Only a handful of creations in transport conjure up both feelings of sensation and sadness, but Concorde was one of them. The baby from an Aérospatiale and British Aircraft Corporation marriage, the supersonic passenger airliner first took to the skies commercially in 1976. Beautiful, graceful, and flying from London and France to the US in less than half the time of other airliners, onlookers were stunned when Concorde made its début flight, and saddened when it was retired 27 years later.

Setting many records in its 27-year life, Concorde boasted an average cruise speed of Mach 2.02 (1,330mph), thanks in part to its double-delta wings. With success came tragedy, though, and on 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590 crashed just outside Paris, killing all 104 passengers and crew on board. Flights resumed in 2001, but Concorde never recovered, and its final flight, G-BOAF, was from London Heathrow to Bristol, on 24 October 2003. The ultimate form of luxury travel, only 20 aircraft were ever built.

Did you know?
Travelling supersonically, the heat generated by the compression of air made Concorde’s fuselage extend by up to 300mm, opening a gap on the flight deck between the flight engineer’s console and the bulkhead. To avoid overheating the aluminium structure, the majority of the supersonic liner’s surface had to be white, and so liveries were restricted.

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Do you agree with Royal Mail’s choices for the British Design Classics stamps series? What design icons would you like to see immortalised on postage stamps? Leave a comment below and tell us what would make your top 10 list.

No, not something that can be added to the Mini car’s body, but a short skirt with a hemline usually about 20 centimetres above the knee. A defining ladies’ fashion garment, the miniskirt (along with the Mini) encapsulates the style that defined the 1960s. English fashion designer Mary Quant was inspired by the short skirt designs of Courrèges, and in 1965 made even shorter garments. As she was at the heart of the fashion scene in London at the time, the miniskirt was able to transcend the high streets and become an international trend.

The miniskirt made less of an impact on fashion in the 1970s with critics noting that the garment couldn’t get much smaller. But, the miniskirt never really went away, with cheerleaders wearing a variation in the 1980s and 1990s, and the ‘rah-rah’ and ‘puffball’ creations becoming popular. The hot summer of 2006 brought the miniskirt back full circle, with many being worn by women in London once more.

Did you know?
Jean Shrimpton caused a stir on Derby Day at the Melbourne Cup in Australia in October 1965 by wearing a short white shift dress by Colin Rolfe. Causing a sensation, Shrimpton reported that the designer had run out of material, but it was too late; the miniskirt had started a new fashion trend.

Of all the objects in the British Design Classics stamps series, the polypropylene chair is probably in everyday use the most, even to the extent that it’s taken for granted and not noticed. Yet, Robin Day‘s plastic seat is one of the most enduring classic British designs. Over 20 million have been made since its introduction in 1963, and the chair is to be commonly found in workplaces, schools, and shops up and down the country; there’s probably one near you right now.

Day had created the seating in the Royal Festival Hall in 1951, and originally designed the injection moulded polypropylene seat with an enamelled bent tubular base for Hille International, inspired by the Eames’ ‘Plastic Shell’ fibreglass chair from the 1950s. To be of low cost, durable, and lightweight, thermoplastic was decided to be a fit material for the job, also lending itself to be tough when the chairs were stacked.

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The polypropylene chair was one of the first pieces of furniture (if not the first) to fully make use of the mass-manufacturing opportunities of injection moulding, and has yet to be replaced. Its ordinary but extraordinary design has guaranteed its place in culture.

A product of the 1956 Suez Crisis petrol rationing, there are few cars that reach iconic status, but despite its diminutive size, the 3-metre long Mini is one of them. Introduced onto the UK streets in 1959, the Mini truly was ground breaking in the fact over 80 percent of the car’s total size could be used for the transport of luggage and passengers. The space-saving transverse engine, front-wheel drive layout designed by Sir Alec Issigonis has been used in almost every other small car since, irrespective of manufacturer.

The basic car spawned five versions, the Clubman, the Traveller/Countryman estate, the Van, the Pick-Up, and the Jeep-like Mini Moke. Of course, the racing tuned Cooper and Cooper S variants are arguably the most famous, scoring three Monte Carlo Rally victories. In 1999, the Mini came second in a poll to find the most influential car of the 20th Century, and production halted a year later, when BMW sold the Rover Group, keeping the Mini brand for its new small car model line. A total of 5,387,862 Minis had been manufactured.

Did you know?
The Mini’s simple and cheap philosophy extended to the sliding windows in the doors. Why sliding windows? Storage pockets were fitted in the space where a winding window mechanism would have been. Rumour has it that Mini creator Issigonis is said to have sized these storage bins to take a bottle of his favourite Gordon’s Gin, or more probably, milk.

