James Dyson

Charles and Ray Eames’ were true design thinkers, who strived to create products with more efficiency and with new design and looks. As I began to think about a design thinker of my own, I tried looking at medical designers but none had done many designs. I was looking for someone like Ray and Charles, who kept working on new products and had widened their field of design. Thus I found James Dyson, a modern design thinker. Early on, Dyson had been an art student and attended Royal College of Art in England where he found a passion in architecture. But instead of designing houses, Dyson designed a high speed landing craft, and soon after the Ballbarow, a wheelbarrow with a plastic bin, robust feet and instead of a wheel, a big red ball that wouldn’t sink in the mud.
Then Dyson was on his own and soon created his product that he is most famous for, his cyclone vacuum. Becoming inspired from his frustrations of his conventional vacuum losing suction, and the huge cyclone machine he observed at the local sawmill, Dyson made 5,127 prototypes and created the DC01, the first vacuum that didn’t lose suction and used cyclone technology. Dyson faced challenges as UK and US markets wouldn’t sell his product, but he found success when it was launched in Japan and it became widely popular. Problems aroused when other vacuum manufacturers began copying his technology, but his patent helped settle the case in court.
Since then, Dyson has continued to improve his vacuum cleaners, his latest model incorporating a ball for easier maneuvering (and it is quite fun, I love vacuuming with it). His company in England employs more than 350 engineers and scientists that help him create and improve the designs. His designs have reached beyond vacuums now, with a high-speed hand dryer that scrapes the water off of your hands, to a bladeless fan that uses airplane technology. Dyson is also experimenting with textiles and has also created an optical illusion water fountain for an art exhibit call The Wrong Garden. He strives to create products that are more efficient and more convenient, and also encourages young designers and engineers by holding contests for creating or improving designs.

http://www.dyson.com/homepage.asp