24 design ῀
Clockwise from left: Kenneth Grange designs: InterCity 125 train, 1977; Brownie camera, 1960, one of his designs for Kodak; Royal Mail post box, 1996; Short & Mason steel clock, 1966; Adshell bench, 1972; Anglepoise lamp Type 1228, a version of Grange’s Type3, 2003
Designs for life
When I was at Willesden School of Art in the Forties, I got a job in a factory that made springs. In the world of cars the Rolls-Royce is king; in the world of springs it was a company called Terry’s. So I grew up with Terry’s in the back of my mind. Then, just over a decade ago, I was sitting next to a nice young chap at dinner and discovered he was a member of the revered family of spring makers. We got talking and it turned out he’d been drafted back in to head up the firm. The first Anglepoise, with springs developed by Terry’s, came out in the early Thirties. One thing led to another and, in 2003, I designed the first new Anglepoise in donkey’s
years – the Type3. I knew I’d do the firm no good at all if I just designed an Anglepoise for other designers. It had to work for ordinary people who remembered the original and would buy the Type3 because it was the latest version. Above all, it’s a functioning product. I’m often associated with modernism, but I see myself as being a commercial animal first and foremost. When I’m asked to design a new take on an existing product – let’s say the black cab – I don’t aim for a conspicuously new design. The value of the original must be recognised. I designed many cameras for Kodak, including the Instamatic. That came out in the Sixties and still looks modern today.
Although it’s convenient, I slightly regret the move to digital; there’s something appealing about sending film off to the developers. A shortlist of my own favourite designs would have the Intercity 125 train pretty near the top. British Rail asked me to do a cosmetic job tarting up the livery on a model it had developed for a new high-speed train. It was nice to be part of a change in the railways, but the 125 was a long job, as the management and unions fell out and we pretty much had to start our designs again all over again. The Intercity 125s went into full-time service in May 1977. I now live mostly in the country and, travelling to
London once a fortnight, use the 125 regularly. I like to know it’s waiting for me at Paddington. The distinctive nose cone still looks great. The design of the 125 will outlive me, that’s for sure. Over the years it has retained its character and still stands uniquely amongst other, more recently designed trains. It’s a pleasure to be able to see my designs around me. My house is littered with Bowers & Wilkins speakers. Over the years I’ve enjoyed a very good relationship with B&W, a British company that made speakers in the medium to really expensive bracket – they are still one of the top speaker manufacturers in the world. One of the endless
Design Museum
Product designer KENNETH GRANGE looks back on five decades of creating seminal objects such as the Kodak Instamatic, the Intercity 125 and a new interpretation of the Anglepoise
discussions I’ve had with B&W over the years is whether you class speakers as equipment or furniture. I’m still not sure. What I do know is that they sound incredible, which is why they are so often used in recording studios. Which isn’t to say that they shouldn’t look sensational too; the 800 series is just mind-blowing. I’m still inspired by design every day and occasionally see something I’d like to have designed myself, such as the new London bus. Product designers must be in a state of perpetual dissatisfaction with what they see around them. It spurs them on to create something better. Having said that, I’m very
happy with what I’ve achieved in my life; every time I see a black cab or tear-shaped parking meter, I remember the conversations I’ve had to bring that idea to life. Q ‘Kenneth Grange: Making Britain Modern’, a showcase of his iconic, everyday designs from the 1958 parking meter to the 1996 black cab, is at the Design Museum from 20 July to 30 October; designmuseum.org Kenneth Grange worked as a technical illustrator in the Royal Engineers before helping found design consultancy Pentagram in 1972. He now lives in Devon, where he still spends most of his days in his workshop