Our everyday design heroes

Every day, we’re surrounded by clever examples of graphic design, some of them so familiar perhaps we don’t give them the attention they deserve. Whether you stumble across them at the shops, on the street or in your pocket they are literally everywhere. And so today we pay homage to five that are inspiring us right now!

City of Sydney street signage. Sometime around the early 1990's, a new style of street name sign appeared in Sydney's CBD. The type seemed daringly small, but the choice, Gill Sans (one of our favorites) and the move to upper-and-lower-case, rather than the more common ALL CAPS, was an enormous leap in legibility. Every time we wander from one unfamiliar part of town to another, in the rain, at night, we give thanks to whoever decided to make a break with convention.

20 cent piece. Maybe it's the dynamic, off-centre composition. Maybe it's the skillful way those big liquid loops play at hiding and revealing Mr Platypus. Maybe because we all made a lead pencil rubbing of it in a primary school exercise book at some point. Designed by Geelong's own Stuart Devlin in 1964, it's a design classic.

Lego instructions. If you've been hanging out with the 3 to 10 year old demographic lately, you'll appreciate what a fiendishly elaborate beast Lego has become. Thankfully, some anonymous Danish designers have put a lot of work into explaining – with pictures only, mind you; no words – how to assemble those 233 little pieces of plastic in the single correct sequence. An idiot-proof marvel of communication.

Golden Gaytime. It's a miracle that for over fifty years every Streets marketing manager has voted down any move to change the name of this iconic ice-cream. Its camp overtones are now actively celebrated by its maker – check out the site here. For sheer longevity against the odds, and an unswerving devotion to a caramel-and-biscuit brand colour palette, we salute you.

Redhead matches packaging. Since 1948, Redheads matches have always had an alluring fiery femme fatale on the front of the pack. These days Redheads look practically the same as they did when Brian Sadgrove last tweaked the design back in 1979. That undeniably chic 60's hairstyle, the suggestion of flames in those dangerous curves: even if it’s now less about the glamour of smoking and more about barbeques and candles, Redheads show how a strong visual idea never needs to be abandoned. (And perhaps Australia now has a new famous redhead to add to their commemorative collection…)

Love to hear about your everyday design heroes.