If you’re not thinking about these often then we have very different youtube feeds, I can’t escape videos telling me how great their designs are
While it’s not exclusively British, I do like how many of our warning signs are pictographic, so you can tell what they mean even if you don’t speak the language. Just as a quick example, in a lot of countries the standard for an emergency exit sign is just the word “EXIT” in red or green block capitals, but in the UK we use a sign showing a man walking out a door, making it obvious what it’s indicating even if you don’t know the word exit. I’ve always thought that was much safer.
The Type G plug. Used in the UK and some ex-crown dependencies, fused and grounded, a milestone in safety.
The evolution of pedestrian crossings, as well as inclusive design standards as a whole
The roundabout, first built by the british in 1768
The tube map, first designed by Harry Beck – under appreciated technical draftsman – inspired maps using the same rules on thousands of notable transport maps worldwide
The UK number plate, one of very few to be made from plastic not metal, with a font made to be as recognisable as possiblec none of this skinny bullshit
I googled ‘UK plug’. Did an image search too. Nothing remotely dodgy came up.
Phone numbers too. There’s a logic to British phone numbers that you don’t always see elsewhere, especially with the opening numbers.
i LOOOOVE roundabouts. my bf says i’m the no.1 member of the roundabout fan club.
any time i come to a cross roads or a set of traffic lights that is causing traffic i always think , “a roundabout would solve this”
Found Chris Spargo’s Reddit account
Must admit roundabouts are underrated. Yes they can be difficult to navigate depending on the person (hello Swindon “magic” roundabout). When we were in the states Google Maps called a roundabout a “traffic circle” 🤣
The pound coin. It’s a sturdy coin. Feels good in the hand.
British plug is great and all until you accidently stand on one fumbling around at 3am in the dark
The pedestrian crossing box is even better than most people think. If you place your hand on the bottom of the box (if there are two boxes, it will be under the box on the right-hand side), you will find a smallish black knob. This knob rotates when the green man light is on, indicating to visually impaired people using the crossing that it is safe to cross the road.
I get unreasonably patriotic when the topic of our plug sockets comes up.
One of my favorites is the mini design. Alex Issigonis I think it was. He mounted the engine sideways, which helped keep the car small but with decent passenger space.
Please include road signs in general too. Margaret Calvert is a design genius.
Have a look at the list of things invented by a Scottish person online you will be surprised by some of the results
As a foreign person living here upwards of 10 years, I’d add the Gov.uk website and Pelican crossings
~~Duel~~ **Dual** Carriageway.
Invented by John Alexander Brodie, the same person who invented Goal nets.
Don’t think about the UK plug very often? This is literally brought up every other sentence by people claiming it’s better to be outside the EU.
I like roundabouts.. But the Canford Heath roundabout.. the fuck were they thinking?
I’d argue that Puffin crossings are not well designed. They should have retained the overhead red/green man signal on the opposite side of the road, like Pelican crossings had. You can never see because of other people standing.
Motorway signage font. Easy to read from afar
These are all things I think about very often. I’m an infrastructure nerd, so roads and rail and all things associated are very interesting to me. I’m also a map nerd so nice crossover with the tube map. My other interests include cars and hobby electronics. And I’m a huge advocate for the type G plugs. Come to think about it, this is a bit creepy
Not thinking about the uk plug often?!
There’s been an endless flow of posts about it. There is not a chance any Redditor will ever *forget* about it!
As someone who works in international logistics our postcode system is the best in the world. It pinpoints the location to a street rather than an area. Means with just a postcode and house number an item can be delivered. Compared to most of the world where a postcode covers an area or a region/city it’s so much easier to and let’s not talk about the countries with no postcodes or even actual addresses.
Living in HK and Taiwan later on makes me appreciate UK road design, it’s one of those things you don’t notice until you live somewhere else
We also have;
Kilner Jar (1842) – The original airtight glass jar for preserving food. Still used globally.
Brown Betty Teapot – Simple red clay teapot with a round shape that brews a perfect cup.
Moulton Bicycle (1962) – Compact, full-suspension bike decades ahead of its time.
Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1982) – Affordable home computer that kickstarted the UK games industry.
BBC Micro (1981) – The forgotten machine that introduced a generation of Brits to coding (led to ARM chips!).
Dyson Vacuum Cleaner (1993) – First bagless vacuum using cyclonic separation. Initially rejected by UK retailers.
