Classic designs

[Padeye]

This is inspired by a question about Seven Classic Product Designs (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2678336#post2678336) in the GQ forum. I'm not sure if anyone has found a canonical list but here are my nominations for the list.

North American P-51D Mustang
Ferdinand Porsche's Volkswagen
Lockeed Super Constellation airliner
Samuel Colt's 1860 army pistol
Beechcraft Staggerwing Biplane
Les Paul's Gibson guitar
John Browning's Colt 1911 pistol

My own list is changed slightly since I posted in the other tread. I removed the Les Paul guitar becuse it was derived from the shape of the spanish guitar in solidbody form. The Speed Graphic camera was removed because not enough people would know what the hell I was talking about.

[Padeye]

Argh, what a dumbass. I forgot to edit out the Les Paul guitar. Scratch that and replace it with:
... thinking

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air two door

[Liberal]

1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.

[Algernon]

OK. Here's my (amended) list that was inappropriately posted in the thread linked to in the OP...

... the Boeing 747
... the DC-3
... the British Spitfire
... the F7 diesel locomotive
... the C&O 2-6-6-6 Steam engine
... the 1957 Thunderbird



(Ah no, I'm not a transportation freak, why do you ask?)

[Jayrot]

I'd love to contribute to this list, but could someone venture a guess as to what the criteria are for a classic design? I take it from Padeye's post that it can't be something derived from something else? For example, could I suggest the classic swivel desk-chair?

[Padeye]

Jay, the criteria can be whatever you decide. Heck, I'm not even completely consistent in my own critieria.

IMVHO an excellent design has beauty, function, originality and a long ueful life. Some things have a shorter useful life than others. No need for Mustangs and Spitfires after jets took their place. I think Algernon, like myself, chose things that are very utilitarian and that have beauty that comes out of a functional design. Not everyone can see the beauty in a locomotive as it doesn't have to be as sleek as a Lockheed Constellation but the beauty of function is there.

[Algernon]

(smile) Well said Padeye. I was trying to compose an answer regarding why I put the things on my list, but you've said it better than what was in my head.

As I was thinking about it though, there is one attribute that seems to appeal to my sense of design beauty... a squatty nose. An almost childlike "face". The F7, the 747, the H-8 (2-6-6-6 locomotive) all share this characteristic. I've always liked the P40 WWII fighter plane better than the P51, perhaps for this reason. And as I think about it I'm moved to suggest that the snub-nosed 38 revolver perhaps could be added to my list.



And interestingly, I almost added the Constellation to my list, but feel it's revered more for its rarity than its form. YMMV.

[mack]

Originally posted by Padeye
Argh, what a dumbass. I forgot to edit out the Les Paul guitar. Scratch that and replace it with:
... thinking

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air two door

Howabout replacing it with a Fender Stratocaster - rounded sides, contoured body, light weight, tremolo....

I think the Aeron Chair (http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/product/0,1469,c201-pss1-p8,00.html) ought to fit the bill.

And the Sony Walkman.

And the original bondi blue iMac (http://www.theimac.com/info/iMac_Rev_A_B_8_15_98.shtml), if just for the translucent color scheme.

As well as the uni-ball micro.

[Padeye]

Good point Mack. I like the Les Paul better but the Stratocaster was a more original design. The Broadcaster/Telecaster/Esquire broke from the tradional spanish guitar and the Strat and precision bass were natural evolutions of the new shape. And uni-ball miro pens rock! I buy those &*@%ers by the case :D I have yet to find a pen with a better writing feel though I really like those cheap Shaffer fountain pens.

Squatty noses huh Algernon. Hmm. I've always been partial to longer noses on my doggies and kitty cats. No pugs, boxers or persians for me. I think that's reflected in our respective choices. We could have a whole discussion on that aline. Like Freud (should have) said "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar..... but usually it's a penis." rofl

I think the Connie was rare because of it's niche in history. It came along postwar when there were already a lot of other piston engine planes around and jets were just around the corner. Rare yes but there are at least three in Tucson. Two are at the Pima Air Museum and one you can actually learn to fly if you can pony up the bucks. It like the '60 Army Colt are the epitome of sleek and graceful.

