Born in Connecticut, George Nelson studied architecture at Yale University, graduating in 1931. In 1932, while on a fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, he was awarded the Prix Rome for architecture. As a design theorist and architectural critic, he was extremely influential during the post-war years - he is credited with the invention of the integrated office system and the concept of the shopping mall. From 1935 to 1944, he was editor of "Architectural Forum". Between 1936 and 1944, he and William Hanby ran an architectural practice in New York. In 1946, be became design director of Herman Miller and encouraged Charles and Ray Eames to design furniture for the company. A year later, with Gordon Chadwick, he formed George Nelson Associates, specializing in industrial design. His major furniture designs for Herman Miller include the Basic Storage Components (1946), the Comprehensive Storage System (1958) and, with Bob Propst, the Action Office I system (1965).