resource review: design sponge series
Emily Oster
series by Design Sponge illustrations by Libby VanderPloeg
The very popular design blog, Design Sponge, has been running two related series that I have really been enjoying. Called Design Icon and Pattern Book, the series detail the history behind iconic designs. Design Icon features furniture and objects while Pattern Book highlights what else - patterns. Matched with great illustrations from Libby VanderPloeg and Maxwell Tielman, the posts are a quick and informative read that will instantly up your design knowledge and vocabulary. Here are a few interesting things I have learned thus far.
- The slinky was named by the inventor's wife after she came across the definition of slinky - sleek and graceful - in the dictionary.
- The Honeywell thermostat was designed so that it always hung "squarely" on the wall no matter how or where it was installed.
- The Coca-Cola bottle design was the result of a competition in which the winner was inspired by an image of cocoa pad he saw in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
- Houndstooth is associated with peace as it was originally worn by Scottish shepherds and had no association with any particular clan or group.
- The Greek Key pattern is thought to be inspired by a labyrinth, symbolizing infinity and unity.
Continue on to the series to learn more!