[Bippy the Beardless]

A vote for
Macintosh Chair,
Sydney Oppera House,
Concord
Paperclip
Katana (Japanese long sword)
Bugatti Type 51
The Beefburger

Cheers, Keithy

[cj finn]

I can tell that I've been in my profession too long when a simple question about designs raises all kinds of questions of functionality vs. aesthetic qualities. Without getting into criteria, i'll just add that exotice wood and brass woodworking tools have to be some of the coolest objects around.

Ulitmatum marking guage
Spear & Jackson brass back dovetail saw
Spiers infill smoother in naval bronze and ebony

[Tangent]

The Coke bottle.

The Bowie knife

Mag-lite flashlights

The Space Shuttle

[stockton]

From my cite in the other thread:
The Chrysler Building

From my top drawer:
Victorinox Swiss Army Knife

From Hasbro(?):
Rock'em Sock'em Robots

[Jayrot]

Mag-lite flashlightsThats a good one.

How about:
a tumbler glass (coctails etc.)
Ray-Ban sunglasses
Snake lamp/light
Crescent Wrench
CaseLogic-style CD book

[Happy Lendervedder]

Do they have to be name brands? If not, I'd suggest:

The spring-loaded mouse trap
The QWERTY keyboard
The toilet paper roll
The Penn State football uniform





Happy

[racer72]

I'll nominate the 1957 Chevrolet. It is second behind the VW Beetle as the most recognizable automobile ever made but is much more a classic design then the Bug.

The Campbell's Soup can label. Hasn't changed much in 70 years.

The classic hamburger. A round white bread roll sliced in two, a slab of beef, a lettuce leaf, catsup, mustard, and don't forget a pickle. And it has probably been the one food item that has changed the way man eats more than any one food product ever devised.

[racinchikki]

Originally posted by Padeye
The Speed Graphic camera was removed because not enough people would know what the hell I was talking about.

They would once they saw it! The Speed Graphic is one of those things that nobody knows the name of but you know it when you see it. Kinda like the tunes "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" and "Powerhouse."

For those of you who don't recognize the term: A picture. (http://www.gibbes.com/images/1974.12.155.JPG) Handsome Dan there is the photographer Weegee, who is apparently famous even though I've never seen a picture by him that I recognize.

[annieclaus]

I don't remember the name of the book I read on this topic, but it included the Green Bay Packers Uniform as an example of classic design. As an inveterate Cheesehead, I would agree!

[Terminus Est]

Classic design remains classic whatever the time period. Rather than throw everything into one list, I decided to categorize them. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Aeronautical, military
Fokker Triplane
Supermarine Spitfire
Mitsubishi Zero
B-17 Flying Fortress
F-86 Sabre
SR-71 Blackbird
B-2 Spirit

Aeronautical, civilian
Wright Brothers' Flyer 1
Hindenberg
Spirit of St Louis
Douglas DC-3
Lockheed Constellation
Boeing 747
Rutan Long-EZ

Automotive
Ford Model T
Volkswagen Beetle
Rolls Royce Phantom II
Aston Martin DB5
Porsche 911
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air [Thanks to racer72 for this one]

Buildings, modern high-rise
Empire State Building
Chrysler Building
World Trade Center :(
[I could list seven from New York alone, but in fairness to other places]
Sears Tower
Hancock Building
Transamerica Pyramid
Bank of China Tower

Buildings, pre-modern
Stonehenge
The Great Pyramid
The Parthenon
The Colloseum
St Peter's Basilica
Notre Dame
The Taj Mahal

Bridges
Brooklyn Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Firth of Forth Bridge
Campo Volantin Footbridge
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tacoma Narrows Bridge [a classic failure]

[Ruby]

1) Absolutely anything designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

2) Blue Blazer

[DesertDog]

Originally posted by Terminus Est
Douglas DC-3
Thank you. I was getting kind of twitchy reading this thread and nobody mentioning the good ol' goony bird. I remember some time back (1985?) Nova had a program on the aircraft's 50th anniversary. It was touching watching these tough old pilots get all misty-eyed talking about them.

