As Manager of Corporate and Industrial Design for Canada Post Corporation, I worked for 7 1/2 years as the sole Industrial Designer for a corporation of 60,000 employees and was responsible for projects throughout the country.

Until the 1980's, most people took their mail to the post office or to a local mailbox for mailing. The Post Office then sorted the mail and delivered it to it's destination. However, this system of managing mail was becoming less cost-effective, with the result that more and more corner mailboxes were being removed. One of the results was Canada Post's decision to transfer Post Office facilities in the retail environment of the growing numbers of shopping malls.

This decision required the development of a "modular family of furniture which would be appropriate for the new environment. The new furniture design had to take into consideration human factors and handicapped access, as well as mail standards. As a result, a new design was created, which was subsequently altered to meet the needs of the more retail-oriented mall sites.

Since then, the number of Canada Post-run outlets has shrunk radically and franchise units have taken their place. The furniture design for the franchise units was not required to be - and was not - built to the same standards.

Some of the design process is documented on a following screen. Click on the image below to proceed, or return to the main screen to view another project.