A Tribute to Great Design and Designers

by Awl Sponsors

Without brilliant design, we would be using phones that look like walkie-talkies, seeing company logos that look like they were drawn in crayon and sitting on furniture fit for a cave. So please put on your black turtlenecks as we salute some of our favorite designers:

Yves Behar: Behar likes to sit at the intersection of humanity and technology. Unlike his predecessors, who dealt purely with the mechanical or raw materials, Behar’s creations (e.g. the Jawbone earpieces and speakers) are comprised both of beautiful hardware and intelligent sensors, wireless radios and software. His objects are rare in their ability to blend alongside high-end sports cars and Italian suits, unlike many electronics.

Paul Rand: Rand was the graphic designer who specialized in creating logos. When Steve Jobs had him design a logo for NeXT, Rand insisted on giving him one design only, with no variations or revisions, that would “solve his problem” on the first try. Jobs had such respect for the man, who also designed logos for IBM and UPS, that he conceded.

Charles and Ray Eames: A married couple and creative powerhouse, the Eames have a new movie about them. They are the creators of the renowned Eames Lounge Chair and countless other classic pieces of furniture that have endured decades of changing tastes.

Ideo: Another company defined by an extraordinarily talented group of designers. Created by a three-way merger of David Kelley Design, ID Two and Matrix Product Design, the company not only focuses on creating better experiences for their clients’ customers through design, but also consider with their clients how a company could run better through organizational design. Notably, the company has also started a non-profit that uses design to address important issues such as poverty, water and sanitation, economic empowerment and gender equity.

Khoi Vinh: Vinh is another pioneering graphic designer. He is often credited with bringing the grid methodology to interactive design. Starting as an illustrator, Vinh moved to design and appreciated its objectivity. The grid became a tool to impose order, logic and law and something that could get users closer to a core idea. He recently left the his post as The New York Times Design Director to pursue more entrepreneurial opportunities. As he says in this excellent video: “Becoming an entrepreneur is about giving yourself a really big assignment.”

Designers of the world, we salute you for making objects more interesting and creating new experiences.

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