Paul Montgomery is a 1981 graduate of the College of Design in Product Design. He received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1987. Prior to attending Cranbrook, Montgomery worked as a designer for Texas Instruments and PA Technology. After graduation he went on to frogdesign in California as design director.

In 1990 he and Herbie Pfeifer established a multi disciplinary design firm located in San Francisco. Montgomery Pfeifer employs 15 designers working on consumer/technology products and identity systems for clients such as Alcatel, Apple, Digital Persona, Intel, Lifescan, Logitech, and Microsoft. Personal computers in work groups are encumbered by redundant software and antiquated hardware. A better solution is to share software from a centralized server. In a networked environment the server can be tucked away, with access for individuals through a “thin client” terminal.

The potential for the SunRay network computer is to streamline the desktop work environment. Through the use of a smart card (inserted into the front of the device), the user can tap into their virtual workstation anywhere a terminal is located. Not only does this enhance performance and flexibility, but precious desk space is liberated, minus the repetitive hardware.

The identity of the SunRay enclosure was conceived to be an antidote to the ubiquitous computer box. Working closely with the SunRay project team, it was important the design communicate stability and novelty. To this end, we developed a morphology rooted in anthropomorphic forms. The imagery ranged from the brooding megaliths of Easter Island to the abstract portraits of Analytical Cubism. The result was an animated yet reserved form posed for action. The overall gesture communicating a dutiful purpose—an eager helper ready to deliver information, instantly and economically.

Monty Montague, IDSA, is nationally recognized for both product development and identity design accomplishments, and he is BOLT’s Design Principal. In this position he leads multidisciplinary teams in comprehensive development programs including product and brand strategy, market and user research, industrial design, human factors evaluation, environmental design, graphic design, engineering, and production coordination.

BOLT’s clients include contemporary office furniture companies such as Herman Miller and Allsteel, consumer products manufacturers such as GE Lighting and Dirt Devil, medical equipment companies such as Hill-Rom and CheckMed Systems, and retailers such as Lowes Stores and Harris Teeter.

Montague helped found BOLT in 1985 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The firm was selected in 1994 by ID Magazine as one of its “ID Forty” highlighting the “top 40 design innovators in the United States.” Montague holds a variety of design and utility patents and has received numerous international design awards including four Gold IDEA Awards from IDSA/Business Week Magazine – considered the “Oscars” of the industrial design profession. His design work has been published by journals in Europe and the U.S; he has written for various publications including the Design Management Journal and IDSA Innovation; and he has lectured widely at universities and industry forums.

Montague is the co-founder of the Carolinas Chapter of IDSA. He holds a Bachelor of Product Design degree with honors from North Carolina State University and received the School of Design’s Distinguished Alumni Award for 1999.