Kenneth Grange

Last updated

Kenneth Grange in October 2016 with an InterCity 125 power car, the nosecone for which he designed in the 1970s. Sir Kenneth Grange at the National Railway Museum (4) 43185.JPG
Kenneth Grange in October 2016 with an InterCity 125 power car, the nosecone for which he designed in the 1970s.

Sir Kenneth Henry Grange, CBE, PPCSD, RDI (born 17 July 1929, London) [1] is a British industrial designer, renowned for a wide range of designs for familiar, everyday objects.

Contents

Career

Grange's career began as a drafting assistant with the architect Jack Howe in the 1950s. His independent career started rather accidentally with commissions for exhibition stands, but by the early 1970s he was a founding-partner in Pentagram, an interdisciplinary design consultancy. [2]

Grange's career has spanned more than half a century, and many of his designs became – and are still – familiar items in the household or on the street. These designs include the first UK parking meters for Venner, kettles and food mixers for Kenwood, razors for Wilkinson Sword, cameras for Kodak, typewriters for Imperial, clothes irons for Morphy Richards, cigarette lighters for Ronson, washing machines for Bendix, pens for Parker, bus shelters, Reuters computers, and regional Royal Mail postboxes. [3]

Grange was also responsible for the aerodynamics, interior layout and exterior styling of the nose cone of British Rail's High Speed Train (known as the InterCity 125 [4] ) and also involved in the design of the 1997 LTI TX1 version of the famous London taxicab. [5] He has carried out many commissions for Japanese companies.

One quality of much of Grange's design work is that it is not based on just the styling of a product. His design concepts arise from a fundamental reassessment of the purpose, function and use of the product. He has also said that his attitude to designing any product is that he wants it to be "a pleasure to use". [6] Grange was a pioneer of user-centred design, aiming to eliminate what he sees as the "contradictions" inherent in products that fail to embody ease-of-use.

Kenneth Grange's Kodak Instamatic camera (c. 1963) Kenneth-grange.jpg
Kenneth Grange's Kodak Instamatic camera (c. 1963)

Since retiring from Pentagram in 1997, Grange continues to work independently. Recent work has included door handles for Ize Ltd., desk and floor lamps for Anglepoise, [7] and a chair for the elderly for Hitch Mylius. [8]

The First Production HST power car, 43 002, was repainted by Great Western Railway in to the original British Rail Inter-City livery, and then named in his honour by Grange on 2 May 2016 at St Philip's Marsh GWR HST depot in Bristol, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the first passenger services of the Intercity 125. [9] Grange later visited York in October 2016, and 'signed' power car 43 185 using spray paint. [10] Grange is the Honorary President of the 125 Group which has restored the original prototype HST Power Car and aims to preserve operational examples of the subsequent production HST vehicles when they are finally retired from service. After withdrawal from GWR service, 43002 joined the National Collection in September 2019 and went on display at Locomotion.

Honours

Grange was knighted for services to design in the 2013 New Year Honours. [11] [12] Grange's designs have won ten Design Council Awards, the Duke of Edinburgh's prize for Elegant Design in 1966, and in 2001 he was awarded the Prince Philip Designers Prize [13] – an award honouring a lifetime achievement. He has won the Gold Medal of the Chartered Society of Designers, and is a member of the Royal Society of Arts' élite Faculty of 'Royal Designers for Industry'. Grange has been awarded honorary Doctorates by the Royal College of Art, De Montfort University, Plymouth University, Heriot-Watt University, [14] and the Open University.

The Design Museum held a major retrospective exhibition of Grange's work, July–October 2011. [15] The RSA has an audio recording of Grange in a discussion of his work. [16]

In media

In April 2022 Grange was featured in the BBC Two series Secrets of the Museum. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jony Ive</span> English designer

Sir Jonathan PaulIve is a British industrial and product designer, as well as businessman. Ive was the chief design officer (CDO) of Apple Inc. from 1997 until 2019, and serves as Chancellor of the Royal College of Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterCity 125</span> British high-speed diesel passenger train

The InterCity 125 (originally Inter-City 125) or High Speed Train (HST) is a diesel-powered high-speed passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1975 and 1982. A total of 95 sets were produced, each comprising two Class 43 power cars, one at each end, and a rake of seven or eight Mark 3 coaches. The name is derived from its top operational speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). At times, the sets have been classified as British Rail Classes 253, 254 and 255.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Western Railway (train operating company)</span> Train operating company in Great Britain

Great Western Railway (GWR) is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the Greater Western passenger railway franchise. It manages 197 stations and its trains call at over 270. GWR operates long-distance inter-city services along the Great Western Main Line to and from the West of England and South Wales, inter-city services from London to the West Country via the Reading–Taunton line, and the Night Riviera sleeper service between London and Penzance. It also provides commuter and outer-suburban services from its London terminus at Paddington to West London, the Thames Valley region including parts of Berkshire, parts of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire; and regional services throughout the West of England and South Wales to the South coast of England. Great Western Railway also provides and maintains the Electrostar Class 387 fleet for Heathrow Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Mark 3</span> Single-level rail passenger carriage

The British Rail Mark 3 is a type of passenger carriage developed in response to growing competition from airlines and the car in the 1970s. A variant of the Mark 3 became the rolling stock for the High Speed Train (HST).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Design Museum</span> Art museum in London, England

The Design Museum in Kensington, London exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generated by ticket sales aid the museum in curating new exhibitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 43 (HST)</span> British high speed diesel locomotive

The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train (formerly Classes 253 and 254) diesel-electric power cars, built by British Rail Engineering Limited from 1975 to 1982, and in service in the UK since 1976.

