Designer watches, suits, shoes and handbags – the role and name of the designer is explicit and a critical success factor – Rolex watches, Jimmy Choo shoes, Prada handbags, for example. However, as one takes in a wider view of the world, it soon becomes obvious that there are few human artefacts that have escaped the involvement of a designer although such involvement may not be explicit or obvious. One everyday object for which the involvement of a designer is less obvious is the humble drinking straw (see Figure 1) and although not explicit there are several designers lurking behind the drinking straw as it has evolved.
Figure 1: Bendy drinking straws
