A Master Designer Redraws His Plans

Robert Brunner's Ammunition won't just create prototypes. It'll make and market products, too

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October 22, 2007 at 4:00 AM UTC

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They say this is the Age of Design, with smart firms shaping new products that make millions for their corporate clients. Yet most design projects bring in less than $200,000, and one that generates $500,000 in revenues is rare. Even that price is under pressure from growing Asian competition.

Enter Robert Brunner, a design star with a new model for the business. Brunner has the credentials to be a revolutionary. He led Apple's (AAPL ) design team in 1989-96 in bringing out the PowerBook. Then he jumped to Pentagram, an elite firm that has designed everything from the signage in the Bloomberg headquarters to a Nike (NKE ) watch.