Five Top Design Firms Make the Gadgets We Love

By: Tim McKeoughWed Sep 17, 2008 at 1:30 AM

photograp by Tom Shierlitz

American industrial designers are the secret heroes of the marketplace, finessing products to make them easier to use and help them sell better. Here's how five top firms have been busy shaping our world.

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photograph by Tom Schierlitz

Enlarge

photograph by Tom Schierlitz

Smart Design

"Designing everyday things has always been our strength," says cofounder Tom Dair. With 100 employees and offices in New York, San Francisco, and Barcelona, Spain, Smart Design focuses on making life simpler and more fun.

1. Oxo Hardware

Good Grips thinking moves from the kitchen to the home workshop with features such as a level with a magnetic bottom and a hammer with a bumper to protect surfaces when prying nails.
From $8

2. Oxo Pour & Store Watering Cans

These cans curl up for storage thanks to a novel translucent rotating spout that doubles as a water-level gauge.
From $10

3. Vicks Life Stages Thermometers

Vicks wanted a line of temperature takers that wouldn't freak kids out. They got it, and also became the leading thermometer manufacturer worldwide.
$13

4. Nike Imara Strive

Smart Design's Femme Den -- a group focused on design for women -- gave Nike a boost with a running watch that's equal parts fashion and performance.
$69

5. Flip Video Ultra

This wildly popular video camera does away with the countless buttons that can make other models seem intimidating.
$150

6. NeatReceipts for Mac

It scans receipts and keeps digital copies for your records -- and matches the look of your MacBook.
$180

Whipsaw

Beyond offering solutions to design problems, San Jose, California-based Whipsaw aims to expose the essence of a product and strike an emotional chord with consumers. "It's like design psychology," says president Dan Harden.

1. Etón FR Radios

Designed for emergencies, these radios have rugged shells, flashlights, and phone chargers. Powered by hand crank or solar.
From $30

2. Vudu Box

For the streaming video service, a curvy case and a minimalist remote.
$299

3. Linksys Wireless Routers

These wireless routers even look fast. Antennae hide behind the sculpted rim.
From $100

4. LeapFrog LeapPad

Designed to look like a laptop for kids, the colorful LeapPad transforms printed books into multimedia experiences with interactive sound.
$25

5. Topcon GR-3

Communicating with 36 satellites, this GPS receiver for surveyors is accurate to within 1 millimeter. Competing receivers are boxy devices set on posts, which tend to fall over in the field; this one is stable thanks to its heavy batteries being centered in the handle.
From $20,000

6. Adiri Natural Nurser Bottle

On the theory that Mother Nature knows best, here's a bottle that mimics the shape of a breast. The top half is cushy elastomer, the bottom has a petal-shaped vent to reduce colic -- and the entire thing is BPA-free.
$13

7. Pano Logic zero-client computer

Running apps off a central server, this tiny energy-efficient box replaces your desktop CPU by serving as a conduit between keyboard, monitor, and mother ship.
$300

8. Intel Motion C5

Say good-bye to the nurse's clipboard: This touch-sensitive tablet communicates with a hospital's server and boasts a bracelet scanner and a digital camera.
$2,199

9. Roku SoundBridge

Think of it as a middleman between your computer and audio systems, streaming digital music throughout the house. Its tubular shape makes adjusting the angle of display simple.
$180

NewDealDesign

Since opening in 2000, San Francisco's NewDealDesign has been taking the nerd factor out of electronic gadgets. "Typically, design has been bifurcated between the artistic and the functional," says president Gadi Amit. "We work really hard to get both."

1. Slingbox

Plug in your cable connection and stream TV live to your laptop anywhere. The distinctive shapes and colors make even a humble set-top box look cool.
From $130

2. Fujitsu Mobile Phones

These design concepts for Fujitsu aim to raise the brand's profile as a design leader in Japan.
Not available in the U.S.

3. Lumus Video Eyeglasses