Who are the top 5, top 10 industrial designers by name, not just by studio reputation… people that are earning (or have earned) a reputation for good solid work as well as innovation?
Didn’t TIME produce some sort of list for this a few months back. I remember seeing it on the clogger.
Jonathan Paul Ive
Geoffrey Baldwin is my favorite designer hands down.
TIME may have, but I want YOUR thoughts!
TIME mag has come up with some wise, and some idiotic ideas over the years, after all… I want to know what YOU think.
I have to put them into sub groups:
Super star internationalist:
Marc Newson hands down. Trained as a jewelry maker he fought his way into product. I think his work is the most optimistic out of this group of designers, the least amount (it still has a lot of course) of blatant pop candy factor.
Designers I know:
This is a more full group.
Aaron Szymanski: few designers have the ability to consistently work in any style in any industry, run a business and be a great mentor. I model a lot of what I try to do off the lessons I learned working for him.
Phil Frank: He’s worked in house for multiple corporations, he’s worked for several consulting groups, now he is doing his own thing and running the studio for Saleen… living the dream.
James Owen: probably has one of the best intuitive senses of style I know of, had done the corporate and consulting thing, and is now off on his own.
Eric Avar
Tinker Hatfield
Aaron Cooper : all for obvious reasons.
Designers I don’t know:
Giorgio Guigaro: he is semi retired now, but his nickname is the Maestro, you don’t get that for nothing.
Philip Seymour and Dick Powell
Dead Designers:
Loewy of course. He did it all before it was even a profession
Bel Geddes
Bill Mitchel
le corbusier
Eero Saarinen
Antonio Sant’Elia
This list could go forever…
You could break out other groups like
Concept Designers
Furniture designers
and so on…
haha
get that buzz going G!
I would ass Ross Lovegrove to my list although it is more
on his studios reputation.
klet’s throw Scott Wilson in the mix too
apropos
Geoff Baldwin…ok designer…much better at beer can baseball
haha it appears my typing skills were sufferring last week.
probably already said:
starck
seymore & powell
newson
ive
graves
eames
chris bengal? - maybe more for his leadership
ive always loved sam hecht’s stuff
the rest of my list of favourite designers would go something like (in no order)
marc newson
thomas heatherwick (not really an industrial designer but should still be mentioned!)
lena bergstrom
charles eames
Naoto Fukusawa
Big in Europe:
Home - Marcel Wanders Wanders
http://www.hayonstudio.com Jaime Hayon
Favorite Fashion Design:
http://www.maisonmartinmargiela.com/en/index2.html Martin Margiela
Quirky but cool designers:
http://www.jimrokos.com/ Jim Rokos
http://www.dominicwilcox.com Dominic Wilcox
http://www.janborchies.com/ Jan Borchies
Its good to see Yo giving some internal props. Tinker wasn’t looking over your shoulder when you wrote this was he? j/k
He’s definitely one of my favorites too and although I have never met the guy, I definitely look up to him.
somewhere Karim must be pissed that he’s “Changing the World” and not on anyones list yet 
…not that i’d add him.
my vote would likewise be for Newson at least as far as name, rep, and product goes.
of course also to be included the past greats, Eames, Nelson, & Co.
R