Why the Fork: Everyday design for curious minds
Why the Fork: Everyday design for curious minds
Podcast Description
Do you ever find yourself staring at a tin opener, washing machine or backpack and thinking "how did this end up like this?", "Who decided this was the best design" or even "How on earth did this come to be?!"Why the Fork is dedicated to looking at the hidden stories of the mundane objects in your home, that have an illustrious and fascinating past.Join Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, Ben Diamant, as he explores the forgotten history of objects you probably use everyday, without even a second thought.Everything in your home has been designed by someone or a group of people over a number of years, but on the whole the people and the stories behind them go untold.Ben also talks to Phil Staunton, a Product Innovation Strategist and Founder of D2M Product Design on each episode. Together they explore the future of these products and where they might end up in years to come.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Focuses on the historical and contemporary significance of common objects like tin openers, washing machines, and toothbrushes, with episodes that delve into their design evolution and cultural impact, such as the influence of Napoleon on tin can development.
Do you ever find yourself staring at a tin opener, washing machine or backpack and thinking “how did this end up like this?”, “Who decided this was the best design” or even “How on earth did this come to be?!”
Why the Fork is dedicated to looking at the hidden stories of the mundane objects in your home, that have an illustrious and fascinating past.
Join Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, Ben Diamant, as he explores the forgotten history of objects you probably use everyday, without even a second thought.
Everything in your home has been designed by someone or a group of people over a number of years, but on the whole the people and the stories behind them go untold.
Ben also talks to Phil Staunton, a Product Innovation Strategist and Founder of D2M Product Design on each episode. Together they explore the future of these products and where they might end up in years to come.
What object signifies a unified world, a world where we work together for the good of everyone (and a tastier breakfast)?
Few other objects combine affordability, years of manufacturing advancement and the global trade system better than the toaster.
It’s a clever little invention that has changed very little since its first design in the early 1900s, yet you’d be hard pushed to find a household without one.
In this episode, the last in the current series, Ben charts the history of the toaster, and how the invention of the wire inside it led to its creation – not the need for toasted bread!
Ben is also joined by design expert Phil Staunton, and they talk about why the design has changed very little in the last 100 years.
Together they explore the future of the toaster with industrial designer Paul Brown, a man who nearly propelled the toaster into a new dimension, but a close call with a smoke alarm whilst pitching to James Dyson put pay to that!
This is the last podcast in the current series, but Why the Fork will return in Spring 2026!
FOLLOW THE SHOW:
https://www.instagram.com/whytfpod/
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/why-the-fork-podcast/posts/?feedView=all
LINKS
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-brown-62a12643/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/
https://www.design2market.co.uk/
Concept and Podcast production by: https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/
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