Gesamtkunstwerk

Inspirational People

Mini, manufactured by British Motor Corporation, 1970, based on an original design by Alec Issigonis, 1959 

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Circa 1955: Messerschmitt Kabinenroller KR200 designed by Fritz Fend

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I’d like to watch things on a CS17 television, designed by Robin Day and manufactured by Pye Ltd, 1957

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Children crossing sign, designed by Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir for the Ministry of Transport, 1964 

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Pioneers of American Industrial Design : 29 June 2011

the reverse has the following text:

Encompassing everything from consumer goods—such as furniture, kitchen appliances, vacuums, and hair dryers—to cars, locomotives, and even airplanes, industrial design is the study and creation of products whose appearance, function, and construction have been optimized for human use. The work of these designers transformed homes and offices across the country and helped shape the look of everyday life in the 20th century.
Alongside the stamps is an image of the electric “Airflow” table fan designed by Robert Heller (1906-1952) around 1936. The fan’s streamlined silhouette and teardrop-shaped base evoke the sleek look of contemporary airplanes. Made of aluminum, steel, and cast iron, the fan can be raised or lowered to change the direction of the airflow.
The Revere Copper and Brass Company introduced the “Normandie” pitcher in 1935. Designed by Peter Müller-Munk (1904-1967), the pitcher—made of chromium-plated brass—was an affordable alternative to silverware. Its simple curves, teardrop shape, and unornamented form embodied the streamlined style.
Frederick Hurten Rhead (1880-1942) is best remembered for the sleek Fiesta line introduced by The Homer Laughlin China Company in 1936. Available in a variety of brightly colored glazes, Fiesta dinnerware introduced the concept of mixing and matching while also transforming the look of domestic interiors across America.
Raymond Loewy (1893-1986) designed everything from trains and cars to appliances, corporate logos, and even office tools. He created this chromium-plated pencil sharpener prototype in 1933. The sharpener’s distinctive teardrop shape lent it a sense of speed and movement that belied its stationary function.
Donald Deskey (1894-1989) created this adjustable metal and wood table lamp around 1927-29. The lamp’s simple but elegant curved shape hints at the streamlining trend that blossomed in the 1930s. Deskey is best known for the art deco interiors he designed in 1932 for Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Known as the “dean of industrial design,” Walter Dorwin Teague (1883-1960) believed that good artistic design fit both form and function into a single aesthetic package. Introduced in 1934, the Kodak “Baby Brownie” camera featured eye-catching art deco details and a metal viewfinder that folded down when the camera was not in use.
Henry Dreyfuss (1904-1972) designed products that touched all corners of American life. He also set the standard for telephone design in the U.S. His design for the Model 302 Bell telephone featured a new handset and redesigned base that improved the balance and appearance of the nation’s most popular telephone.
A champion of technological innovation, Norman Bel Geddes (1893-1958) designed the “Patriot” radio for Emerson Radio and Phonograph Corporation. The molded plastic case of this portable radio used an iconic new material, and its bold red-and-white grille echoed the stripes of the American flag.
A former head of product design for Montgomery Ward, Dave Chapman (1909-1978) established his own design firm in 1936. Shown at the first exhibition of the American Society of Industrial Designers in 1947, Chapman’s streamlined sewing machines evoked the sleek look of contemporary automobiles.
Greta von Nessen (1900-1974), who specialized in lighting, designed the “Anywhere” lamp in 1951 for Nessen Studio, Inc. Made of aluminum and enameled metal, the versatile lamp was available in a variety of colors and could be used on a table, mounted on the wall, or suspended from the ceiling.
Introduced by IBM in 1961, the “Selectric” typewriter—the first with a stationary carriage—featured a spherical typing element in a simple, rounded design by Eliot Noyes (1910-1977). The keyboard was curved to match the angle at which the fingers strike the keys, which improved accuracy, speed, and comfort.
Russel Wright (1904-1976) created informal, yet elegant objects for the home that were both durable and attractive. Each stainless-steel piece of “Highlight/Pinch” flatware featured an organically shaped handle and no applied ornament. Wright designed the flatware in 1950 to complement his many lines of dinnerware.
Furniture and industrial designer Gilbert Rohde (1894-1944) helped modernize American homes and offices with objects that embodied his principles of clean, functional design. Created for the Herman Miller Clock Company in 1933, Rohde’s design of polished chromium and black Carrara glass abstracted the clock face to its most essential elements.

the USPS does not allow foreign orders via it’s website (maybe if they did they wouldn’t be in quite as much trouble); luckily I have a good tumblr friend in the US who was able to get these for me

Royal Mail Stamps: a survey of British stamp design - Stuart Rose

Streamlined Pencil Sharpener - Raymond Loewy

to be released in 2011 by USPS

GB - Design Classics, 13-JAN-2009

Supermarine Spitfire - The Battle of Britain fighter designed by RJ Mitchell

Mini Skirt - Mary Quant

The Mini - Sir Alec Issigonis

Anglepoise Lamp - George Carwardine

Concorde - Aeropatiale and BAC’s supersonic jet was capable of twice the speed of sound and beautiful.

K2 Telephone Kiosk - Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s design is the model Bowie poses in on the back of the Ziggy Stardust album cover.

Polypropylene Chair - Robin Day

Penguin Books - Edward Young

London Underground Map - Harry Beck’s design was based on an electrical wiring diagram.

Routemaster Bus - AAM Durrant, Douglas Scott, Colin Curtis

pictures of the special postmarks for this, and most recent issues, can be found at Norvic Philatelic