Old Radios Make for Good Inspiration

Radios were the stuff of legends.  A small, portable box that allowed you to hear people you couldn’t see  revolutionized the world.  Mass communication, public service, reduced isolation, bridging cultural gaps, saving lives at sea… The possibilities were endless.  Many even believed the radio would bring world peace.

Beginning with amateur radio broadcasts in 1902 (following a do-it-yourself article in Scientific American), and after the imposed radio silence during WWI, radio became America’s latest playground.  The first commercial broadcast aired in 1922.  They were bought as marvels of invention and soon became known as the new hearth.  People were brought together.  English was standardized into a “radio voice.”  The world would never be the same.

For me, the hope I see in these antiques is inspiring.  From the most outrageous designs that adorn them, to the simplest, most functional cases, I see the hands of the most talented artists of their day.  It was an honor to design a radio, to be entrusted with such a revolutionary–and yet incredibly personal–product.  Whenever you feel out of ideas, remember the radio and think of the possibilities!