Happy 50th birthday frog! To celebrate, the iconic design firm is currently hosting a retrospective at their Brooklyn office as part of NYCxDesign. The exhibition celebrates the vast amount of work that frog has been a part of over the years, displayed in the form of physical products, framed advertisements and even interactive AR displays. In the above slideshow, view some of the products we were most excited to nerd out over, from original Mac computers to a futuristic dishwasher.
For those who are in in town for NYCxDesign, we recommend taking a trip over to frog’s office to experience this taste of design history in person. And if you need help planning the rest of your NYCxDesign experience, be sure to check out our handy NYCxDesign Map.
Oh, and we can’t leave out one of our favorite displays at the frog show—the below miniature model inside of a 1980 Mac SE computer:
Cleo Laptop for Vadem Cleo, 1998
A convertible computer that served as a predecessor for current laptops and tablets.
Cleo Laptop for Vadem Cleo, 1998
The retractable arm allows the screen to swivel up to become a laptop and down to become a tablet.
Dual Stereo for Dual Electronics, 1994-1996
frog designed a complete user experience for Dual Electronics, who needed to reinvent themselves for the digital age.
Dual Stereo for Dual Electronics, 1994-1996
The Dual Stereo features a panel that can be removed and turned into a remote control.
51K Audio Concept for Wega, 1978
An all-in-one turntable, cassette tape player and radio tuner that set the stage for Wega being acquired by Sony soon after.
51K Audio Concept for WEGA, 1978
So. Many. Dials.
NeXT Cube for NeXT, 1987
When Steve Jobs left Apple to found NeXT, he partnered with frog to create the NeXT Cube, a “smart station” for the higher education market.
NeXT Cube for NeXT, 1987
The Cube didn’t exactly take off in the market, but it offered something new in a sea of boring beige computers.
NeXT Cube for NeXT, 1987
Overall NeXT was a success, as the company’s focus on design carried over into Jobs’ future work with Apple.
