A multibillion-dollar company wants to redefine the experience of commercial air travel. In partnership with a design firm known for its expertise in this special area, the two set forth on a collaborative venture to determine the needs and desires of travelers. John Barratt and Ken Dowd describe the strategies, processes, and circumstances involved in supporting the design of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the most successful commercial airplane launch in history.

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Today, the concept of collaboration in design is considered somewhat conventional. Gone are the days when clients and designers met infrequently only to separate into self-contained production groups. With the advance of technology, collaborative design increasingly takes place across geographical and perceptual boundaries, creating teams that span the globe. Typically, however, these relationships, as liquid as their boundaries may be, develop with certain, and often anticipated limitations.

Is it possible for designers to work seamlessly with clients? Can talent from both the client and design sides set aside personal, departmental, and companydriven egos for the greater good and create a single, exceptional team? The Boeing Company and Teague team-and their unique 60-year working relationship-prove that exceptional talent can unite a team and lead the members to greatness.

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This case study examines the distinctive collaborative design process and research strategy created and implemented by Teague and The Boeing Company to rejuvenate the spirit of flight through interior and architectural design channels. Due to the scope of the project, collaboration across varied disciplines was essential. The overarching design process for the purpose of a collaborative business paradigm, as well as the extraordinary design efforts produced by the collaboration between Teague and Boeing, will be discussed in this article.

A decade of design