Just like Harry Beck’s underground map, the AEC Routemaster is as synonymous with London, as the black cab and Beefeaters. Introduced in 1956, and built until 1968, the classic front-engined open rear platform bus was developed in partnership with London Transport, although the Capital wasn’t the only place in the UK which Routemasters were seen in service.

A team led by A A Durrant and Colin Curtis developed the 64-seat Routemaster, with techniques borrowed from Second World War aircraft production, such as the use of lightweight aluminium. The iconic double-decker bus gave continuous service in London until 2005, and outlasted many of its replacements, which is a testament to the original design by Douglas Scott. Around 1,000 Routemasters are still thought to be in existence, from a 2,876 production run.

Did you know?
The Routemaster still takes passengers around the Capital on two heritage routes (from the Royal Albert Hall to Aldwych, and Trafalgar Square to Tower Hill), and several were painted silver and then gold for the Queen’s Silver and Golden Jubilees  in 1977 and 2002 respectively.

Produced in greater numbers than any other Allied aircraft, the single-seat fighter aircraft that is the Submarine Spitfire made it’s first flight in 1936. Designed by R J Mitchell, the Spitfire also holds the accolade for being the only Allied aircraft in production throughout the duration of the Second World War.

Primarily flown by the RAF from 1938, the distinctive elliptical winged design gave the Spitfire a higher top speed than many of its contemporaries. More of a bit part player in the Battle of Britain (the Hawker Hurricane did more damage to the German forces), the Spitfire’s status is legendary in aircraft folklore. By its retirement in 1957, over 20,000 had been produced.

Did you know?
The Spitfire was almost called the Shrew. Sir Robert MacLean, director of Spitfire maker Vickers-Armstrong in 1936 suggested the legendary name, as it was the affectionate name of his daughter, Ann. Dating from Elizabethan times, ‘Spitfire’ signifies a fiery type of person.

Founded in 1935, British publisher Penguin soon became a byword for popular fiction, selling over one million books in its first year. Right from the start, the design of the company’s book covers was simple, with three horizontal bands of colour, instantly making them different from the illustration laden competition.

The top and bottom panels were coloured contrastingly accordingly to the type of genre to which the books belonged; the iconic orange and white palette signifying general fiction. Designed by 21-year-old Penguin office junior Edward Young, the books’ white central panel featured the author’s name and title in Eric Gill’s sans serif typeface Gill Sans. Young’s basic design was popular and timeless, being used until the 1950s.

Did you know?
Recent editions of Penguin imprints have revisited the classic three-band design, so recognisable is the look. The original 1935 colour scheme for the fiction books included green and white for crime, red and white for travel, blue and white for biographies, purple and white for essays, and grey and white for world affairs.

No worker’s desk is complete without an anglepoise lamp, and few realise that this icon of light was designed by a British car designer. George Carwardine created the anglepoise in 1932, when he was working on suspension systems; the lamp can be adjusted into a range of positions and remain stationary and self supported without the need for clamps.

With a patent granted and manufacturing under way, Carwardine evolved the four-spring design into other uses, such as a support for microphones. Still in use today, the original lamp was intended for use in working environments, but quickly found a place in homes the world over. Extensive copying and a timeless design more than helped the anglepoise lamp gain its popularity.

Did you know?
Contrary to popular belief, Carwardine’s original anglepoise design is not related nor based on the concept of human limb movement.

London Underground employee Harry Beck’s easy to understand and world famous 1931 schematically designed map for the Capital’s rapid below-street rail system was based on an electrical wiring diagram. The basic topographical concept of Beck’s original design has influenced other underground network maps around the world.

Tentatively introduced to the travelling public in 1933, Beck’s map was a spare time and non-commissioned project which soon became popular. Beck continued to slowly evolve the map until 1960, and even today, the modern version enjoys a strong resemblance to the original. Cited a design classic, the design is usually not permitted to be altered for any purpose.

Did you know?
There are eight versions in total of the London Underground map, including High Frequency Services (the more frequent lines are highlighted), Bicycle, and web-based Real Time Disruption variants.

The oldest icon depicted on the Royal Mail British Design Classics stamps is Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s K2 telephone kiosk, dates from 1926. An unmistakable sight on the streets of the UK, the red telephone box came about as a result of a 1924 competition to design a kiosk that would be acceptable to the London Metropolitan Boroughs which had resisted efforts from the Post Office to put up older K1 kiosks on their streets.

Entries from respected architects, the Post Office, and The Birmingham Civic Society were all considered, with Gilbert Scott’s design being triumphant. A trustee of the Sir John Soane’s Museum, Gilbert Scott had topped his design with a dome similar to Soane’s self-designed mausoleum, and had suggested that the K2 was painted silver. The Post Office painted the cast iron design red, and its place in British culture was assured.

Did you know?
The red paint finish was chosen to make the K2 easy to spot, and the kiosk also appeared on the streets of British principalities Gibraltar and Malta.