Designing the Details

PHOTO BY ELLA WILLIAMS AND BETSY FRIES

Drawing and physics were the double interests that led Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove industrial designer Anne Hardy from her home state of Mississippi to the Midwest. After discovering industrial design while majoring in mechanical engineering at Northwestern University, Hardy became enthusiastic about a career path that combined her passions.

“It is an exact blend of engineering and art,” she explains. “It’s really all about taking user needs and manufacturing needs and then translating those into visual concepts.”

After she graduated, one of her first interviews was with the Sub-Zero Group, and she could tell right away it would be a perfect fit. “I was already familiar with their amazing products, and the job was ideal.”

Now, four years into her position with the company, Hardy is sure her leap of faith was the right choice. Collaborating with both product management and the engineering teams, Hardy creates what she calls the “road map” to visualize a project. “It is helpful to have a visual right away to bounce ideas off of,” she says, “so I will begin by drawing up a concept on paper.”

Sketching by hand appeals to the artist in her, and, reflecting the three brand colors, Hardy uses red, blue, and green markers on the largest available paper to create a preliminary drawing. “I have a fine art background, so I was accustomed to sketching small details. Now, with industrial design, I use my whole arm to sketch. It looks goofy, but it works!”

One example of her recent work was helping design the new Wolf Professional Induction Range. “The first prompt was to imagine what an induction range would look like within the Wolf brand identity. We whittled it down to something really functional,” she says. “Our job was to make every detail feel intentional and part of that same iconic story.”

In addition to hand drawing, Hardy also uses CAD software to render a product’s three-dimensional aspects. “We try to capture the essence of the appliance,” she says. “We’ll look at different colors and materials and showcase different ways we could improve the user experience.”

“We aim to see the products from the sale and user perspective,” says Hardy, “and view them through a design lens, for colors and texture. We also work with engineering to vet them from a manufacturing angle and ensure that they make sense at the executive level as well.”

She appreciates the ability to bounce ideas back and forth with everyone involved. “It is an extremely collaborative process, and I really enjoy that,” she says. “Everyone has the same mission to make a great product that will last a very long time. As a designer, this is a delight.”

Hardy is now a happy resident of Madison, a college town not unlike her hometown of Oxford, Mississippi. She and her new husband relish being in the heart of downtown. “We live in a neighborhood with great restaurants and three concert venues, and since we’re big music fans, that is really rewarding,” she says.

The designer has not given up her zeal for art in its various forms. She is taking pottery classes, doing a bit of gardening, and playing instruments. “In addition to listening to music, I’m also a competent guitar player, and a bit less competent mandolin player,” she laughs.  Hardy plays in a few casual groups, often with her husband, who also plays guitar, and she has found herself embracing the bluegrass genre. “If you play mandolin, you play bluegrass.”

She feels fortunate to be able to pursue this kind of creativity, along with her engineering sense, via her position with Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove. “We are one of the few departments that touch all brands and products,” says Hardy, noting that part of what she has been doing recently is developing a visual brand language guide that helps define the brand’s iconic products. “It is a great responsibility and a great opportunity.”