Ray. Separately from Charles and the Eames Office, she designed twenty-seven covers for the journal Arts & Architecture from 1942 to 1948. She also contributed to the Eames furniture advertisements for Herman Miller from 1948. Ray Eames had a sense for form and color and is primarily responsible for the Eames "look". Her sense made the difference between "good, very good, and 'Eames'." Ray Eames did not make drawings, but she documented and tracked all projects in the Eames Office. She documented and protected the enormous collection of photographs that the office accumulated over the years. Plywood design Between 1943 and 1978, the Eames Office produced numerous furniture designs that were commercially manufactured , many of which utilized plywood. The first of the Eameses’ plywood pieces was a splint made for the US Navy. The idea arose when one of Eameses medical friends, told them of the problems caused by unhygienic metal splints. The metal splints were mass produced using simple designs molded in one plane rather the a more ergonomic compound curved design that better fit the human body. Ray Eames's early background in fashion design proved useful for this project, as the the splint resembled a clothing pattern with a system of darts to contour the plywood to the shape of a soldier's leg. The Navy commissioned the Eameses to mass produce 150,000 splints . Their company became the Molded Plywood Products Division of Evans Plywood. The splint profits allowed Charles and Ray to expand their production and experiment with plywood furniture creations . 231x231px|Leg Splint, designed for the Navy during WWII The Eames splint's use of bent plywood was a significant breakthrough for their trademark design. They would use the same bent plywood later in the seminal Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) and the Eames Lounge Chair. 237x237px|Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) Popular furniture Ray and Charles Eames worked together to create their most popular furniture: Lounge Chair Wood (LCW) Charles Eames, Ray Eames, and Eero Saarinen applied their knowledge of plywood gained from making their Navy splints to chair-making. The chair they designed won the Museum of Modern Art’s Organic Designs in Home Furnishings contest, and production by Herman Miller began in 1946. Time magazine called it the century’s best design in its December 31, 1999 issue. Time wrote that “Eames took technology to meet a wartime need (for splints) and used it to make something elegant, light and comfortable. Much copied but never bettered.” Lounge Chair 246x246px|Eames Lounge Chair In 1956, the Eameses introduced their Lounge Chair. The luxurious chair combined molded plywood with cushioning. They remain in production, as a status symbol. Charles Eames described the way its upholstery wears as “like a well-used first-baseman’s mitt.” Shell Chair The Eames Fiberglass Shell Chair was first sold in 1950 after having been created in 1948 for the Museum of Modern Art’s “International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design.” With the entire seat made of plastic , it was a wholly novel creation, and the chairs were made in distinctive colors for the time The first shell chairs were released in three colors—Parchment, Greige, and Elephant Grey Hide. Less than a year later three more colors were added, Seafoam Green, Lemon Yellow, and Red Orange. These six colors comprised the "first generation" of Eames shell chairs, made from 1950 to 1954. Films These films were created by Charles and Ray Eames for the Eames Office : The Eames Office's Legacy The Eames Office has historically been remembered primarily for its furniture. However, the design philosophy of Ray and Charles was more holistic, and was not limited to furniture. The Eameses were also filmmakers, information designers, and design theorists. The New York Times wrote in 2015 that “By the mid-1950s, the Eameses had become as indispensable to the American computer company IBM as they were to Herman Miller,” the Eames furniture manufacturer . Ray and Charles believed that design was “a way of life,” and they applied that belief to everything they did. The Eameses had an deep appreciation for craftsmanship, fueled by their research trips to India, Japan, and Mexico. The Eameses were known for their dedication to designing quality objects. Ray and Charles were “fellow workaholics.” In creating the Eames Lounge Chair, they tried 13 different versions of the armrest before finalizing it .
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