In the first of a regular Creative Times series on contemporary design, Bill Green of Funnel Creative picks five of his favourite things.

1. Mercedes Benz SLS AMG
Mercedes have always created slightly feminine sports cars, and whilst not a Porsche 911 or Aston Martin, this car is masculine enough to sit very high on a list of the best sports cars ever produced.
www.slsamg.mercedes-benz.co.uk

Whilst not a Porsche 911 or Aston Martin, the new Mercedes Benz SLS could sit very high on a list of the best sports cars ever produced

2. Schleich animal figures
Educational toys that spark the imagination; Schleich’s figures are hand-painted, scale replicas with absolute detail. Incredible. The design and R&D that goes into them is self-evident.
www.schleich-s.com

3. Wohngeist sleds (and everything else they do)
Sleds, toolkits, parquet flooring and more from who else but Swiss design team Wohngeist. High quality, simple design, with a philosophy.
www.wohngeist.ch

4. Arts&Business lapel badge
This was given to me on being appointed Cultural Champion; wearing it gives me immense pride. I don’t think I can take it off. It means mentor, advocate, advisor and believer, all in one.
www.artsandbusiness.org.uk

5. Presbyterian Cross logo by Malcolm Grear Designers
What constitutes a good logo? Differentiation and authenticity is key, and the hard and complex work that goes into the total development of all three is sadly very underrated. I have many potential favourites but this beats them all. It’s all there, in several incredibly married parts.
www.mgrear.com

Bill Green is director of Funnel Creative and Cultural Champion for Arts & Business. www.funnelcreative.co.uk.
Follow Bill at twitter.com/billgrn

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