Greatest Designer of Mid-Century and Now?  

my personal opinion
Eames - Bouroullec

It all comes back to talent
The side shell chairs, for example, are ubiquitous in the collective consciousness, but most time recall memories of highschool auditoriums. The popularity of the Eames is not a result of pretty baubles - it is their attention to comfort and their constant innovations of design.
Dont forget, the Eames were working in a time when the giant media monster wasnt around to TELL people what was good design... it had to be experienced. And as doubtful as some of my friends may be regarding my (slight) obsession with the Eames - they all agree that the comfort of the chairs is undeniable.
As for who is the greatest designer now - I have the personal pleasure of knowing Matthew Carter the typographer, and he would be my choice. In much the same way that the Eames designs have become universal and timeless, many of Carter's fonts have been assimilated because of their clarity and usability. It is estimated that 90% of Americans have seen or used a Carter font - many appear in Microsoft applications (NOT comic sans...ick) and several phonebooks are printed in fonts he has designed; they remail both printable and legible at very small point sizes.
http://www.graphic-design.com/Type/carter/

Carter fans
Next time you talk to Carter, please assure him that he has a couple of adoring fans in Pittsburgh.

Jens Risom
Probably not the flashiest choice, but he did more for the process than anyone else. If you use the criteria that a thing must have beauty and purpose, with respect for the world; that a thing must be thought out to survive temporary use; temporary trend; temporary one-off thinking; then Risom is most responsible. He cared about the process as much as getting his design into the public. Just one conversation I had with him, but it was enlightening. He said that not only was he involved in the materials decisions, the manufacturing process and all the other quality issues with design production. But he also was a fierce advocate of honest marketing, distribution and sales. The way it was sold and the vernacular in which it was introduced mattered as much to him as the thing itself.
I think these qualities are true of the era designers (mostly the Danish ones)whose work is still desireable today. Today's designers could learn a lot from him, were they not so intolerant of mild frustrations. Much of his enduring designs have a sense of respect for space that goes unnoticed. His small seeming desks and other surfaces are actually just enough to still be beautiful without waste or compromise of doing the job.

can
can someone tell me what the bourroullec brothers designed that was mass made and a success? if i hear ron arad; i see the bookworm / if i hear stark i see ... lots of stuff. but those frenchmen? some 'installations' or do i live on another planet?
btw i vote for ross lovegrove

I never think that to be a...
I never think that to be a great designer you have to have mass-produced successes. These brothers have designed expensive, high-end seating products for Ligne Roset and Capellini that are, IMO, some of the best in the world. Just because their products aren't in Target or made by Umbra doesn't mean that aren't great designers.

I agree
If a tree falls in the forest does it make a sound if no one heard it?
It doesn't matter to me that they are not a household name like other designers. Pop culture is a fun yardstick to use but it isn't the only one. What I like in the bouroullec's design is their "footprints." Like the Eameses their designs are connected by what seems to be a very honest and intentional design philosophy. What is amazing about them is not a single chair, installation, or design. Rather it is about the catalog of work and how they work together.
http://www.bouroullec.com

Antonio Citterio - surely ? !
Antonio Citerrio is the greatest designer now.
No one has designed contempoary Furniture that has had such an impact on the public as Citterio since the Eames' legacy.
His projects span three continents. And who in the world is unfamiliar with his products--varied and numerous enough to constitute their own mini Salone Internazionale del Mobile?
True to the training of an Italian architect, Citterio does it all: buildings, interiors, furnishings, and industrial products.
All of his designs for B&B Italia - The Apta range, Harry, Charles, George and Arne sofas are already "classics".
His work for Maxalto, Arclinea Kitchens,Vitra, Flos, Kartell and Hansgohe all bear the hallmarks of his uncompromising attitude towards design with integrity.
Antonio Citterio's Sofa designs have stood the test of time amid families, the corporate world and the Design world. His move into the Bathroom and Kitchen area's of design gives people the opportunity to have their homes completed with the best.
And to cap it all he won not one BUT two awards in this year´s red dot award for product design.
Antonio Citterio IS best of the best.

Citterio
is a very fine designer in the "classic" tradition...

Douglas Ball
I am a big big fan of Citterio, but I just learned about Douglas Ball in the latest issue of Metropolis and I must say I was VERY impressed. His new office cubicle design "My Studio" for HMiller is really well conceived. If I'd had one of those to work in I might not have burned out so badly on corporate America!

i don't
i don't know if whitespike and guyinsf are designers but what is the easiest thing to do you think, to design an expensive high end product or a relatively cheap one, that has to be loved by thousands (otherwise they won't buy it) If you are just making conceptual work; aren't you more an artist then a designer? So i ask again why are the bouroulecs great designers. or are they artists?

Citterio's residential architecture is virtuosic...
but his commercial buildings and furniture design do not seem to break new ground to this layman's eye.
Who is best?
Loewy.
Eames.
Mies.
Then a significant gap.
Then many others who's names I do not know that have actually designed alot of great every day things.

Lamborghinis
are very well designed - but not made to be accessible. Low cost doesnt need to be a feature of good design. BUT, I will say I believe it is far more challenging to design something within limitations.
It seems easier to reach good design with enough money thrown at you. I kind of admire Ikea for being willing to have design as a part of their product (not saying its great - just pointing out its presence).

To Answer Your Question gerrit.be
If you asked the Bourroulec brothers themselves, they will probably say that they are both artists and designers. When I said that they designed "expensive" seating products for Ligne Rosset, I was merely stating one particular aspect of their work that they do which I like, I didn't mean that that's ALL they do. If Ligne Roset came to them and asked them to design a chair and that company is known for expensive prices, that isn't the Bourrellecs' fault. Just because they haven't produced anything low cost that's loved by everyone doesn't mean they are not capable to do that, they are still quite young compared to many successful designers out there, remember that. If your definition of a great designer is still one that has produced something that is cheap and recognized around the world, than we're only talking about 5-6 great designers in the world, aren't we? I disagree and say that there are more great designers in this world than 5 or 6.
If I may bring up an analogy of this that's related to pop music than you will understand my point. According to you Gerrit.be and the other person when initially questioned how good a designer is if he/she hasn't designed anything cheap and mass produced, Britney Spears would be considered a GREAT artist, because some of her songs are loved by millions around the world and she's a household name but someone like YoYo Ma, who hasn't sold a fraction of what Britney has sold isn't considered a great artist because he's not as famous and his CDs haven't reached as many people. See what I mean?