Cliff Read 1970’s – 80’s Telephone Design Concept Sketches

Cliff Read’s telephone design sketches from the 1970s and 80s are a real treat for anyone interested in BNR industrial design. They’re full of creativity and curiosity, showing how Cliff could imagine entirely new ways for people to connect, even before computers and 3D modeling made prototyping easier.

What’s especially fun about these sketches is seeing the ideas in their raw, experimental form. Some went on to become prototypes or trial phones, while others remained as bold sketches on the page. You can almost see Cliff working through shapes, ergonomics, and playful touches, all with a pencil or marker in hand.

These sketches aren’t just about phones, they’re a glimpse into a time when BNR designers, under John Tyson’s Design Interpretive group, were encouraged to dream big and think differently. They’re charming, inspiring, and a wonderful reminder that even the simplest everyday objects often begin as a spark of imagination on paper.

Photos scanned from 1990s slides. Some images may show age-related marks or specks.

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