In 1959, Fortune Magazine published a “fascinating and brash” project that became the first edition of the 100 best-designed products of the modern era which 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 designers, architects, and design teachers.
In 2019, the company has partnered again with the IIT Institute of Design (ID) to celebrate the 60-year anniversary of the original list. The new list is prepared under the deanship of Denis Weil, to re-create the survey following Doblin’s methodology as closely as possible.
iPhone (1st generation) launched in 2007 designed by Apple has been labeled as the greatest-designed product of the Modern Era. The company mentions it as a device that changed how we live.
Macintosh designed by Apple in 1984 have given the second place on the list, while Google Search Engine, designed by Google in 1997 is named third on the list.
The fourth place is taken by Eames Fiberglass Armchair, designed by Ray + Charles Eames in 1950 and Sony Walkman TPS-L2 designed by Norio Ohga in 1979 ranked fifth on the list.
List of Top 30 Greatest Design of Modern Era:
| Rank | Product Name | Brand | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iPhone (1st Gen.) | Apple | 2007 |
| 2 | Macintosh | Apple | 1984 |
| 3 | Google Search Engine | 1997 | |
| 4 | Eames Fiberglass Armchair | Ray + Charles Eames | 1950 |
| 5 | Sony Walkman TPS-L2 | Norio Ohga | 1979 |
| 6 | OXO Good Grips Peeler | Sam Farber + Smart Design | 1990 |
| 7 | Uber Rideshare | Uber | 2009 |
| 8 | Netflix Streaming | Netflix | 1997 |
| 9 | Lego Building Blocks | Lego + Hilary Fisher Page | 1939 |
| 10 | iPod | Apple (Jonathan Ive) | 2001 |
| 11 | Google Maps | Where 2 Technologies | 2005 |
| 12 | Apollo 11 Mission | NASA | 1969 |
| 13 | Akari Lamp 1A | Isamu Noguchi | 1951 |
| 14 | MacBook Pro | Apple (Jonathan Ive) | 2006 |
| 15 | Post-it Notes | 3M (Spencer Silver + Arthur Fry) | 1977 |
| 16 | Boeing 747 | Joe Sutter + Boeing Team | 1970 |
| 17 | Polaroid SX-70 | James Gilbert Baker + Edwin Herbert Land | 1972 |
| 18 | Model S Sedan | Tesla (Franz von Holzhausen) | 2012 |
| 19 | Nokia 3210 | Alastair Curtis | 1999 |
| 20 | Savoy Vase | Alvar + Aino Aalto | 1972 |
| 21 | Philips Hue Lighting System | Philips (Signify) | 2012 |
| 22 | App Store | Apple | 2008 |
| 23 | Spotify | Spotify | 2006 |
| 24 | Amazon Prime | Amazon | 2005 |
| 25 | Muji Rice Cooker | Naoto Fukasawa | 2014 |
| 26 | Airbnb | Airbnb | 2008 |
| 27 | Wikipedia | Wikipedia | 2001 |
| 28 | NYC Subway Map | Unimark (Massimo Vignelli) | 1972 |
| 29 | iOS | Apple | 2007 |
| 30 | Shinkansen | Japanese National Railways | 1964 |
Full list can be checked here.