Anglepoise Lamp (1935) – Iconic balanced-arm lamp. The design is now a global standard.
London Underground Map (1933) – Harry Beck’s abstract design became the blueprint for transit maps worldwide.
InterCity 125 Train (1976) – Fastest diesel train ever. Still running nearly 50 years later.
Routemaster Bus (1956) – Ingenious modular design, easy to repair, iconic double-decker silhouette.
Thermos Flask (1904) – Invented by Sir James Dewar. Everyday insulation tech from scientific origins.
Belisha Beacon (1934) – The flashing orange globe at UK pedestrian crossings. Simple, effective design still used today.
Cat’s Eye Road Reflector (1934) – Invented by Percy Shaw. A tiny innovation that’s saved countless lives.
Dualit Toaster (1945) – Built like a tank, repairable, and still handmade in Britain.
Kenwood Chef Mixer (1950) – A postwar kitchen icon that brought pro-level mixing to British homes.
Dutch style roundabouts are better than that british one.
Also UK Government websites, all clearly laid out. And Tell Us Once for reporting a bereavement is a great service
Why though on pedestrian crossings did the green man direction change so you can’t see it across the street. You can’t see the man if there is someone stabbing in the way. You don’t look down to the right when cruising the road.
Wtf did this change?
Anyone who complains about stepping on lego has never stepped on a 3 pin plug
I’m not a fan of puffin crossings. If someone’s stood in front of the box, as frequently happens, it’s impossible to see when the man has turned green.
Roundabouts are great in a world where everyone has a car and the only requirement is smooth traffic flow. Motorway to motorway junctions for instance.
Not so great in towns, or anywhere you have pedestrians and cyclists, etc.
I hate those puffin crossing. I can’t be arsed looking to the side for the light to change, it’s uncomfortable, it’s unnatural.
I’d add in our road signs, designed by the incredible Margaret Calvert
Stamps are also “invented” by the Brits, that’s why they are the only stamps without a country name on them.
40 comments
Obligatory Tom Scott video on why our plugs are the best [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q&ab_channel=TomScott](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q&ab_channel=TomScott)
If you’re not thinking about these often then we have very different youtube feeds, I can’t escape videos telling me how great their designs are
While it’s not exclusively British, I do like how many of our warning signs are pictographic, so you can tell what they mean even if you don’t speak the language. Just as a quick example, in a lot of countries the standard for an emergency exit sign is just the word “EXIT” in red or green block capitals, but in the UK we use a sign showing a man walking out a door, making it obvious what it’s indicating even if you don’t know the word exit. I’ve always thought that was much safer.
Totally agree. I’d also add this:
https://preview.redd.it/8ewn5oixotcf1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=768383e616a5f35f7f669215b593467c42c8dade
What’s so great about the number plates?
The Type G plug. Used in the UK and some ex-crown dependencies, fused and grounded, a milestone in safety.
The evolution of pedestrian crossings, as well as inclusive design standards as a whole
The roundabout, first built by the british in 1768
The tube map, first designed by Harry Beck – under appreciated technical draftsman – inspired maps using the same rules on thousands of notable transport maps worldwide
The UK number plate, one of very few to be made from plastic not metal, with a font made to be as recognisable as possiblec none of this skinny bullshit
I googled ‘UK plug’. Did an image search too. Nothing remotely dodgy came up.
What have you been googling?!
Margaret and Jock’s [road signs](https://designmuseum.org/discover-design/all-stories/british-road-signs#)!
Phone numbers too. There’s a logic to British phone numbers that you don’t always see elsewhere, especially with the opening numbers.
i LOOOOVE roundabouts. my bf says i’m the no.1 member of the roundabout fan club.
any time i come to a cross roads or a set of traffic lights that is causing traffic i always think , “a roundabout would solve this”
Found Chris Spargo’s Reddit account
Must admit roundabouts are underrated. Yes they can be difficult to navigate depending on the person (hello Swindon “magic” roundabout). When we were in the states Google Maps called a roundabout a “traffic circle” 🤣
The pound coin. It’s a sturdy coin. Feels good in the hand.
British plug is great and all until you accidently stand on one fumbling around at 3am in the dark
The pedestrian crossing box is even better than most people think. If you place your hand on the bottom of the box (if there are two boxes, it will be under the box on the right-hand side), you will find a smallish black knob. This knob rotates when the green man light is on, indicating to visually impaired people using the crossing that it is safe to cross the road.
