Peter Buchanan-Smith is a designer, teacher, entrepreneur, and the founder of Best Made Co., a company that develops artisanal tools and adventure products.

Work

Buchanan-Smith’s career is rooted in graphic design. He is principal of the New York City-based firm Buchanan-Smith LLC, which produces branding, packaging, and identities. He has been the design director for Isaac Mizrahi's

Isaac Mizrahi

Isaac Mizrahi is an American TV presenter, fashion designer, and was the creative director of Liz Claiborne. He is best known for his eponymous fashion lines.-Early life:...

 fashion house and has collaborated with Maira Kalman

Maira Kalman

Maira Kalman, born in 1949, is an American illustrator, author, artist, and designer. Born in Tel Aviv, Kalman came to New York City with her family at age 4. She attended the High School of Music and Art, now LaGuardia High School....

, with whom he designed the illustrated re-issue of Strunk & White’s classic grammar text, The Elements of Style

The Elements of Style

The Elements of Style , also known as Strunk & White, by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, is a prescriptive American English writing style guide comprising eight "elementary rules of usage", ten "elementary principles of composition", "a few matters of form", a list of forty-nine "words and...

. Buchanan-Smith also worked at The New York Times, where he was art director of the Op-Ed page for September 11, 2001, and Paper

Paper (magazine)

Paper magazine is a New York City–based independent magazine covering and discovering cultural movements with a focus on fashion, design, pop-culture, nightlife, music, art and film. The magazine covers trends, new creative talent, urban American lifestyle as well as international lifestyles and...

magazine, where he was creative director from 2005 to 2008.

Style

Clear and expressive, Buchanan-Smith’s work has often been referenced by other designers, and has been featured in The New York Times, I.D. magazine and the AIGA’s Fresh Dialogue Four: New Voices in Graphic Design. In 2005, he was awarded a Grammy for the design of Wilco

Wilco

Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...

’s best-selling album A Ghost is Born.

Themes

In his work, Buchanan-Smith has often explored the relationships between people and objects, also drawing attention to the value of the everyday and the nature of luxury. His M.F.A. thesis in graphic design was developed into a book published in 2001 by Princeton Architectural Press: Speck: A Curious Collection of Uncommon Things. The first product he designed for Best Made Co. was a collection of functional axes decorated in a scheme of colorful spots and stripes; acquired by foresters and collectors (including David Lynch), the axes have been exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

External links

• www.buchanansmith.com
• www.bestmadeco.com
• Peter Buchanan-Smith lectures at the Walker Art Center