The influence a designer has on their era and future generations is a good measure of their ability. Verner Panton was nothing if not influential. Panton was known for many revolutionary designs, both in form and material. The hallmarks of Panton's work are sculptural elegance, striking form and above all, color. Panton's work stood out from that of his contemporaries in the best possible way.

Panton began his life on the Danish island of Fynen, his father was an inn keeper. His interest in design led him to study at the Academy of Art in Copenhagen. This was followed by a two-year stint at Arne Jacobsen's architectural office where he was supposedly not the best of employees, preferring to spend his time on developing his own ideas.

With many identifiable designs to his credit, Panton is an artist. His recognizable monocoque form stacking chair is manufactured by Vitra with modern production materials such as polypropylene (a moldable type of plastic). Other lesser quality reproductions are currently available on the market. Although these copies may have intended to pay homage to the original brilliance of Panton's vision, the poor workmanship in their creation have a greater likelihood of lowering respect for his quality designs. Buyers looking to turn a profit on small savings made by purchasing second rate reproductions may be disappointed when individuals, looking for quality, search elsewhere for the real deal. Visit Vitra for their Panton chair available in orange (quantities limited so act fast).

Another of Panton's great designs is the Cone chair. These chairs were astonishing at the time of their release, the single pivoting point being a huge departure from the three or four legs people expected from a chair at the time. I remember my first encounter with this chair clearly as I could not get over the optical illusion it produces. It seems to just stand, perfectly balanced, top-heavy and paying no regard whatsoever to the laws of physics.

These two pieces combined with Panton's famous interior designs (heminredning) had a huge influence on the coming decade. In 1973 Panton created yet another iconic design. This time it was the System 1-2-3 chair for Fritz Hansen. The System 1-2-3 may sound like your failed formation at the company football tournament but it is in fact an incredibly well designed chair made with flexibility, ease of production and comfort in mind.

Despite these three pieces being design classics, the example of Panton's work you are most likely to come across is not a chair, but a lamp. The Flowerpot lamps (both table and pendant) are extremely widely distributed. This is because their cost of manufacture is relatively low, they are small, come in a range of colors, they have the name of a great designer to them and above all, they have an instantly recognizable classic form.

A day or two will not be enough to write about the work of Panton. His work crossed boundaries and confounded expectations. His work survived the tests of centuries and has taken its place in the timeless modern classics of furniture and interior design (heminredning).