Morris Minor MM, 1948, first production vehicle in Monte Carlo. © British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.

Dianne Cutlack went to east London to see just how innovative the British can be.

The story of commercial and industrial design in the 20th century is one where Britain can lay claim to more than its fair share of innovative style-setters.

Influenced by sweeping cultural and technological changes, British designers produced goods of a distinctive British flavour recognised throughout the world. Their achievements are now the subject of a new show at London’s Design Museum.

Running until December 2006, Designing Modern Britain explores the various contributions British designers have made, and describes how they have transformed certain aspects of British life, work and travel. The exhibition offers a fascinating walk down memory lane, as well as glimpses of the future.

Tube Map, 1933, design by Harry Beck, London’s Transport Museum. © Transport for London.

Perhaps the most iconic object on display is one of the first the visitor sees: the diagrammatic map of the London Underground.

Created by draughtsman Harry Beck in 1931, the map was based on the design of an electrical circuit. Beck colour-coded each route and simplified its course to produce a clear, satisfying design which remains little modified to the present day.

The transport theme continues with a leisurely trawl through British automotive design, from the great success stories (the Morris Mini Minor) to the profound commercial flops (the Sinclair C5).

Austin Seven, 'Chummy', 1923 © British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.

Along the way, the exhibit pays tribute to such favourites as the Austin Seven Chummy, designed in 1923 by Sir Herbert Austin and Stanley Edge as a miniature, affordable family version of a large saloon, and the Jaguar E-type, one of the most stylish, curvaceous sports cars ever created.

The design of the humble chair is studied in some detail from the 1920s work of German émigré Marcel Breuer, to Jasper Morrison’s recent experiments in plastic.

This display provides visual evidence of the chair’s transformation, thanks to technology, into something bold, curvy, and in some cases, positively torturous. Take for example the Omkstak chair, designed by Rodney Kinsman in 1971, a beautiful piece of steel sculpture.

Lurking in between larger displays are such quirky ideas as the Wartime Civilian Radio set, designed to be as economic as possible in terms of materials and components. The radio set had a tuner marked with only two settings, Home and Forces, to discourage listeners from tuning into German propaganda broadcasts.

Poster for Equus, 1973. © National Theatre Archive.

Graphic design is represented by a large number of publications, book jackets and album covers. Who can forget Andy Warhol’s design of the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers LP, with its jeans and fully functioning zip, or the style-conscious covers created for David Bowie and Roxy Music?

Computer graphics and typography are also acknowledged, particularly through an interesting British success story.

In the mid-1990s, computer software giant Microsoft faced a dilemma: many typefaces developed for print were virtually impossible to read on screen. Their solution was to commission British designer Matthew Carter to create a new digital typeface specifically for screen use.

Carter’s creation, known as Verdana, was given away free with Microsoft software, and is now the most popular typeface used on the Internet.

The field of aeronautical design is covered by a tribute to the supersonic Concorde, and its 27 years of commercial service.

There is a touch of regret here. Whatever Concorde’s failings (the costliness, the cramped cabin space), the visitor has only to look at the assembled memorabilia and onboard photographs to be reminded of the airplane’s potent symbolism. Or to imagine the thrill passengers felt whenever a Concorde pilot announced that the aircraft had reached Mach 2 (1,350 mph), twice the speed of sound.

Festival of Britain, May 1951. © The Royal Festival Hall Archive.

An overview of architectural design includes such works as the 1951 Festival of Britain with its development of London’s South Bank. The future is also conveyed, with conceptual plans for the construction of London’s 2012 Olympic venues in the lower Lea Valley.

Computer-generated image of the master plan for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Designed by: Foreign Office Architects.

In the architectural section, one of the most startling displays concerns the design by Fauber Maunsell and Hugh Broughton Architects of a British research station in Antarctica, positioned on the floating Brunt Ice Shelf.

Using prefabricated components, this elevated structure of 12 interconnected modules has been mounted on hydraulic legs, enabling the station to ‘climb’ out of the snow at the end of each winter.

With this and many other examples, the Design Museum’s exhibition bears witness to the continuing ingenuity, as well as the creative legacy, of the modern British designer.

Dianne Cutlack is a freelance writer who can be contacted at jcutlack@compuserve.com