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A Place for Design
1972 – Best Design Year Ever?
Ben Young
Mar 24, 2010 - 04:04 PM
OK, so I wasn’t born yet. But that won’t stop me from declaring 1972 as the best design year ever.
A bold claim? Yes.
Factual? Not necessarily.
Is it even possible to declare one year better than another? Perhaps not, but some pretty amazing things were built that year. These things were once basic consumer designs, but they have lasted the tests of physical and visual endurance, which is saying a lot for tactile items. In short, 1972 produced design icons.
I respect bold design. The designers who were in charge of the best that 1972 produced were bold and they created products with confident style.
There are many things from 1972 that we might call “dated.” But there is nothing wrong with a dated design; it merely means that it was created to be appropriate within the cultural environment of its creation. There will be many cool things designed in 2010, but will we remember them in another 35 years? Dated style may be historically interesting, but dated style that is interesting and useful for a long time is brilliant.
A few of my favorites from around 1972:
The BMW 2002
This is the classic small car that changed the concept of what a sports car could be. It introduced the idea that a car could be practical and fun. Curved glass and round tail lights added a bit of style to the function of a two-door compact car. This sports car came with plenty of headroom, visibility and road-performance—a killer combination of stylish form and useful functions. (Click here for another perspective from Beemer fans.)
Disclaimer: the BMW 2002 was actually designed in 1968, but 1972 was one of the last years prior to the style makeover in 1974.
The Minolta SR T 101
This is the epitome of the SLR camera. Nothing is wasted; function dictated the form. The full manual controls were typical of the time before auto-focus. What I like best is that the control for each element of photography existed separately for that function alone. And the red alignment dot for the lens is cool and enduring. Bottom Line: Everything still works with predictable results 37 years on. (For more on the Minolta, click here.)
The Schwinn Super Sport
The name says a lot. This heavy roadster was indeed super and sporty. A simple steel frame provides a soft shock-absorbing ride without the need for suspension. Coolest feature – the shift levers with the “S” for Schwinn. (Click 
here for another perspective.)
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