Fortune - 04.2020

86 FORTUNE APRIL 2020

IN 1959, FORTUNE PUBLISHED a “fascinating and brash” project that set out to dis-

cover the 100 best-designed products of the modern era. The list was compiled

by Jay Doblin, the director of the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute

of Technology (IIT), based on a survey sent out to 100 of the era’s top design-

ers, architects, and design teachers. The result is a fascinating document for

modern eyes—perfectly illustrating mid-century design philosophy, yet often

mirroring contemporary tastes: sleek sports cars by Porsche and Cisitalia, and

even sleeker armchairs by Eames, Aalto, and Saarinen. Domestic appliances

with forms foreshadowing Sputnik and the start of the Space Age. Above all, a

deep appreciation for the aesthetic beauty not just of luxury goods but also of

the practical items that improve people’s lives on a daily basis.

In 2019, to recognize the 60-year anniversary of the original list, Fortune

again partnered with the IIT Institute of Design (ID), now under the dean-

ship of Denis Weil, to re-create the survey. Following Doblin’s methodology as

GREATEST

DESIGNS

MODERN

TIMES

THE

OF

ARCHITECTURE................ 1

ECOLOGY....................... 1

GRAPHIC...................... .4

INTERFACE.................... .2

PRODUCT.................... .63

SERVICE...................... .29

RETURNING................... .6

ARCHITECTURE................ 1

GRAPHIC....................... 1

PRODUCT.................... .98

LIST BY CATEGORY

2019

1959

AT YOUR SERVICE

IN THE YEARS SINCE OUR

ORIGINAL LIST DEBUTED,

INTERNET SERVICES HAVE

MADE THEIR MARK ON DESIGN

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME A DESIGN ICON?

THERE’S MORE TO IT THAN GOOD LOOKS.

THESE 100 PRODUCTS HAVE MADE OUR LIVES

SIMPLER, BETTER, AND, YES, MORE STYLISH.

BY DANIEL BENTLEY

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN SAELINGER

ST

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AN

CA

MP

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DSA.W.04.20.XMIT.indd 86 FINAL 3/10/20 6:41 PM