Wolfgang JoenssonIconic Product Design: An Illustrated History of the World's Most Innovative Devices

My daughter is a graduate of School of Visual Arts. She is a Graphic Artist. I add graphic arts books to her "library" every year at Christmas time. This book, in a straightforward and concise manner - through graphic arts, shows us how these products play/played a role in everyday lives. I'll never look at a pair scissors the same way again, espically the orange colored ones that are easier to spot.

This book provides a fun, approachable overview of the most influential products in recent history. Each product is accompanied by a short and sweet paragraph distilling all the essential information you need. A great book for any layperson who is curious. Makes for an excellent coffee-table book as well.

I bought this as a gift for my son who is a product designer. It is arranged chronologically. It gives a brief background and history of the most significant products. It is a good reference book.

Love this book as did my son who is a graphic designer

Iconic Product Design is an illustrated tribute. In a few concise pages, Wolfgang Joensson distills the key elements of good design based on decades of work as a designer and design educator. He goes on to examine 134 products individually, creating a poster-worthy icon for each. Expertise cannot conquer subjectivity, so this list gives insights into Mr. Joensson’s personality, though I find nothing peculiar in his choices. (Of the 135, I’ve lived with 35 and have 16 at hand.)Joensson’s delightful illustrations are accompanied by amusing anecdotes emphasizing the social aspects of design. He recognizes Germany’s People’s Radio and the Old Glory-inspired Emerson Patriot radio as dissimilar tools of propaganda, one as an unassuming conduit for speech, while the other is a decorative symbol. He helps us determine what works emotionally as well as physically. He also points out the economic and ecological ramifications of the designs.Professor Joensson highlights salient features and provides history behind products that we have taken for granted as well as some that are new to us.Joensson presents products in chronological order, starting with items such as rubber boots, designed over a century ago, but essentially unchanged today. He finds timeless perfection in the humble soy sauce bottle. He recalls the marble-valve soda bottle and the Motorola “brick” phone, once common items, now familiar only to old-timers. He also introduces us to the Sony 8-301, a portable TV that never caught on. Some products familiar to many readers will be new to Americans.The historical sketches, like film biographies, will inspire further research. With so many entries, it’s understandable if inconsistencies are found:A case in point in the Swiss Army knife, credited to Wester & Co. The Solingen firm was the first to manufacture pocket knives to meet specifications drawn up by the Swiss Army, but their product didn’t resemble the iconic Swiss Officer’s Knife. The illustration shows that familiar version, made for over a century by Victorinox. Neither company is listed in the manufacturers’ index.Another distortion concerns the Land camera with its self-developing film. Instant cameras made by the Polaroid corporation did not require polarizing filters, except perhaps, as a source of funding.This book will bring back fond memories to the many designers who have studied under Professor Joensson over the years. For everyone else, it will give them inspiration and a taste of what they have missed.Products are not born iconic: the most innovative are first approached with trepidation. It remains to be seen if any of Mr. Joensson’s own work will join product pantheons. I hope so.

Everything around us is designed, one way or another. Whether a simple paperclip or a fancy computer, a pair of Louboutin shoes or a Prada bag. They are all designed, meaning that someone sat down and said to himself or herself, "let's make something useful or beautiful...".But some products stand out, either by their sheer iconic beauty, by their incredible usefulness, or because they touch the string of your heart, making them suddenly essential. Wolfgang Joenssen's has managed a tour de force in assembling some of the world's most desirable objects and explaining their origin, or the subtle thinking behind their creation.A great read, and certainly a book that belongs on the shelf of anyone who loves design and beautiful things.Thank you

This book is wonderful. Wolfgang Joensson has created a book which sums up quintessential product designs from around the world, from the 17th century to today. The layout and design of the book itself are beautifully done, with color-coded pages for each time period and superb graphic illustrations. It will be a reference for years to come, and I am thrilled to have it as part of my library. I highly recommend this masterpiece on design!

A wonderful and inspiring work, insightful, and beautifully presented. Highly recommended for any design aficionado, would be make a great gift too.