The Industrialization of Design

Industrial design is a fundamental component of the consumer experience. Almost every commercial product encountered in our day-to-day lives, from toasters to toothbrushes, has been designed with our taste, our desires and our lifestyles in mind. This book traces the history of industrial design, beginning with the eighteenth-century. It identifies the major figures, organizations, styles and events of the profession, looking particularly at the refinement of industrial design by twentieth-century European artists and the congruence of American design and industry during and immediately after the Great Depression.

Carroll Gantz is a professional industrial designer who holds several dozen patents. A long-time Black & Decker design director, and a Carnegie Mellon University professor, he is a past president of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). He lives on Seabrook Island in South Carolina.

Carroll Gantz
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 330
Bibliographic Info: 178 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4254-6
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Introduction      3

1. Pre–1800: Twin Revolutions      5
2. 1800–1850: The American System      31
3. 1850–1875: International Competition      51
4. 1875–1900: The “New” Decorative Art      73
5. 1900–1918: Architects Take the Lead      93
6. 1918–1927: Modern Design Takes Root      115
7. 1927–1936: American Modern Design      143
8. 1936–1945: Dreams of the Future and War      167
9. 1945–1950: Postwar Recovery and Consolidation      191
10. 1950–1965: Imports and Contradictions      212
11. 1965–1985: Challenges and Computers      231
12. 1985–2010: Global Design      252

Appendix I: Biographies      273
Appendix II: Past Presidents of Industrial Design Organizations      303
Chapter Notes      305
Bibliography      311
Index      313

• “Recommended”—Choice
• “Fascinating”—Reference & Research Book News
• Impressive…fascinating…Gantz has assembled an amazing collection of moments in a timeline tat explains and defines modern industrial design…a well-written history…. Destined to be a text for schools and a must have for design libraries everywhere…one great book to read and own”—Innovation.