Dick Powell’s examples of effective product design demonstrate everything from innovative construction techniques to inspired use of colour
Project: iMac
Client: Apple
Designer: In-house design team
Year: 1998
Apple's design output under the leadership of Jonathan Ive is rich in examples of outstanding and effective design. The original iMac was a seminal design that changed the personal computer paradigm from an uninspiring beige box to a stylish and desirable design icon.
Project: Dyson Dual Cyclone vacuum cleaner
Client: Dyson
Designer: In-house design team
Year: 1993
James Dyson's is an instructive tale of a great innovative idea carried through to a successful product, leading to the birth of a new company and brand.
Project: Tefal Avanti toaster
Client: SEB Sa
Designer: seymourpowell
Year: 2000
Seymourpowell's Avanti Toaster for SEB (sold under the Tefal brand) changed the paradigm for 2-slot toasters by addressing two fundamental questions: Why are the controls typically on the side and not on the front? And why do we have to lean over the toaster to see the toast cooking (risking singeing our eyebrows in the process)? The result was a different-looking, front-facing product that went on to exceed sales forecasts by a factor of ten.
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Project: Aeron office chair
Client: Herman Miller
Designer: Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf
Year: 1994
Herman Miller's Aeron chair derives its look from the basic requirements of sitting and working comfortably at a desk. It is supremely adaptable in fulfilling this apparently simple functional requirement and the construction techniques developed were very innovative.
Project: BA 'Club World' Seats
Client: British Airways
Designer: Tangerine
Year: 1999
BA's 'Club World' seating changed the game for business class, offering seats that fold out completely flat. Their clever arrangement in the cabin (alternately facing forwards and backwards) allowed the maximum passenger density while still permitting their transformation into completely horizontal beds.