Alan Gerard Fletcher was a British graphic designer. In his obituary, he was described by The Daily Telegraph as "the most highly regarded graphic designer of his generation, and probably one of the most prolific".

Royal Designer for Industry is a distinction established by the British Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in 1936, to encourage a high standard of industrial design and enhance the status of designers. It is awarded to people who have achieved "sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design for industry". Those who are British citizens take the letters RDI after their names, while those who are not become Honorary RDIs (HonRDI). Everyone who holds the distinction is a Member of The Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry.

Stephen Paul Bayley is a Welsh writer and critic, known particularly for his commentary on architecture and design. He was founding CEO of the Design Museum in London in 1989, and has been a regular architecture, art and design critic for newspapers such as The Listener, The Observer and The Spectator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper Morrison</span> British designer

Jasper Morrison is an English product and furniture designer. He is known for the refinement and apparent simplicity of his designs. In a rare interview with the designer, he is quoted as saying: "Objects should never shout".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentagram (design firm)</span> International design studio

Pentagram is a design firm. It was founded in 1972, by Alan Fletcher, Theo Crosby, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange, and Mervyn Kurlansky at Needham Road, Notting Hill, London. The company has offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Berlin and Austin, Texas. In addition to its influential work, the firm is known for its unusual structure, in which a hierarchically flat group of partners own and manage the firm, often working collaboratively, and share in profits and decisionmaking.

The Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) is a professional body for designers. It is the only Royal Chartered body of experienced designers. Its membership is multi-disciplinary – representing designers in all design, disciplines including Interior Design, Product Design, Graphic Design, Fashion and Textile Design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mellor (designer)</span>

David Rogerson Mellor was an English designer, manufacturer, craftsman and retailer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianne Straub</span>

Marianne Straub OBE was one of the leading commercial designers of textiles in Britain in the period from the 1940s to 1960s. She said her overriding aim was: "to design things which people could afford. ... To remain a handweaver did not seem satisfactory in this age of mass-production".

Margaret Howell CBE, RDI is a British designer of clothes who has worked in both men's and women's wear over five decades.

Sue Timney is a British interior, product and textile designer. She has worked in Britain, USA, Europe and Japan and in 1980 co-founded Timney-Fowler, an interior product company.

William Leonard Welch is an English Industrial designer. William is the son of the late post-war Industrial Designer Robert Radford Welch. In 2004 Welch became a Fellow of Chartered Society of Designs. In 2007 Welch was invited to become Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts and as a Freeman, holds a key to the city of London.

Marina Willer is a graphic designer and filmmaker.

Bethan Laura Wood she is an internationally-recognised English designer of jewellery, furniture, decorative objects, lighting and installations. She has designed for such media as glass, laminates and ceramics. Work produced by her studio, WOOD London, is characterised by colour, geometry and visual metaphor, pattern and marquetry. She has been described as "[re-contextualizing] ... elements from everyday objects, often focusing on the pattern and coloration of objects as indicators of their origins, production, and past usage."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuri Suzuki (designer)</span> Japanese designer

Yuri Suzuki is a Japanese artist, designer, and musician. Primarily known for the design of sound-based objects, Suzuki is a partner of the London office of Pentagram.

References

  1. "People of Today Index, People of Today, People | Debrett's". Debretts.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  2. Cross, N (2001) "Achieving Pleasure From Purpose: the methods of Kenneth Grange, product designer", The Design Journal Archived 17 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine , Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 48–58.
  3. Kenneth Grange at the Boilerhouse: An Exhibition of British Product Design, The Conran Foundation/Boilerhouse Project (V&A Museum), London, 1983.
  4. Julian May "The 125 at 30", BBC News, 15 September 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  5. "Kenneth Grange's greatest hits - in pictures". The Guardian. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  6. Cross, N (2011) Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work, Berg, Oxford and New York, chapter 3.
  7. "Sir Kenneth Grange". Anglepoise. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  8. "Kenneth Grange".
  9. "43002 Livery Unvailing @ SPM Open Day 02-05-16". YouTube .
  10. "Sir Kenneth Grange 'signing' 43185... Almost". YouTube .
  11. "Knights Bachelor" (PDF). Cabinet Office. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  12. "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 1.
  13. Prince Philip Designers Prize Archived 21 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine , Design Council
  14. "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates". www1.hw.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  15. The Design Museum (2011) Kenneth Grange: Making Britain Modern, Black Dog Publishing, London.
  16. Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  17. "Secrets of the Museum".