We all have a complicated relationship with the spork, but isn’t it in some senses kind of iconic? The fact that many of us know what it is, or that it immediately evokes a feeling of the 1990s/early 2000s school lunch means they got some part of their branding right. I think the biggest thing missing, though, is the desirability component. It doesn’t look very appealing for some reason, and even fancy redesigns (check out the titanium spork on amazon) doesn’t quite hit the spot. Even so, I think it is a perfect example and reminder that decent design isn’t everything: some designs become iconic just because of our heuristics or childhood associations (and realistically, because some spork maker won a big contract to supply these bad boys to public schools across the country).
