Peter Buchanan-Smith

Peter Buchanan-Smith (born April 7, 1972) is a designer, teacher, entrepreneur, and the founder of Best Made Co.

Biography Peter Buchanan-Smith was born on April 7, 1972, in Canada. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City in the MFA Designer as Author program and received his master's degree in 2001. His M.F.A. thesis in graphic design was developed into a book published in 2001 by Princeton Architectural Press entitled Speck: A Curious Collection of Uncommon Things.

After graduation, Buchanan-Smith worked at The New York Times, where he was art director of the Op-Ed page for September 11, 2001, and Paper magazine, where he was creative director from 2005 to 2008. In 2005, he was awarded a Grammy for the design of Wilco’s best-selling album A Ghost is Born.

In 2009, Buchanan-Smith founded New York City-based design firm Buchanan-Smith LLC, which produces branding, packaging, and identities. The first product he designed for Best Made Co. was a collection of functional axes decorated in a scheme of colorful spots and stripes; acquired by foresters and collectors (including David Lynch), the axes have been exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

Style and themes Clear and expressive, Buchanan-Smith's work has often been referenced by other designers, and has been featured in The New York Times, I.D. magazine and the AIGA's Fresh Dialogue Four: New Voices in Graphic Design. In his work, Buchanan-Smith has often explored the relationships between people and objects, also drawing attention to the value of the everyday and the nature of luxury.