Bruce Hannah

From the time of his graduation from Pratt Institute in 1963, Bruce Hannah made a career of understanding and exploiting modern technology and materials to create efficient, practical products. Design, as defined by Hannah, is first and foremost problem solving.

Hannah found a philosophical and creative partner in Andrew Morrison, with whom he designed several innovative products for Knoll in the 1970s. In exploring new applications for aluminum in modern furniture, the pair introduced a lounge seating system, a related line of tables, and the celebrated Morrison Hannah Chair.

In 1976, Hannah established his own office which, among many other designs, produced the Hannah Desk System for Knoll—chosen by the Industrial Designers Society of America as a “Design of the Decade” in 1990. The innovative design employed storage pedestals to support the desktop, which eliminated the need for a frame, increased flexibility, and reduced cost.

In 1982, Hannah was chosen as the Cooper Hewitt’s first designer in residence. He is the author of several books, including Access by Design, which led to the exhibition Unlimited by Design at the Cooper Hewitt in 1999. The response to that show earned Hannah a Federal Presidential Design Achievement Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2000.

For four decades Hannah taught at Pratt Institute in New York, where he was a tenured professor and chair of the Industrial Design Department. One of his most popular classes was “Fishing for Ideas,” an exploration of design through exposure to unconventional settings—including fishing trips—for creative practice.

Hannah’s innovative and enthusiastic approach to teaching was recognized with a National Design Education Award from the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) in 1998, and a Rowena Reed Kostellow Award in 2003.