In a conference room at HP ’ s Silicon Valley campus , a cornucopia of materials is placed all around . On the table and walls are swatches in fashion-forward colors ( teal green , scarlet , rose gold ) and novel textures ( mycelium foam , crushed seashells , recycled rubber from running tracks , fabric from recycled jeans ). Even more unexpected : pairs of high-end athletic shoes , and lots of them ; luggage and backpacks , teapots and totes ; stacks of gorgeous coffee-table books on topics ranging from furniture to architecture — all to inspire the look and feel of devices that HP has yet to imagine .
Being able to touch , test , and debate about these items in person is part of the process , a creative collaboration Global Head of Design & Sustainability Stacy Wolff and his talented team of designers are grateful to be able to do side by side again inside their light-filled studio in Palo Alto . With each iteration of an HP laptop , desktop , or gaming rig , they endeavor to push the bounds of sustainable design while offering consumers a device that they ’ re proud to use each day .
For the last few years , HP ’ s design work has gained recognition , evidenced by the studio ’ s gleaming rows of awards . But there ’ s not a single name listed on any of them . “ Everything we do is by collective effort . We win as a group , and we lose as a group ,” says Wolff . “ If you won an award , someone else had to do maybe a less glamorous job to give you the freedom to do that .”
The team of 73 creatives in California , Houston , and Taipei are from backgrounds as varied as design , engineering , graphics , anthropology , poetry , ergonomics , and sports journalism . There ’ s one thing they have in common , though . Disagreements are dealt with by amping up their communication and doubling down on what they know to be their source of truth . “ If we let the customer be the North Star , it tends to resolve almost all conflict ,” Wolff says .
HP ’ s head of design has led a massive shift in how HP approaches design since its split from HPE in 2015 , steering the company toward a more unified , yet distinct , visual identity , and a willingness to experiment with both luxury and mass-market trends . Wolff ’ s team is responsible for delivering the award-winning HP Spectre and ENVY lines , including the HP Spectre 13 ( at the time of launch , hailed as the world ’ s thinnest laptop ); the HP Spectre Folio ( the first laptop with a leather chassis ); the HP ENVY Wood series ( made with sustainably-sourced , genuine wood inlays ); and the HP Elite Dragonfly ( the world ’ s
first notebook to use ocean-bound plastic ). Among the honors : In 2021 ,
HP received seven
Green Good Design Awards from the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum : Museum of Architecture and Design .
Today , Wolff and his team are in their recently outfitted studio , which opened late last year in HP ’ s Palo Alto headquarters . In the common areas , there is an inviting atmosphere of warm wood and soft , textured surfaces . Designers are tapping away at their keyboards , breaking off to share quick sketches and notes in an informal
Design team members include , clockwise from left : Dustin Hoffman , Sid Bhat , Stacy Wolff , Kacie Vitucci , Rahul Patil , and Todd Cebe ; the mood board behind them depicts some of the biggest consumer design trends of the moment .
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