The 50 Greatest Designers

The People Who Have Created Our Environment

Tom May

• Publisher: Arcturus
• Year: 2026
• eBook ISBN:
  9781398842908
• Topic: Design
• Subtopic: Design History & Criticism

In this beautifully illustrated book, we take a look at the world of product design, examining the achievements of 50 of history's greatest designers: the men and women who have influenced the way we live by creating everything from furniture to household goods and decorative objects to cars and motorbikes, airplanes, signage, sports equipment and much more.

Together, they provide a fascinating overview of the way style has married with technical innovation, using one to inform and guide the other, and how our desire for aesthetically pleasing environments has not always had the impact we would have wished for, to the extent that design is now influenced by the demand for sustainability and renewability. Perceptive and informative, this guide makes a fascinating introduction to the way design has become such an integral part of what we are and do.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The 50 Greatest series brings together highly visual reference guides, each exploring 50 of the most influential figures across a certain discipline. These rich biographical profiles outline their key achievements, influences and impact on the industry, accompanied by stunning full-colour photography.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Introduction
• William Morris (1834–1896)
• Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951)
• Eileen Gray (1878–1976)
• Harley Earl (1893–1969)
• Poul Henningsen (1894–1967)
• Harry Beck (1902–1974)
• Marcel Breuer (1902–1981)
• Elizabeth Friedländer (1903–1984)
• Jacqueline Groag (1903–1986)
• Charlotte Perriand (1903–1999)
• Eva Zeisel (1906–2011)
• Charles and Ray Eames (1907–1978 / 1912–1988)…
• Marianne Straub (1909–1994)
• Paul Rand (1914–1996)
• Florence Knoll (1917–2019)
• Lucienne Day (1917–2010)
• Saul Bass (1920–1966)
• Milton Glaser (1920–2020)
• Jacqueline Casey (1927–1992)
• Maija Isola (1927–2001)
• Adrian Frutiger (1928–2015)
• Kenji Ekuan (1929–2015)
• Massimo Vignelli (1931–2014)
• Terence Conran (1931–2020)
• Dieter Rams (B.1932)
• Margaret Calvert (B.1936)
• Rosmarie Tissi (B.1937)
• Giorgetto Giugiaro (B.1937)
• James Dyson (B.1947)
• Erik Spiekermann (B.1947)
• Paula Scher (B.1948)
• Lonnie Johnson (B.1949)
• Philippe Starck (B.1949)
• Paola Navone (B.1950)
• Ahn Sang-soo (B.1952)
• Susan Kare (B.1954)
• Art Sims (B.1954)
• Naoto Fukasawa (B.1956)
• Carol Twombly (B.1959)
• Karim Rashid (B.1960)
• Stefan Sagmeister (B.1962)
• Gail Anderson (B.1962)
• Hella Jongerius (B.1963)
• Marc Newson (B.1963)
• Jonathan Ive (B.1967)
• Kenneth Cobonpue (B.1968)
• Es Devlin (B.1971)
• Cas Holman (B.1974)
• Pum Lefebure (B.1974)
• Naihan Li (B.1981)
• Picture Credits
• Acknowledgements
• Copyright