Industrial Designer
Focusing on what would be both pleasing to see and easy to use, his product designs modernized the look, feel and routines of daily life.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Kenneth Grange (KH) was born in London. His father was a constable for the London Metropolitan police. His mother worked as a machinist at a spring factory, well into her ‘70s.
(Editor’s note – While all the events within this story occurred in England, the editor believes that human nature throughout the world appreciates graceful yet useful product designs.)
CHILDHOOD
KG recalled growing up in “a good old-fashioned house, a bacon-and-eggs kind of house, all brown and cream with daffodils on the wallpaper.”
His mother was responsible for one unconventional piece of décor. “Instead of having a lamp next to the chair in the living room, like most people had, we had a great big spring that was barely liftable,” said KG to a news reporter, years later. “It was her pride and joy. She was completely in love with manufacturing and was an influence on me – her work ethic particularly.”
As a teenager, KG worked at the spring factory. It was hard work, from which KG learned that he would prefer the creativity of designing objects, rather than manufacturing them to conform to someone else’s creative ideas.
EDUCATION
Instead of attending a traditional high school, KG studied drawing and lettering at a school devoted to learning arts and crafts.
FIRST ADULT JOBS ARE NEVER A BINDING CAREER COMMITMENT
Following the equivalent of graduating from high school, KG worked for several architects, one of whom also did industrial design work on bus shelters and lamp posts.
TAKING A BUSINESS RISK – OPENING HIS OWN DESIGN FIRM
Soon, KG opened his own design firm, eventually expanding its services by partnering with other design professionals – graphic designers and an architect – to found the design firm Pentagram, fortunately coinciding with a time in the late 1950s when consumers started seeking out more lively, colorful and sleek products than the dowdy and chunky objects that personified consumer and home goods into World War II when manufacturers were focused on the war effort, not interesting designs for their products.
KG’s first major project was an upside-down, teardrop-shaped parking meter. Its stark design and simplicity attracted the attention of consumer goods manufacturers, which hired him to redesign its once-popular but out-of-style Chef mixer. KG’s redesign introduced a sharper, modern silhouette with a streamlined body and arm, softly curved at the corners. He also added extra weight.
“We thought a lot about the weight of things, so when you pick something up, in that moment you make an assumption about its value,” said KG to a documentary filmmaker. “Slightly heavier says longer life, better value, so I asked the manufacturer to use a particular material that is heavier and certainly weightier in the fingers.”
The updated food mixer became an instant status symbol among consumers, particularly women, who then purchased them as presents for their newlywed friends.
KG commuted to work in two of his most memorable designs: the London Taxi TX1, a streamlined update of the city’s famous black cab, and the InterCity 125 train, an aerodynamic marvel in bright yellow that was credited with reinvigorating interest in rail travel in Britain.
His other popular industrial designs included several cameras for Kodak, a fountain pen for Parker, a desk lamp and Wilkinson Sword razors.
CHALLENGE – UNABLE TO CONFINE YOUR CAREER TO TIME LIMITS
To KG, every object of daily life was eligible for an upgraded design. His wife recalled the daily struggle of walking through London with him. He’d spot a new angle on a bus stop overhang and then immediately cross the street to inspect it.
“There is no doubt that domestic harmony is endangered by having a designer about,” confessed KG to a news reporter. “If you are good at your job, you cannot avoid looking at everything, and given half a chance, affecting it. I even have an opinion about a tea towel – I just cannot help it.”
CAREER SATISFACTION
“When I think of KG’s work, I do not immediately think of the designer, but of the millions of users who have been beneficiaries of his care and thought,” said the former head of design for Apple.
EPILOGUE – A FINAL DESIGN
While at an undertaker’s business to select a coffin for his deceased mother, the limited choices were, in his opinion, “all awfully designed and expensive but we had to pick one, “ said KG. “So, I thought to myself how ridiculous it is that I am spending my life haranguing people to live with well-designed things and when I go, it could be in one of these dumb boxes.”
Instead, KG designed – and personally built – a bookshelf that matched the shape of his body. “This one fits me like a glove and the lid is behind it – it’s just a matter of taking the bookshelves out, screwing the lid on and away we go,” he said. “The only problem will be getting whoever is responsible to follow my instructions.”
“It’s a bit macabre, isn’t it?” said KG’s wife. “So, I think it might have to stay as a very useful bookcase.”
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This career story is based on an obituary written by Michael Rosenwalk, published by the New York Times on August 3, 2024, plus internet research.
