Born in New York City in 1907, Girard was raised and educated in Italy by an American mother and French-Italian father. Much of his most famous work emerged from his time as the director of fabric and textiles at Herman Miller, a position he held from 1952 to 1975. There, he collaborated with George Nelson and Ray Eames on designs that broke new ground for the industry in the US and well beyond. Girard's style was boldly colorful, incorporating geometric patterns and illustrative folk art-inspired imagery. Other notable works of Girard include the branding of Braniff Airlines, the design of New York’s La Fonda del Sol restaurant, and a huge mural at the John Deere headquarters. Today, Girard’s work is distributed by House Industries and some of his textile designs have been re-released through Urban Outfitters and other popular merchants. Girard died in 1993.