Airstream - the most iconic trailer of them all

The Airstream Trailer is the gold standard - the shape and style of which are immediately recognisable as unique, and no doubt the envy of all other trailers the world over. With a shape that recalls a time when things were simpler and there was more time to travel the open road, they retain a glamour that others can't touch. Perhaps it's the sleek shape, or the use of shiny aluminium - either way, one look at the design and you'd be forgiven for thinking 'There must be a good story there.' And you're right - there is indeed a great design story behind the iconic Airstream. According to the company's history (listed on its website): "In 1929, Wally Byam (shown above, outside the California factory) purchased a Model T Ford chassis, built a platform on it, towed it with his car to a campsite, and painstakingly erected a tent on it. The effort was tiresome and unpleasant, especially when it rained. Spurred on by his first wife Marion, Wally built a tear-drop-shaped permanent shelter on the platform that enclosed a small ice chest and kerosene stove." That. more or less, was the start of a company that became the definitive leisure trailer.

The Aluminum Airstream look: from concept to design icon

Once Wally Byam had relocated his factory to a rented warehouse (he'd made his neighbors crazy with all the racket), the basic design of the trailer shape, and its materials, were improved. In fact, Byam's famous motto was 'No changes - only improvements!'. In crafting the shape of the trailers, he looked to the design of the Bowlus 'Road Chief' and 'Papoose' trailers, designed by William Hawley Bolus, an engineer, designer and builder of aircraft and recreational vehicles. Byam worked for the Bowlus-Teller Manufacturing Co., which shut it doors two years after Byam joined the company - Bowlus's design formed the basis for Byam's Airstreams, and Bowlus went on to become the Superintendent of Construction for Charles Lindbergh's aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis. With the basic design of the Airstream in place - and most importantly the internal frame redesigned to accomodate a door on the side and not forward-facing, the final shape and look of the trailer came into focus.

Sleek, shiny and aerodynamic - the quintessential trailer design

Thanks in part to a massive retro design revival, the Airstream now enjoys pride of place in the world of trailers, and it's no surprise. With interiors as well designed as the aerodynmic and 1930s-inspired curves of the exterior, the silver cigar shape continues to attract fans and collectors the world over take great pride in restoring originals to their pristine state (or for that matter converting them into design objects of a different kind, as at the Old Mac Daddy Luxury Trailer Park outside Cape Town). With solid construction that compliments the expertly designed exterior, the chances are the present resurgence in their popularity will continue for many years to come, and the design icon of the open road will easily sail past a grand century's worth of being the iconic dream trailer.

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Lego: only the best is the best

In the history of toy design, there are few creations which could possibly rival the idea that Ole Kirk Christiansen had in 1947: Lego. It was a simple concept: to produce simple interlocking plastic bricks which children could use to create an endless range of shapes and structures. Inspired by wooden toys and a sample shown to him by a plastics moulding salesman, Ole Kirk's idea was to manufacture construction sets for children. To start with, the materials did not quite match Christiansen's high standards, and only in 1958, with the help of his son Godtfred was the final and classic design of the bricks finally found. 66 years later, Lego remains one of the world's greatest toy manufacturers, and has continued to inspire creativity the world over.

Simple plastic bricks that bring toy dreams to life

The very first Lego sets were simple white and red bricks, and were sold across Denmark in general stores or hairdresser salons, for parents to purchase and take home to their children. As the popularity of the product became widespread, so the company began to roll out more variations of the bricks by adding windows, corners, wheels, cogs and so on. Soon enough, it was clear that the simple bricks were an enormous success - and the company kept abreast of the pace by hiring more design and engineering staff to come up with more creative ideas. Children across the world began to clamour for their Lego - and with every new batch of bricks, a whole world of new possibilities of toys were being created in homes across the globe. Soon enough, the paents were joining in too - the urge to create and recreate was infectious. As the popularity of the product has grown, so has the range of accessories and ways in which to use them: Lego sets are now released as part of movie premieres, there are more than 200 engines that can be placed in Lego creations to drive pulleys, wheels and cogs and the little figurines have developed a cult following of their own.

