Vitra Asterisk Clock

George Nelson was asked to design a clock collection in 1947. In designing the collection, Nelson researched how people use clocks. As a result, he came to the conclusion that people read the time by looking at the position of the hands, not the numbers on the dial, and created a design that did not use numbers, which had been thought to be necessary for clocks until then. At the same time, he noticed that most people at the time were using wristwatches, and clocks in interiors had a high decorative role. This idea was reflected in the 14 clocks released in 1949, which were a collection of clocks with a wide variety of designs, unprecedented shapes, colors, and materials.
Vitra started reproducing the Nelson Clock in 1999, and the collection continues to expand. The "Wall Clock" is one of the interior accessories that comes in a wide variety of versions. Unlike the image of a traditional clock, its iconic design stands out as an accent in any space.

George Nelson

Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1908, George Nelson studied architecture at Yale University and, from 1932 to 1934, received a fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, where he studied the major European architectural works and the leading figures of Modernism.

Nelson worked on the editorial staff of Architectural Forum from 1935 to 1944. D.J. De Pree, founder of furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, was impressed by the articles on home architecture and furniture design in the magazine edited by Nelson and asked him to become Herman Miller's design director. Nelson accepted the position, serving until 1972, during which time he not only designed furniture for the home and office, but also encouraged Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, Alexander Girard and others to work for Herman Miller, becoming one of the leading figures in the American mid-century design world.

While serving as Herman Miller's design director, Nelson founded his own firm, George Nelson Associates, in 1947, and worked with such great designers as Irving Harper, Ernest Farmer, Gordon Chadwick, George Cerny, and Don Irvin to create countless products and objects, some of which have become icons of mid-century design. He also designed many private residences, including the Sherman Fairchild House in 1941 and the Experimental House, which attracted much attention for its prefabricated construction and flexible floor plan. In 1957, Willy Fehlbaum, founder of Vitra, signed a license agreement with Herman Miller to manufacture furniture for Europe and the Middle East. George Nelson and Rolf Fehlbaum, son of the founder of Vitra, developed an enduring friendship through their collaboration over the following decades. Rolf Fehlbaum said of Nelson, "I have never known another designer who thought so intently and continuously about design."