When industrial designer Kenneth Grange joined Anglepoise as Consultant Design Director in 2001, he helped the company to develop a pathway for future success.
With a redefined brand, clearer market positioning and a commitment to high design and precision engineering, Anglepoise was ready for Grange’s next step: the creation of a new generation of products.
The first product in Grange’s planned portfolio had to be a high-profile icon that would not only rekindle affection among consumers for Anglepoise’s traditional heritage, but also set the scene for the new brand. It was decided that Grange would design a new light, still based on the original engineering principles of the classic Anglepoise, but with a view to showcasing the level of quality and precision the company could now attain from its new state of the art premises.
The modern generation
The Anglepoise Type3 was launched in 2003. With its clear links with the design heritage of the original Anglepoise, the form and geometry of the Type3 echo the classic styling and attention to detail that earned the company its enviable reputation for precision and functionality. In addition, the Type3 demonstrates the level of quality and engineering excellence that Anglepoise is now capable of, featuring more refined details and materials to appeal to the premium priced market.
Although loyal to the original three-spring ‘Equipoise’ system, Grange has developed the lamp’s design to meet the needs of a new generation of users. The Type3 features a circular base, and the structure uses pivots and connections that can only be achieved with parts made to the fine tolerances now possible with modern precision engineering techniques.
With its updated, high quality styling, the Type3 can more than justify its place within the luxury lighting market. Priced at around £250 (compared to about £50 for the older styles), Anglepoise now competes against Italian, German and Scandinavian products aimed at design-conscious consumers, designers and architects. In line with this new end-user base, the company’s sales channel has also shifted away from office catalogues to design-oriented stores and distributors.
Since launching the Type 3, Anglepoise has continued to develop and launch several new variations and has also embarked on the precision engineering projects that will help to establish its credentials as a world leading mechanical motion company. In six months, Anglepoise has increased its turnover from exports from 3 percent to an impressive 30 percent, selling to Hong Kong, Australia, Dubai and Russia.
‘We used to make cheap UK products and sell to cheap UK suppliers,’ says Simon Terry. ‘Customers would buy a roll of Sellotape, a stapler and a lamp. We were in the wrong market. Now we import quality materials, create a beautiful product and ship it out all over the world.’
The Giant 1227
- Anglepoise created the Giant at the request of the Roald Dahl Museum. The lamp was designed as a giant copy of the one that always sat on Dahl’s desk
- Anglepoise created two more to be auctioned off to raise funds for the museum
- One was bought by Tim Burton, who installed it in his house next to a giant chair from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film
- The other was exhibited at 100% Design, where it sparked immediate interest and Anglepoise decided to add it to its growing portfolio of iconic lamps