787 Dreamliner designer on Boeing: 'A designer is only as good as his client'

According to John Barret of design firm Teague, a designer is only as good as his client -- and his firm found a great one in aerospace giant Boeing for the design of the 787 Dreamliner airplane.

In an interview between Barret and then-Fortune senior editor David Kirkpatrick, Barret explains how passenger comfort and interior design played a role in the design of a "breakthrough" airplane built expressly for efficient long-haul service.

The interview was conducted more than two years ago, when the 787 Dreamliner was closer to a pipe dream than reality. With the plane's first flight a resounding success yesterday, it's only proper that we look back and see how the airplane got to where it is today.

Here's the interview, from ScribeMedia.org:

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com