Terence Conran Exhibition at the Design Museum

Titled “The Way We Live Now”, the new exhibition at the Design Museum marks Sir Terence Conran’s 80th birthday exploring his unique impact on contemporary life in Britain — quite a nice follow-up to the previous Kenneth Grange exhibition — just for fun, one might argue who had more impact on the modern Britain. As the Design Museum statement says, Conran has transformed the British way of life through his own design work, and also through his entrepreneurial flair. As well as this, his design studio and architectural practice have a world wide reach. The exhibition traces his career from post-war austerity through to the new sensibility of the Festival of Britain in the 1950s, the birth of the Independent Group and the Pop Culture of the 1960s, to the design boom of the 1980s and on to the present day.

I managed to shoot from the hip a few photos, hence the poor quality, but I hope it’s enough to give you an idea, and maybe even go see it:

A nice custom typeface for titles:

Among others, this Bibendum-inspired chair was definitely one of my favourites, proving yet again that playful design is always a delight to experience:

Chair inspired by Bibendum, or The Michelin Man

Mr Conran’s working office — much warmer than Mr Vignelli’s, one might argue:

Now, whose dream house wouldn’t have racing cars on the wall?

Simple & modern stationery and imagery, depicting Conran’s ‘form follows function’ approach :

There are many more gems to discover, but this one was another favourite (click to enlarge):

The exhibition is open from 16 November till 04 March 2012, so if you’re in London, give it a go, it’s surely worth it. You can learn more on the Design Museum page for the exhibition.