Fast Company Asks Designers: What Designs Define America?

Fast Company has published an article where over 30 leading designers name specific designs and concepts they consider definitive to the United States. The survey aims to answer what makes a design "American" as the country approaches its 250th anniversary.

Among the cited examples is President Trump's hairstyle, described by political cartoonist Barry Blitt as "appropriately gaudy, loud... and blunt," representing a uniquely American design. Architect Billie Tsien highlights Henry David Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond as an iconic representation of independence and connection to nature.

Design anthropologist Dori Tunstall points to Charles Harrison's plastic trash can, designed for Sears in 1966. Tunstall views it as a design that served white middle-class comfort while also addressing the needs of sanitation workers, referencing labor movements.

Other notable mentions include Homer Laughlin's Fiestaware tableware, praised for its defiant use of color and mix-and-match approach, and Louis Kahn's Fisher House, cited by architect Tom Kundig as a profoundly influential piece of American residential architecture.

The article presents a diverse set of perspectives on American design, acknowledging that the selections are largely subjective interpretations by the interviewed designers. The collected examples offer a snapshot of American individualism, cultural values, and societal shifts as reflected in design.