From children's toy to creative medium - Lego takes wings

Over the past 30 years, Lego has become so widespread and such a ubiquitous medium, that many adults have begun to use the bricks and accessories in ways the manufacturers could never have dreamed. Worldwide there are a growing number iof sculptors and model makers who have taken Lego to new heights, creating life-size scale models of automobiles, intricate recreations of famous artworks and any number of new forms. Lovers of Lego, Star Wars and UK comedy would also know the 'Death Star Canteen' routine done by comedian Eddy Izzard: 

More than just a toy, a cultural phenomenon

As the line between children's products and those for adults has begun to blur, so Lego has been at the forefront of being adopted for new forms and to express creativity in new ways. Architects make use of Lego for models based on the similarity of structural integrity, animators make use of the blocks to simulate their storylines, and every day a new way to use the simple bricks is found. The Lego company is now one of the world's largest toy and accessory manufacturers, and hundreds of Lego collector and creator fairs are held every year. For a simple idea to provide kids with a versatile toy, to have become a global phenomenon speaks volumes about the simplicity and appeal of the design and use of the item. All hail Lego!

For the full story, check out the great Lego video posted in our Video Friday archive!    

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The Beetle: the defining automobile design classic

It's the undisputed design icon of the mass autombile, a vehicle so well designed that it was in production from 1945 (when it was first known as the 'Volkswagen Type 1') until the 30th of July 2003, crowning a 58-year production run that is unmatched by any other vehicle. The 'People's Car', the family car, the Bug, the car named Herbie for some and given millions of nicknames by hundreds of millions of owners: it's got to be the Volkswagen Beetle.

Timeless styling that stood the test of time

Bearing the unmistakable aerodynamic styling touches of Ferdinand Porsche, the design of the first Beetle model changed little from the first prototypes in the late 1930's till the final 21,529,464th model rolled off the production line at the Volkswagen factory in Puebla, Mexico in 2003. Porsche's vision was for a mass-produced vehicle which would be suitable for military and civilian purposes, but would be cheap enough for the average citizen to purchase. In styling the body, Porsche was told to look to the streamlined shapes found in nature, and the result was a far more curved and aerodynamic vehicle than the prototypes that came before. With sensuous curves in all the right places such as the wheel arches and sloping roof to back bumper, this was always a car that exuded a playfulness and old-world design sensibility which remains charming to this day.

In designing the layout of the chassis and engine, Porsche is said to have adapted the idea of many of the Beetle's core engineering ideas from a sketch of a previous vehicle, designed by Josef Ganz in 1933. One way or another, with innovative configurations of chassis, engine and axles that made the best use of limited space in a relatively small car, and built to be robust when travelling at high speed on the Autobahn, the Volkswagen Type 1 was an instant hit in Europe and exploded in popularity when first released in the United States.

A family car for generations across the world

As an enduring icon of mobility for the masses, nothing comes to close to the ubiquity of the Beetle - the family car that bridged the generations of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s became a member of each family that used it. Whilst relatively compact, the front luggage space and rear 'dog box' compartment - and roof racks if required - meant that for the first time many families could not only afford a car but take to the road in large numbers. As the 1980s ushered in a new era of larger, more powerful vehicles, Volkswagen released the Golf 1, which sounded the death knell for the Beetle's status as the world's most popular car. But, whilst many consumers may have sold their Beetles for newer, faster, models, the classic Beetle never went out of popularity entirely. In Mexico to this day, the familiar bright-green Beetle remains the standard taxi preferred by hundreds of thousands of drivers (but is being phased out next year).

The first in a prestigious line of Beetles

Keeping the spirit of the original Volkswagen Type 1 alive, subsequent versions have been made which have revived the shape and legend of the world's most popular car. Since that last classic rolled off the production line in Mexico (serenaded by a Mariachi band, no less), there have been five updated versions (in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2011) which have made use of the Golf chassis and feature fully updated interiors and body styling. All of these have led to the very latest model, the '21st Century Beetle', which takes more than a few tips from the first model - with a shape that evokes Ferdinand Porsche's styling and a dashboard that brings to ife the single-console instrumentation cluster of the classic's design, it's a worthy successor to the greatest automobile icon of all time.

