Duncan Jackson
New York, United States

Billings Jackson Design was founded by Eoin Billings and Duncan Jackson in London in 1992. In 2005 we opened our New York office and in 2010 Paul Leonard joined the team as the third partner. In 2011 Jean Koeppel came onboard as a US Business Director, bringing her product design and branding expertise to the studio. In 2013 we opened a third studio in Chicago, run by Duncan, and Simon Kristak was promoted to Director of the New York studio in Spring 2014.

We have crafted our unique approach by collaborating with the construction industry. Working with design teams on complex architectural commissions and with manufacturers on developing products for the built environment has given us a strategic perspective that results in superior design without risk to schedules and budget: a process we call Applied Industrial Design.

On project work, we craft solutions that interpret design vision. Our process finds its roots in our understanding of manufacturing. This allows us to select materials and processes effectively so smarter, more flexible design solutions emerge often using unexpected, uncommon or adaptive techniques and innovative procurement methods.

Bridging the gap between designing and making allows us to exploit the cache of technical knowledge that industry offers and this collaborative approach allows us to push the boundaries of the normative design process.

When it comes to product design we are concerned with improving the quality of the built environment by optimising the appearance and functionality of the things that surround us. Working direct with industry we look to add value from brief development right through to market positioning. Appreciating our manufacturing partners’ commercial imperatives as well as their technical capabilities lends business acumen to our method.

Our portfolio is not defined by a particular aesthetic or technology and neither is it driven by ego. Instead, we have a fascination with tools and materials and a passion for creating exceptional design solutions, whatever the scale of the commission.