PRODUCT ICONS: The Polaroid 600 Series

       Name a more iconic, functionally designed object than a Polaroid instant film camera.

        There have been countless models of instant cameras over the years, with nearly all of them being instantly recognizable as Polaroid. And these days where a large number of people are choosing to shop vintage both aesthetically and functionally, buying film cameras, record players, Walkmans etc. It’s becoming increasingly relevant just how iconic Polaroid-branded film cameras really are.

       Before the release of the Polaroid 600 in the 1970s, the instant camera market was dominated primarily by Polaroid with some short-lived Kodak instant camera models in competition. Instant cameras had been out on the market since 1948 when Edwin Land invented the model 95. And there had been massive developments between them and the early '70s.

       Polaroid’s flagship camera at the time was the SX-70, this was a very powerful camera with autofocus and high quality images. There was also the Polaroid OneShot which those more similar in design to the 600 series featured a lot of the same setbacks that the SX-70 did. Both of these models were very popular but had yet to dominate the global market due to the barrier of skill needed to get the highest quality photos from it. This skill gap, Land realized, was actually a market gap, and the development on the 600 Series was designed to close it.

       There were several glaring issues with the SX-70 that those strengths in some respects were prohibiting it from being as user-friendly and widespread as it could be. Some of these include externally mounted flashes, low sensitivity film leading to potentially blurry photos, and strong sturdy but expensive exterior materials. The 600 series was nearly a complete redesign from this model. That featured a built-in folding flash that when not in use folded down and covered the lens and sensitive areas of the face of the camera. The case was durable lightweight plastic that could be carried around more easily + survive more impacts. It also used a new type of film that was a lot more sensitive to light allowing for quicker exposure times and less blurry handheld photos. The benefit of having more sensitive film also meant that it was better at shooting in low light and that coupled with the large built-in flash and the exposure slider allowed for incredible versatility on the fly.

       All these factors led to a more boxy, rigid, portable and robust design featuring a flat face rounded exterior and folding up into quite a compact though definitely not profitable size. The reason it's one of the most popular and iconic looking cameras to date is because all of these features were a massive success and is why the series 600 camera is the most successful and most widespread camera that Polaroid has ever produced. Though technically for professional photography, the SX-70 would be a better camera. What makes something iconic and instantly recognizable isn't how good it is at a specific job. But how well it can find mass appeal and spread across a market.

       Instant cameras would never have happened without the man who invented them, Edwin Land had a vision as well as the technical and creative ability to pull it off. He wanted to drastically reduce the amount of time between taking a photo and seeing the photo in your hand. This drove him to design, to develop and patent many many designs for instant cameras over the years. He oversaw and spearheaded the development of nearly every model of Polaroid camera between the 1950s and the 1990s.

Note from the Author:

       I was recently lucky enough to find an old Polaroid Spirit 600 at a thrift shop, and with a bit of work (3D scanning, printing and messily gluing) I was able to repair the broken parts and get it functional again. It’s always been a dream of mine to own one of these iconic pieces of design history, and I enjoy it so much that I couldn't help but share a little bit about why it's so iconic.

       To pay homage to that, I created this infographic poster using a combination of physical mediums like alcohol-based markers, ballpoint pens, and acrylic gouache, along with digital elements and editing. I hope you enjoy looking through all the details as much as I enjoyed putting them on the page.

Made by human hands on a keyboard

A limited run of poster prints is available for purchase.