Desk Design Q and A
The following is a design question regarding TV set design. Specifically, what we consider when creating our news desks.
Dear Mr Rackley,It would be of a great help to me if I could ask a few minutes of your time to reply to me. I am a 2nd year Furniture and Product Design student at Sheffield Hallam University in the U.K. . Currently I am working on a project designing a piece of furniture for a TV studio, either for news, sport, or a chat show programme. I have looked at your products admiringly and wondered if you would give me a few basic rules and considerations when designing furniture for a TV studio environment. Thank you for reading this email.Yours faithfullyMiles Dexter
Hey Miles 
Things to consider:
- Height: Stay with standards depending on whether you are using chair-height or stool-height.
- Sheen: Stay matte or at most satin on front-facing surfaces. It makes it easier on the lighting side to avoid glare.
- Top: It is usually safe and attractive to have a reflective surface such as glass for the top. Acrylics scratch too easily.
- Width: Consider how many people will need to use the desk at the same time. experiment.
- Space: Most studios have space issues. Make sure what you create will not take up too much room.
- Programme: Chat would shape the desk so that the two (or more) face each other more often than not. News would be more direct-at-camera.
- Accessories: Often a broadcast studio will want a monitor on the front of the desk, or inside the top.
- Riser: If a camera is viewing both the desk and standing positions, it is often advantageous to place the desk and chairs on a riser or platform, so that the camera has to change height less.
I hope that helps some. Do you mind if I post this question-response on our blog, so that others with the same question can easily find an answer?
Thank You,
Buck Rackley
Gelbach Designs
Thanks for the reply Buck, I appreciate it. There’s no problem with placing the question on your website blog. Enjoy the weekend !!Miles