If you'd like to know about the 21st Century Beetle, take a look at the '21st Century Beetle' Design Challenge, held on Springleap.

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The London Underground map: just a map?

The London Underground map: on the face of it, it's just a map: a colourful one, sure, and one that does the job of communicating a lot of information in a relatively tight space, but that's what maps are created for, after all. It looks different from a 'proper' map  - it doesn't show any physical features or have contour lines, or for that matter display locations in true relative distance from one another. That's not the object - after all, this is a map of the London Underground, not the surface of the city - but in terms of a design breakthrough which has gone on to become the reference point on which most other city transport maps have become based, Harry Beck's map is the gold standard.

From humble beginnings to a world standard

The funny thing about Beck's map? It wasn't commissioned - he started sketching it up in 1931 on his own, in his spare time. Once the map was introduced in 1933, it went on to become a big hit - and has become the template on which subway maps the world over have taken their cue. Most cities around the world which feature an underground rail system now have maps based on Beck's design - including New York, Tokyo and Paris. 

A worldwide design icon instrumental in introducing modern sans serif fonts

Apart from the spacing of stations equally and creating some linear sense of railway lines which in reality were far more complicated than the example shown on the map, the London Underground map also saw the widespread introduction of a sansa serif font now recognised as the precursor to the clean lines of the iconic Gill Sans font: 'Johnston' is the font that was used by London Underground for signage across all its stations, posters and brochures, and was designed by Edward Johnston, the 'father of modern calligraphy'. It was under Johnston that Eric Gill studied, and was later to work with Johnston on creating the Underground font.

A map that continues to inspire imitation and innovation

Beyond the practical benefits and design innovations that Beck's map introduced, it has become a template which designers have taken the liberty to interpret in their own ways - one example is the crazily detailed circuit diagram for a working AM/FM radio, by Yuri Suzuki. Take a look at the detail on this - even the stations are named with a custom silkscreen print!

That's not all - artists have used the famous map to create and inspire in all sorts of ways - including this map recreated using coloured drinkings straws, by UK artist Kyle Bean. As an example of how design can make the world (or getting around it) better, and the improve people's ives, Harry Beck's 80-year-old design continues to provide a benchmark that can't be bettered.

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The Anglepoise Lamp

The Anglepoise lamp is on the face of it not the most aesthetically pleasing thing in the world, but rather a triumph of balance between form and function. Designed by British car suspension system designer George Cawardine in 1932, it was originally devised as a result of the need for a flexible and adaptable lamp for workshop spaces - such as an automobile engineer's workshop. With its angular joints and exposed spring mechanisms, you could have expected the public response to have been somewhat muted when the lamp was first sold. Yet within only 2 years, Cawardine was forced to drastically expand his business to meet increasing demand. Eighty years later, millions of these lamps have been sold - in particular, the original 1227 model pictured above.

The most versatile lamp of all time

The design that so many people compared to the human arm was hugely popular on both sides of the Atlantic and became a standard feature in millions of homes, offices - and workshops - the world over. Cawardine's design made use of the best arrangement of paralell steel arms with counterbalances created either by springs or weights in order to be moved into any position without being clamped - he was inspired by the 'continuous tension principle' of human arms, which allowed the lamp to be flexible but stable. This saw it becoming particularly favoured by surgeons, technicians, engineers and other fields where a versatile design that allowed the lamp to be moved into specific position was crucial to the job at hand.

Often copied, never bettered

Since 1932, original Anglepoise lamps made by Terry's Spring Company in Bath, England, have become collector's items with some high prices for excellently-preserved early models. In the years since the design came to market, many imitations and interpretations have emerged with slight alterations to the basic design, among them the Luxo lamp (best known as the lamp which features in the Pixar animated logo) which was created by Norwegian lighting designer Jacob Jacobsen, as well as very large standing lamps now popular with modern interior design. Often copied but never bettered, a real Anglepoise is the kind of design icon that will undoubtedly be around for many years to come.

Little-known fact: Carwardine originally intended to call his lamp the Equipoise but the name was rejected by the Trade Marks Registry at the UK Patent Office on the grounds that equipoise was an existing word, so they settled on Anglepoise.

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