Design is in

© guardian.co.uk

One of the most interesting design blogs in blogosphere is the ‘Classics of everyday Design’ section of the Art & Design Blog at the Guardian.co.uk. So far it has documented some 60 classics of design, mostly from the USA and UK. It’s fascinating to read about the creators, history and reasons behind some of the most everyday objects and experiences, which we take for granted.

The blog is written by John Glancey who is the Guardian's architecture critic. Each entry is rich in information, and fun to read. It covers a wide range of objects from the humble paper clip at no 3, to Queen Elizabeth II. There are some objects, which even we, halfway across the world can identify with such as the Slinky, at no. 36, and the humble highlighter pen at no. 30. One of our favourites is no. 31, none other than Bubble Wrap. We never really stop to think of this as a ‘design classic’, but it deserves that title. Bubble Wrap was apparently invented by accident, around 50 years ago by two American engineers, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes when they were trying to invent plastic wallpaper.

Each of the entries on the blog tell us the whole story behind that design, and also make you realize what life was without it. The impact of design on human life has rarely been documented, and this seeks to help us understand that impact. Some of the other interesting ones are Times New Roman at no. 56, which we agree is a beautiful, yet underestimated typeface. The London Underground logo at No. 54, another example of a visual culture that people take for granted, much like the PCO or Xerox logo we see in here in India. Such documenting of the design culture around us, and its impact is essential, and in fact sorely lacking.

A classic is defined as something judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind. The design classics quietly fit into our lives so well, that most of the time we don’t even realize they are there.

By Armeen Kapadia and Sanjay Basavaraju