Saab are an iconic brand. And it turns out their designs and designers are also connected in one way or another to the most famous icons of our time. So when it came to helping Saab with a presence at Grand Designs Live, one idea seemed obvious – ‘ Saab Iconnections’. It would explain how the most recognised icons of the last 100 years are all interlinked, and linked to Saab. This was one project we’d all get particularly passionate about.

For this ambitious idea to succeed, it would rely on research, and an all-consuming quest to find the best in 20th Century design. Using many original items, from very first UrSaab, the Swiss Army Knife, a Hasselblad used on the first Moon landing and even the Bic Biro, each link was an essential truth in Saab’s history which finished up with the latest Saab 9-3 BioPower.

In the spirit of never giving up, after hours of phone calls and research the team couldn’t get hold of the first Sony Portable TV – a crucial link – and so commissioned a working replica model to be ready for the show.

Special thanks also go to Buzz Aldrin and Experience Hendrix for allowing their iconic images to be displayed, and to Saab for faith in such an ambitious but fruitful idea.