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    Iconic Product Design: An Illustrated History of the World's Most Innovative Devices
    Iconic Product Design: An Illustrated History of the World's Most Innovative Devices
    Iconic Product Design: An Illustrated History of the World's Most Innovative Devices
    Ebook319 pages1 hour

    Iconic Product Design: An Illustrated History of the World's Most Innovative Devices

    By Wolfgang Joensson

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    About this ebook

    You will undoubtedly recognize quite a few of the products featured in this book—the Coca-Cola bottle, the Wester & Co pocket knife, the Kitchen Aid mixer, the Le Creuset Dutch oven, the Weber grill, the Bic cristal pen, the Rolodex address file, Kikkoman soy sauce bottles, the Kodak Instamatic, the Polaroid SX-70, the SONY Walkman, the Apple MacIntosh, and the Dyson air-multiplier.

    Maybe they were part of your childhood or represent your ideal in design; certainly, they will evoke a sense of the familiar. Iconic Product Design is an engaging and accessible presentation of the history of product design, providing an extensive catalog of the most memorable product designs of the past 150 years.

    More than 130 remarkable product designs from all areas, including household appliances, everyday objects, furniture, entertainment technology and office equipment, are presented in this collection. Accompanying the images are well-researched and charming vignettes about each product, with amusing insights and fun tidbits of information about its time and place. Each one informs how design has been influenced by changes in technology, science, and society. While these products were considered innovative at their inception, all have withstood the test of time and many are still, remarkably, in use today.

    ​Iconic Product Design is a comprehensive collection of iconic product design objects, chronologically organized from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to the present. Each spread of this richly illustrated book showcases the author’s representation of the chosen design, expressing its essence and capturing its spirit. In the introductory text, he shares his concept of the term iconicity to help the reader understand what makes these products stand out and why they are considered icons today.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSkyhorse
    Release dateOct 6, 2020
    ISBN9781510761629
    Iconic Product Design: An Illustrated History of the World's Most Innovative Devices

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      Book preview

      Iconic Product Design - Wolfgang Joensson

      Praise for ICONIC PRODUCT DESIGN

      In this age of accelerating complexity, it is a pleasure to be introduced to Wolfgang’s beautifully illustrated book—to just settle back, smile, and be reminded of the forgotten, simple objects that we live with and enjoyed in the past, present, and future.

      —Charles W. Pelly, former president of the Industrial Designers Society of America and founder of BMW-Designworks

      An amazing time travel machine! This inventory of the iconic objects of our daily life is a reference for all of us, but also for our design schools and their students.

      —Maurille Larivière, cofounder and president of The Sustainable Design School, Nice, France

      This collection is a timely reminder that not everything has been digitally transformed. Talented human beings, designers who care passionately about the people who will use their designs, continue to inspire. Form-making that will become iconic the way these are is not easy; but worth learning how. This is an exceptional guide in the quest.

      —RitaSue Siegel, founder and partner, RitaSue Siegel Resources

      Amazing how he has illustrated the everyday products we use that have become the symbol and representative image in our minds for a whole category of products, e.g., Carousel Projector, Apple MacIntosh, Walkman. Design is global.

      —Dana Wolcott, adjunct professor and lead innovation coach at Rochester Institute of Technology

      Copyright © 2018, 2020 by Wolfgang Joensson

      Originally published as Iconix by Skyhorse Publishing in 2018.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

      Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.

      Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.

      Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

      Cover design by Wolfgang Joensson

      Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-5778-3

      Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-6162-9

      Printed in China

      Contents

      Acknowledgments

      Design Creates Memories

      What Makes Products Iconic?

      Iconic Product Design

      About the Author

      List of Designers

      List of Manufacturers

      Bibliography / Sources

      Acknowledgments

      It takes a village to write a book was the exasperated advice from my sister-in-law, Dr. Cindy Ott, a fine author and professor of American history. Her entertaining, yet instructive writing style has been a leading example for me. She is right to point out the necessity for help from others, which is why I would like to thank her and the following people for their support and help.

      First in line is Ian Ferris, a brilliant designer who came up with the idea that I should write and encouraged me on my way. Several of my designer friends have motivated and helped me choose the icons: Tim Toomey, Dieter Wanke, and Ronald Ihrig. My business partner, Lutz Gebhardt, discussed with me and also contributed icon ideas. His unwavering support and enthusiasm is just one of those life forces everyone should have around.

      Having designed but never written before, I relied heavily on the patient support, editing, criticism, and overall inspiration of my muse and partner in life, Susan Kuntz. Her relentless will to drop everything and discuss my book was highly appreciated throughout the process. From the very early pages on, she has diligently worked with me on the content and made sure the result is presentable. Without her, this book—and my life—would not be half as good.

      Jim Peterson and Jonathan Duff, both great writers, have helped me to understand writing better, and I thank them for their time and effort. John Flint, a former editor, has helped me tremendously by suggesting reading material to improve my writing and advising me on how to make my text better. He has also painstakingly edited everything.

      As a designer, I want to create all visuals by myself, but I am smart enough to know when to ask for help there, too. Urs Stemmler, a great transportation designer, helped me with ideas and criticism regarding some icons. Angelika Scholz, as often in my past, once again gave me advice on typography. The architect Jon Schultz has enthusiastically helped from the start with tasteful advice to improve contents and design.

      My gratitude also goes to my editor, Nicole Frail of Skyhorse Publishing, who has diligently edited my writing, researched for verification, and corrected mistakes I made. You helped a great deal to make this book perfect.

      Last but not least, a big thank-you to my brilliant agent, Fran Black from Literary Counsel, who is the best agent any writer could have: supportive, highly professional, perfectly organized, and a lovely person.

      This is the village of my friends, and I consider myself lucky to have them.

      Design Creates Memories

      Do you remember the first product you bought for yourself? That Sony Walkman for listening to your favorite music? Or the Swiss Army knife you got as a present from your uncle? Can you recall your mother making cake with the KitchenAid mixer? Such products keep us company from the cradle on. Some even

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