Concorde Flying High ... As A Design Icon

As it prepares to take off again next week, Concorde has been voted as one of the most respected designs of the 20st Century - despite being out of the skies for the last 15 months.

This was just one of the major findings in the "Audi Design Poll 2001" - a survey commissioned by prestige car manufacturer Audi and conducted by MORI Telephone Services.

The results show that 75% of those polled rate Concorde as one of the most admired pieces of 20th Century design - second only to cat's eyes (83%). Other designs, which capture the public's imagination, include the Thermos Flask (67%), Lego (63%) and the mobile phone (57%). However, there is also strong opinion about designs that need to go back to the drawing board, including the ironing board, the PC and the satellite dish.

Michael Farmer, Director of the Audi Design Foundation, commented: "Audi is committed to driving Britain's appreciation of quality design and this survey helps us to gauge current perceptions. It is encouraging to see Concorde scoring so highly, even though it has been out of the public eye for 15 months. The aircraft has dominated the skyline ever since its first commercial flight in 1976 and its continuing appeal beautifully demonstrates how great design can combine form and function by looking great and breaking technological boundaries at the same time."

Technical details

• The survey was conducted by MORI Telephone Services, and was based on interviews with over 500 people.
• The objective of the survey was to ascertain how the UK population thinks about design and designers. A full summary of the results is available on request.
• The Audi design team is constantly exploring new ways to innovate, ranging from re-designing the telephone box - which was used in their TV ad campaign and was exhibited at the Design Museum - and working with Adidas to design the Kobe basketball trainer last year.