I get unreasonably patriotic when the topic of our plug sockets comes up.
One of my favorites is the mini design. Alex Issigonis I think it was. He mounted the engine sideways, which helped keep the car small but with decent passenger space.
Please include road signs in general too. Margaret Calvert is a design genius.
Have a look at the list of things invented by a Scottish person online you will be surprised by some of the results
As a foreign person living here upwards of 10 years, I’d add the Gov.uk website and Pelican crossings
~~Duel~~ **Dual** Carriageway.
Invented by John Alexander Brodie, the same person who invented Goal nets.
Don’t think about the UK plug very often? This is literally brought up every other sentence by people claiming it’s better to be outside the EU.
I like roundabouts.. But the Canford Heath roundabout.. the fuck were they thinking?
I’d argue that Puffin crossings are not well designed. They should have retained the overhead red/green man signal on the opposite side of the road, like Pelican crossings had. You can never see because of other people standing.
Motorway signage font. Easy to read from afar
These are all things I think about very often. I’m an infrastructure nerd, so roads and rail and all things associated are very interesting to me. I’m also a map nerd so nice crossover with the tube map. My other interests include cars and hobby electronics. And I’m a huge advocate for the type G plugs. Come to think about it, this is a bit creepy
Not thinking about the uk plug often?!
There’s been an endless flow of posts about it. There is not a chance any Redditor will ever *forget* about it!
As someone who works in international logistics our postcode system is the best in the world. It pinpoints the location to a street rather than an area. Means with just a postcode and house number an item can be delivered. Compared to most of the world where a postcode covers an area or a region/city it’s so much easier to and let’s not talk about the countries with no postcodes or even actual addresses.
Living in HK and Taiwan later on makes me appreciate UK road design, it’s one of those things you don’t notice until you live somewhere else
We also have;
Kilner Jar (1842) – The original airtight glass jar for preserving food. Still used globally.
Brown Betty Teapot – Simple red clay teapot with a round shape that brews a perfect cup.
Moulton Bicycle (1962) – Compact, full-suspension bike decades ahead of its time.
Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1982) – Affordable home computer that kickstarted the UK games industry.
BBC Micro (1981) – The forgotten machine that introduced a generation of Brits to coding (led to ARM chips!).
Dyson Vacuum Cleaner (1993) – First bagless vacuum using cyclonic separation. Initially rejected by UK retailers.
Anglepoise Lamp (1935) – Iconic balanced-arm lamp. The design is now a global standard.
London Underground Map (1933) – Harry Beck’s abstract design became the blueprint for transit maps worldwide.
InterCity 125 Train (1976) – Fastest diesel train ever. Still running nearly 50 years later.
Routemaster Bus (1956) – Ingenious modular design, easy to repair, iconic double-decker silhouette.
Thermos Flask (1904) – Invented by Sir James Dewar. Everyday insulation tech from scientific origins.
Belisha Beacon (1934) – The flashing orange globe at UK pedestrian crossings. Simple, effective design still used today.
Cat’s Eye Road Reflector (1934) – Invented by Percy Shaw. A tiny innovation that’s saved countless lives.
Dualit Toaster (1945) – Built like a tank, repairable, and still handmade in Britain.
Kenwood Chef Mixer (1950) – A postwar kitchen icon that brought pro-level mixing to British homes.
Dutch style roundabouts are better than that british one.
Also UK Government websites, all clearly laid out. And Tell Us Once for reporting a bereavement is a great service
I feel like many of you would enjoy the Museum of Plugs and Sockets
https://www.plugsocketmuseum.nl/
Why though on pedestrian crossings did the green man direction change so you can’t see it across the street. You can’t see the man if there is someone stabbing in the way. You don’t look down to the right when cruising the road.
Wtf did this change?
Anyone who complains about stepping on lego has never stepped on a 3 pin plug
I’m not a fan of puffin crossings. If someone’s stood in front of the box, as frequently happens, it’s impossible to see when the man has turned green.
Roundabouts are great in a world where everyone has a car and the only requirement is smooth traffic flow. Motorway to motorway junctions for instance.
Not so great in towns, or anywhere you have pedestrians and cyclists, etc.
I hate those puffin crossing. I can’t be arsed looking to the side for the light to change, it’s uncomfortable, it’s unnatural.
I’d add in our road signs, designed by the incredible Margaret Calvert
Stamps are also “invented” by the Brits, that’s why they are the only stamps without a country name on them.
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