Design Chronicles

Book excerpt: Here are the design stories of everyday material, "stuff," from cars to Dustbusters, phonographs to DVDs, that makes our lives easier, more exciting, and more comfortable through mass-production. Descriptive vignettes and over 400 illustrations of popular culture as it progressed through the 20th century. Each year is an illustrated double-page spread, showing how design evolved in a precise timeline. Learn fascinating stories behind familiar products, the men and women who invented or designed them, and how their designs came to life or, in some cases, failed. It is the story of how America rose to world leadership through its unique ability to bring household conveniences and technological benefits to all, at reasonable cost, thus raising the nation's standard of living. Major technological developments and new materials that made innovative designs possible are also identified. For the industrial designer or student of design, this is a fantastic history of the profession, illustrating connections to invention, architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and business. Written by a distinguished industrial designer, the book offers a unique year-by-year chronology, "what was happening when" in design, and names its movers and shakers.