Being a railroad buff, I'll nominate my favorite locomotives (and copy your categorizing technique).

Steam: Southern Pacific's GS4
-The skyline casing and the skirt adds just enough streamlining to make it look good, not gaudy.

Electric: Pennsylvania's GG1
-Did Lowe design anything that looked bad? And a 50 year lifetime for the design.

Diesel: Alco's PA (and B)
-A lashup of three or four on point is near perfection for reciprocating power.

DD

[Terminus Est]

Ah, the gooney bird. Just like its namesake, it looks so ungainly on the ground, but once it's in the air, it simply looks like it belongs there.

[cuauhtemoc]

If there's a classic design for a mechanical prosthesis, I nominate the DORRANCE #5X STAINLESS STEEL HOOK!!! (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64354&highlight=dorrance)

I hate myself for this post.

[fizgig]

Banker's lamp
Secretary's Desk
Sleigh Bed
Porsche 911

[gouda]

Lamborghi Miura
Jaguar E-Type
Porsche 356B Roadster
Porsche 911
Aston Martin DB5
Bugatti Royale


Oh yeah... and the Swiss Army Knife too

[Tapioca Dextrin]

corkscrew
bicycle
cigarette
railroad tracks
Hi Opal!
pneumatic tyres
skis
postage stamp


Is my list of seven things which haven't improved that much since they were invented. How classic is that?

[cainxinth]

great thread

Coiled telephone cord
Walther PPK
The Great Pyramid
iPod
Vinyl LPs
Lava Lamp
The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California. Less than a hundred were made. My father spent three years restoring this car. It is his love, it is his passion...
...it is his fault he didn't lock the garage.

[Padeye]

Originally posted by racinchikki
They would once they saw it! The Speed Graphic is one of those things that nobody knows the name of but you know it when you see it. Kinda like the tunes "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" and "Powerhouse."

For those of you who don't recognize the term: A picture. (http://www.gibbes.com/images/1974.12.155.JPG) Handsome Dan there is the photographer Weegee, who is apparently famous even though I've never seen a picture by him that I recognize.

I'd like to think nearly everyone has seen one of Arthur Fellig's photographs. Here's one of his most famous, The Critic (http://www.icp.org/weegee/weegee09.html), from Life magazine.

FWIW I have an early fifties vintage Crown Graphic I got for an entry level large format camera.

[happyheathen]

1929 Dual-Cowl Packard Phaeton.

J-3 Cub

DC-3

Coke-bottle Corvette

Cross ballpoint pens

Tudor architecture

Chrysler Building

[AHunter3]

The B-29 Superfortress bomber (http://www.photohome.com/photos/aircraft-pictures/bombers/b-29-superfortress-2.html)

[Bippy the Beardless]

Originally posted by gouda
Lamborghi Miura
Jaguar E-Type
Porsche 356B Roadster
Porsche 911
Aston Martin DB5
Bugatti Royale


Oh yeah... and the Swiss Army Knife too

Just out of interest which Bugatti Royale?
They all have different coachwork, I have seen pictures of maybe three all very nice (though the black one with open driver section and enclosed passanger section is a bit morose for my liking)

Cheers, Keithy

Whoever said the space shuttle, I considered that one but thought the space shuttle suffered too many problems/mechanical failures to really make the grade.

Cheers, Keithy

[Count Trari de Reeson]

Jaguar xj, they been using this same style for over 20 years and it still looks new.

