How often do we look at an everyday object but fail to consider its story; to think about how that object was conceived, designed and brought into being. Every man-made object we see around us has been subject to a design process that has set out to resolve a particular problem or fulfill a need. The designs that changed the world are those that looked at these problems and needs in a new and unique way and provided revolutionary solutions. Such designs have not only stood the test of time and gained iconic status in their own right, but in most cases have also influenced the design of countless products that followed them. Here are just five of those designs that changed the world.

The Mini

The brainchild of Greek-British car designer Sir Alec Issigonis, the ingenious design of the Morris Mini Minor, launched in 1959, utilized every available inch of interior space for the comfort of passengers and the storage of luggage, resulting in the unprecedented combination of a compact and hugely economical car with a deceptively spacious interior. The mini, as it became popularly known, was an enormous success and served as a design blueprint for later generations of compact cars. As testimony to the importance of Issigonis’ design, in 1999 the mini was voted the second most influential car of the twentieth century, beaten only by the original Model T Ford.

Concorde

Few aircraft designs in history have made as memorable an impact on the collective consciousness of the world as that of the first supersonic passenger aircraft, Concorde. Designed in tandem by the British and French governments – hence the aircraft’s name – Concorde’s construction began in 1965, with initial test flights beginning in 1969. In order to attain flying speeds in excess of Mach 2 (thus breaking the sound barrier) Concorde’s design needed to maximize aerodynamic efficiency, resulting in the unique and instantly recognizable delta-shaped wings and angled, conical nose section which made Concorde so iconic.

Apple iMac G3

Prior to 1997 the personal computer seemed destined to be nothing more than an anonymous beige or grey rectangular box utterly lacking in style and personality and accompanied by a similarly drab monitor. Ever the pioneer in radical technology design, Apple Computers’ in-house team led by the visionary designer Jonathan Ive delivered a concept that changed the image of computers forever. Their revolutionary design combined the monitor and micro processing unit in a single, stylish and highly desirable silver-coloured unit finished with unique translucent side panels in ‘Bondi Blue’, and with a matching keyboard and mouse. Instantly successful, updated versions of the iMac G3 were released at regular intervals in a range of colours and the computer elicited a design trend that has not only served Apple well in the creation of subsequent products but has been frequently imitated by other companies worldwide.

The paperclip

The humble paperclip is concrete proof that simplicity is part of the essence of good design. For the six hundred years before its arrival, paper had been traditionally bound by threading and tying ribbon through aligned holes in one of the top corners. At some time in the 1870s, the designers at British company Gem Manufacturing Ltd fashioned a so-called ‘double oval’ shaped fastener from a single length of wire that utilized torsion, elasticity and friction to hold papers together securely without the need to pierce or damage them. Named the Gem paperclip, this simple, practical and ingenious design has not been improved upon in more than one hundred and forty years since its conception.

The stereobelt

Portable music players are utterly ubiquitous in the 21st century, and despite Apple’s latter dominance of the market, many believe that the design that changed the way in which the world listens to music was that of the Sony Walkman, a portable cassette player designed by audio engineer Nobutoshi Kihara and launched commercially by the electronics giant to worldwide acclaim in 1979. In fact, a belt-worn portable music cassette player had been designed and produced almost a decade earlier by German designer Andreas Pavel. Such was the similarity of Pavel’s earlier design to Sony’s subsequent Walkman that after years of legal wrangling with the corporation won his right to claim his status as the official designer of the world’s first portable stereo, accompanied by an undisclosed but reportedly ‘significant’ financial settlement from Sony.

Amy is a guest blogger from Just Displays who design a range of banner stands for exhibitions and conferences.