Philippe Starck

Controversial French designer and architect. Probably most noted for his toilet brush "excalibur" and his lemon juicer "Juicy Salif". The juicer doesn't work so well, but it looks marvelous.

It's a little known fact the way Philippe Starck was chosen to be France's industrial designer. People had to audition for the role to revive French modern design. Out of a possible 200 entries for the role, Phillipe Starck was chosen as the most charismatic and eccentric designer. He wasn't France's best designer, he was chosen mainly for his character.

Philippe Starck has two recent industrial designs that have made their way into relatively wide usage. The first is a motorcycle for the Italian manufacturer Aprilia called the Motó 6.5. Its flushed, rounded form and flowing circular lines create a stunning balance that impressed the curators of "The Art of the Motorcycle" exhibit enough to have it included in their showcase of classic motorcycles.

His other design is on a smaller scale, a wristwatch for the Fossil company. Here again, Starck incorporates the smooth form that he used on the motorcycle with the circumvolution inherent in a wristwatch's watchband. The face of the watch is rectangular, it's LCD digits are bold and geometric and blend in harmony with the parallel edges of the band.