[AHunter3]

Apple Computer's Macintosh System 1 (http://home.earthlink.net/~ahunter/temp/System_1.JPG), i.e., the original, complete with pop-down menus, a trash can and icons that open when you double-click them, drives/disks on the Desktop, the Apple Menu, the ability to copy and paste between different programs, resizeable windows, icon or list view of your files, and Y2K compliance in January of 1984. A graphical user operating system on a 400K floppy along with a word processor, paint program, and room to store your files.

Now that MacOS 9 is "officially dead", look back upon this sucker, of which 9 was just the final iteration, still going 18 years later. If you could snatch a Mac System 1 user from that time and plunk them down in front of today's Mac running MacOS 9, you could just leave them there and they'd know how to use it because the fundamentals haven't changed.

[racinchikki]

Originally posted by Padeye
I'd like to think nearly everyone has seen one of Arthur Fellig's photographs. Here's one of his most famous, The Critic (http://www.icp.org/weegee/weegee09.html), from Life magazine.

FWIW I have an early fifties vintage Crown Graphic I got for an entry level large format camera.

I've seen that photograph, but only because Gunslinger showed it to me in an attempt to edify me on the subject of Weegee at one point. I'd never seen it in any other situation.

He has three Speed Graphics now, two 4x5s and a 3x4 that's basically a paperweight due to the lack of available film for it. I know the little one's an Anniversary and the better of his two big ones is a Pacemaker, but the second big one I'm not sure about - I don't think he uses it, because it's in worse condition.

When you see a guy holding a Speed Graphic, that automatically says "Press Photographer!"

[minor7flat5]

The coolest wristwatch (http://www.omega.ch/lux-example/img/bdwatch/java/35705000.html) ever. It's the one Neil Armstrong wore to the moon (http://www.omega.ch/omega/wo_space_history1).

The standard 12-bar blues (http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/f/p/fpm108/glw/lessons/lesson25.htm), upon which most of rock and roll was built.

The Type A-2 Flight Jacket (http://www.acmedepot.com/a2jacket/index.shtml).

The classic semi-hollowbody jazz guitar (http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/Classic/ES-335.html).

[China Guy]

La Pavoni "Silver Peacock" espresso maker. Here (http://123espresso.store.yahoo.com/homesmac.html)

[OxyMoron]

I could do seven just on chairs. But anyway, my criteria are something beautiful, practical, durable and (preferably) inexpensive. All of these apply to Coke, Zippo and Levi.


1. The Breuer Chair (http://www.mkgraphic.com/chairlecture.html), Marcel Breuer, 1928. Hard to believe that this design is almost 75 years old - it's completely unremarkable now, which is part of what IMHO makes it so effective.

2. The Sony TPS-L2 (http://www.dhm.de/sammlungen/gifs/sammlungen/alltag1/99005704.jpg) - the original Walkman (although not yet called that, apparently).

3. Although the Super Connie was among the loveliest things ever made (I have a wonderful vintage Air Algerie poster of one, ca. 1954), I'd have to demote it in favor of the somewhat less elegant 707. Twice as large as the latest (trouble-free) Comet, the 707 pointed the way to mass jet travel.

4. The Bic Crystal pen - the first cheap, high-quality, mass market ball-point.

5. I hope it's not too chauvinistic to prefer the Model T to the Volkswagen - in many respects the former was the model for the latter. The T's robust, inexpensive design created the mass auto industry. (Indeed, the fact that almost every young American man had at least a little familiarity with cars would prove a significant advantage to the Allies - see Why the Allies Won, Richard Overy.)

6. The Diner's Club card, the first card to offer revolving credit to multiple locations. The magnetic stripe, which a couple of sites I found claim was invented in 1970, is of course a major help, too.

7. The Macintosh. I see the OS and various elements have been nominated previously, but I think the whole package was crucial.

[Go alien]

The Swiss Army Knife - Officer version. Because it opens all known forms of alcoholic drink container. :D