ECS Brochure

This brochure presents Eames Contract Storage, or ECS, a furniture collection introduced in 1961 and primarily intended for use in institutional settings, such as dormitories. The ECS consisted of five mix-and-match, wall-mounted elements: three closets, a desk, and a bed. All were designed with storage in mind. This was an issue many architects and designers were tackling in the period, spurred in part by rising mass consumption in postwar United States, which resulted in an unprecedented accumulation of goods for many Americans. The modular, orderly, and self-contained nature of the ECS is reflected in the layout of the brochure itself. Each page organizes information in some variation of a grid, and when the entire piece is unfolded these become nested within a larger three-by-three matrix. The fold-out design also echoes the nature of the ECS system: the bed folds up to save space when not in use, the closet doors close to neatly conceal their contents, and the desk features a built-in filing cabinet. Moreover, it engages the reader in a multi-step process of reveal, an approach the Eameses often employed to create experiences of surprise and delight for users.