Eames Tandem Seating Brochure

As commercial air travel became increasingly common in the late 1950s, airports drew the attention of architects and designers. In 1958, both the Eames Office and Herman Miller were approached by architects who were either building or expanding airports and seeking modern seating to install in them. To meet this need, the Eames Office worked with Herman Miller’s Special Products Division and the architects of Chicago-based C. F. Murphy Associates to develop Eames Tandem Seating. These seating units consisted of individual seats (of varying numbers) that each connected to a continuous steel beam. Fabric sling seats were introduced first, in 1962, and plastic shells followed a year later. Both options are detailed in this brochure, which exemplifies Ray’s skillful approach to relating text and image. On the cover, text mimics the sweeping form of Herman Miller’s logo, while the inside type is set in wide rectangles that parallel the long rows of seats. Additionally, while the brochure notes that “large installations” of the designs are already in use at Dulles and O’Hare airports, it also uses images to suggest additional settings. In one, the seats appear in an art gallery. In another, they are installed under the steel-and-glass ceiling of a 19th-century train station. In other words, the brochure’s text and image work in tandem to explain and promote the design.