An essential overview as well as a theoretical critique for all students of design history. Walker studies the intellectual discipline of Design History and the issues that confront scholars writing histories of design. Taking his approach from a range of related fields, he discusses the problems of defining design and writing history. He considers the different methods that leading scholars have used in the absence of a theoretical framework, and looks critically at a number of histories of design and architecture.

A survey of spectacular breadth, covering the history of decorative arts and design worldwide over the past six hundred years

An exploration of the parallel development of product and graphic design from the 18th century to the 21st. The effects of mass production and consumption, man-made industrial materials and extended lines of communication are also discussed.

his anthology compiled from volumes 3-10 of Design Issues, includes material from areas seldom discussed in existing surveys and will facilitate the general discourse within the design community on a wide range of conceptual and methodological issues of contemporary design history. Design history has emerged in recent years as a significant field of scholarly research and critical reflection. With their interest in the conceptualization, production, and consumption of objects (large and small, unique or multiple, anonymous or signed) and environments (ephemeral or enduring, public or private), design historians investigate the multiple ways in which intentionally produced objects, environments, and experiences both shape and reflect their historical moments. This anthology compiled from volumes 3-10 of Design Issues, includes material from areas seldom discussed in existing surveys and will facilitate the general discourse within the design community on a wide range of conceptual and methodological issues of contemporary design history. Individual essays investigate various aspects of design in the modern era. They provide fresh insights on familiar figures such as Harley Earl and Norman Bel Geddes and shed new light on neglected aspects of design history such as the history of women in early American graphic design or the history of modern design in China. The essays are grouped in three broad categories: Graphic Design, Design in the American Corporate Milieu, and Design in the Context of National Experiences. Contributors David Brett, Bradford R. Collins, Dennis P. Doordan, David Gartman, Gyorgy Haiman, Larry D. Luchmansingh, Roland Marchand, Enric Satué, Mitchell Schwarzer, Paul Shaw, Svetlana Sylvestrova, Ellen Mazur Thomson, Matthew Turner, John Turpin, Shou Zhi Wang. A Design Issues Reader

Design, History and Time reflects on the nature of time in relation to design, in both past and contemporary contexts. In contrast to a traditional design historical approach which emphasises schools and movements, this volume addresses time as a continuum and considers the importance of temporality for design practice and history. Contributors address how designers, design historians and design thinkers might respond to the global challenges of time, the rhythms of work, and the increasing speed of life and communication between different communities. They consider how the past informs the present and the future in terms of design; the importance of time-based design practices such as rapid prototyping and slow design, time in relation to memory and forgetting, and artefacts such as the archive for which time is key, and ponder the design of time itself. Showcasing the work of fifteen design scholars from a range of international contexts, the book provides an essential text for thinking about changing attitudes to the temporal.

Dedicated to the history of design from the mid-19th century to the present, Design History Handbook provides guidelines for the development of design, offering an overarching vision of the subject and at the same time highlighting areas for future investigation. It is in the mid-19th century that we can discover the professional figure of the designer, thus marking the birth of modern and contemporary design. From there the figure of the designer unfolds and branches off, embracing many disciplines: in addition to the field of furniture--which often exemplifies the broadest lines of design--other sectors are considered here, from technical objects to graphics, from fashion to car design. In particular, attention is focused on the influence of the art world, with its array of avant-garde ideas that has gone hand-in-hand with original design. Along with the chronological story, Design History Handbook presents a diachronic approach in which, through in-depth graphics, the story of a single type, material or concept detaches from its historical place to create relationships with similar phenomena of other periods. The volume reproduces 300 color images, many with lavish captions elaborating on each story and leaving room for the reader's interpretation.

"Authored by pre-eminent design scholar Victor Margolin, World History of Design is an indispensable new multi-volume work, providing a comprehensive and detailed historical account of design from prehistory to the end of the twentieth century"--