The third discussion in the Business of Design series took place Wednesday morning, November 14 at the Alliance Francais. Christie Hefner, Chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, Inc., was the featured guest for the event moderated by Joseph Michael Essex.

Christie had no intention of working at Playboy upon graduating from Brandeis with a degree in literature in 1974. She was working as a journalist in Boston with the goal of going to law school when her father, Hugh Hefner, asked her if she wanted to learn more about the business. She took the opportunity and, five years later, she became Vice President and the “heir apparent” which led to her succession to CEO of the company in 1988. During her career with Playboy, she has overseen the expansion of Playboy far beyond print into retail, merchandising, entertainment venues, video and cable television.

Christie Hefner’s aesthetic philosophy is that “good design is classic and constant.” She applauded her father, Hugh, for always maintaining a very high standard of design quality, even in the nascent stages of the magazine. This philosophy extends throughout the staff, of whom 20 percent have stayed for over ten years. “Those who are successful here are more concerned with high quality versus the bottom line.” Indeed, in 54 years, the magazine has had only three art directors.

The primary design challenge for Playboy is to combine their distinct heritage with a contemporary sensibility. An example of this challenge was the update of the iconic bunny costume in 2005. The costume had been previously untouched for a quarter-century. Hefner brought on Roberto Cavalli—known for his modern, glamorous and sensual silhouettes—to reinterpret the original costume and attract a new generation of Playboy consumers.

Playboy has seen its global retail sales grow to over $500 million. The magazine has monthly worldwide edition sales of over 9 million copies. Upcoming ventures include the Playboy Mansion Macao, set to open in China in 2009.