Design Classics: What Makes an Iconic Design?
Juicy Salif, Eclisse Lamp, Chanel No. 5, London Underground Tube Map, Anglepoise Lamp, Valentine Typewriter, Jaguar E-Type, Penguin Books, British Post Office Series 300 Telephone, Converse All Stars, Mini Cooper, Bialetti Moka Pot, Lego, Chesterfield sofa, Ray-Ban Wayfarers and Citroën DS.
Over at Pickle Design, the graphic design studio I work at, we’ve been illustrating our pick of design classics.
What makes a design classic? Longevity certainly matters – a design classic needs to have lasted and stood the test of time. But more than that, a piece of iconic design needs to have aesthetic appeal. Whether it’s furniture, kitchen equipment, a transport system or a cover design, it needs to be as loved today as when it was created.
They are often quite revolutionary but deceptively simple. Design reduced to its essence, coupled with desirability.
In our monthly newsletter at Pickle we’ve been illustrating a few of our favourites – some more famous than others – and delving into their backstories. One of those was the Anglepoise lamp, one of those wonderfully recognisable objects where the function and the form seem inseparable.
As you can see from my blog, I love all forms of design. I create logos, design packaging and craft websites, but my inspiration doesn’t solely come from graphic design. Fashion, art and architecture all feed in.
A couple of years earlier we created a calendar filled entirely with iconic chairs, and I guess that opened the door to wanting to discover more. The calendar itself started with 12 classic chairs illustrated in layers of red and blue.
June’s Design Classic was the Chesterfield sofa. The deep-buttoned back is instantly recognisable, comfortable and, in the right setting with the right fabric, wonderfully cool. You can read our Chesterfield feature at Pickle.
The fascination with these objects never really went away. We later returned to the Anglepoise with a new Anglepoise Lamp infographic, and in 2025 we revisited the whole idea for another Pickle Design Classics calendar.
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