Ammunition Design Group
Encyclopedia
Ammunition Design Group is a multi-disciplinary design firm led by Robert Brunner
, Matt Rolandson, and Brett Wickens
. Operating as a design consultancy, the team provides services in the areas of industrial design
, service design
, identity design, and user experience design
for various U.S. and international clients. Their offices are based in the Beltline Railroad Roundhouse in San Francisco, California.
. The business is focused entirely around the ability to create and communicate ideas through products, its brand, and surrounding experience They provide services in product design, brand strategy and identity, interaction design, graphic design and packaging.
, Beats by Dr. Dre
, Barnes & Noble
, Williams-Sonoma, Microsoft, and Dell
. They have also developed identities and interactive experiences for Nielsen, Kohler
, Sears Holdings Corporation
, The University of California
, Citibank
, and FICO
. Most notably, they are known for heading up the industrial design behind the Beats by Dr. Dre
line of high-performance headphones and speakers
Aside from its traditional client offerings, Ammunition will also set up companies for products it designs and bring in partners to supply capital and expertise in manufacturing and marketing. In an interview with BusinessWeek
founder Robert Brunner was quoted saying, “With so much outsourcing, there’s more opportunity for designers to create new business models… The idea here is that we’re treating design as IP [intellectual property], not a service.” Fuego, a line of outdoor grills, and DreamSurface, an app development company, are examples of this business model.
Ammunition was named one of the top ten Most Innovative Companies in Design by Fast Company
magazine in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Robert Brunner
Robert Brunner is an American industrial designer, most notably known for design work for Apple Computer in the early 1990s.- Biography :Brunner received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design from San José State University in 1981. After working as a designer and project manager at...
, Matt Rolandson, and Brett Wickens
Brett Wickens
Brett Wickens , is a Canadian and British Creative Director living and working in the USA.Canadian-born Brett Wickens is a creative director and partner in the design studio Ammunition, which was named one of the top ten Most Innovative Companies in Design in 2011 by Fast Company magazine -- for...
. Operating as a design consultancy, the team provides services in the areas of industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
, service design
Service design
Service design is the activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, communication and material components of a service in order to improve its quality and the interaction between service provider and customers....
, identity design, and user experience design
User experience design
User experience design is a subset of the field of experience design that pertains to the creation of the architecture and interaction models that affect user experience of a device or system...
for various U.S. and international clients. Their offices are based in the Beltline Railroad Roundhouse in San Francisco, California.
History
Industrial designer Robert Brunner founded Ammunition in 2007 as a break-off of Pentagram Design. Brett Wickens and Matt Rolandson joined as partners in 2008 following their respective roles as VP Creative Director and President of MetaDesignMetaDesign
MetaDesign is an influential global design consultancy founded by Erik Spiekermann, Uli Mayer-Johanssen and Hans Ch. Krüger. The business has offices in Berlin, Beijing, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Zurich and San Francisco and more than 330 employees....
. The business is focused entirely around the ability to create and communicate ideas through products, its brand, and surrounding experience They provide services in product design, brand strategy and identity, interaction design, graphic design and packaging.
Scope and Clients
Ammunition provides expertise in product, graphic and interaction design, to bring experiences that matter to market. They have designed products for many well-known companies including PolaroidPolaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February...
, Beats by Dr. Dre
Beats By Dr. Dre
Beats By Dr. Dre is a brand of headphones and loudspeakers marketed by hip-hop/rap musician Dr. Dre and Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine under Beats Electronics LLC. There are six versions of the headphones and six versions of the earphones, which are manufactured and...
, Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
, Williams-Sonoma, Microsoft, and Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
. They have also developed identities and interactive experiences for Nielsen, Kohler
Kohler Company
'The Kohler Company is a manufacturing company in Kohler, Wisconsin best known for its plumbing products. Kohler also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and generators.-History:...
, Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is a retail conglomerate formed in 2005 by the merger of Sears, Roebuck and Co., of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with Kmart Holdings Corporation, of Troy, Michigan...
, The University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Citibank
Citibank
Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
, and FICO
Fair Isaac
Fair Isaac Corporation is a public company that provides analytics and decision making services—including credit scoring—intended to help financial services companies make complex, high-volume decisions.- History :...
. Most notably, they are known for heading up the industrial design behind the Beats by Dr. Dre
Beats By Dr. Dre
Beats By Dr. Dre is a brand of headphones and loudspeakers marketed by hip-hop/rap musician Dr. Dre and Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine under Beats Electronics LLC. There are six versions of the headphones and six versions of the earphones, which are manufactured and...
line of high-performance headphones and speakers
Aside from its traditional client offerings, Ammunition will also set up companies for products it designs and bring in partners to supply capital and expertise in manufacturing and marketing. In an interview with BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
founder Robert Brunner was quoted saying, “With so much outsourcing, there’s more opportunity for designers to create new business models… The idea here is that we’re treating design as IP [intellectual property], not a service.” Fuego, a line of outdoor grills, and DreamSurface, an app development company, are examples of this business model.
Ammunition was named one of the top ten Most Innovative Companies in Design by Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
magazine in 2009, 2010 and 2011.