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The Bic pen is not something I would necessarily label a classic piece of design. Yet, when I recently noticed a few items in the design world using the Bic pen, it got me thinking about just how great a piece of design this little fella actually is.

Write down your thoughts, scribble your doodles or leave your loved one a note; the Bic is the pen most likely used to complete all those tasks. I bet if you looked around your space throughout the day you would come across the Bic pen more than once. Hidden in the bottom of your bag, in a desk drawer, a friend’s jacket pocket, the Bic is everywhere and with an estimated 14 million sold worldwide everyday it’s no wonder.

First patented by Hungarian inventor ladislao Biro it was later to be developed into the Bic we all know and love by Frenchman Marcel Bich in 1950. The Bic is a classic example of how a design can become great, and after reaching over a hundred billion sales in the past few years, it’s easy to see why the Bic is immortalized in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Something To Write Home About

How many times have you been using a Bic Ballpoint and found that by the time you’ve finished you’ve managed to chew the top — totally destroying it of its purpose? Well, now you have the perfect excuse for chewing your pen lid after design outfit Zo-Loft created the ingenious Din-Ink cutlery set, three pen tops that transform your Bic into cutlery when that lunch time bell rings. The greatness of this product doesn’t just stop there, as all the tops are “made by annually renewable resources, like natural starch and fibers, to be 100% biodegradable, non toxic and hygienic.” These tops are totally environmentally friendly in every way — even the packaging is biodegradable.

Another great re-use of the Bic pen has to be the Bic Daisy Vase by American design duo Jim Termeer and Jess Griffin. These cute little vases are hand blown and allow a single daisy to be exhibited within the unique reincarnation. The duo’s first showing of the Daisy Vase was at the macef award in 2004, and they have since gone on to sell the product at design exhibitions around the globe under the Design Mart umbrella. Daisy Vase proved such a popular seller at the Design Mart events that it is now available through Designboom’s online shop.

Design group Big-game designed a series of luxury jewels for young Swedish fashion brand +41 back in late 2006 and part of this amazing collection involved finding a way to make the Bic more luxurious. Big-game took the iconic lid from the Bic and gave it that luxury by creating a gold lid, which not only adds a lot of value, but also creates a great peeping tom of a jewel when displayed from a jacket pocket.

[Photo provided by author]