Includes index.

Foreword / Jonathan Glancey -- Introduction -- The emergence of design 1700-1905 : Industrial Revolution ; Classical revival ; The concept of taste ; Design reform ; The Great Exhibition ; Bentwood and mass production ; Military innovations ; Morris and Co ; Designer as inventor ; Birth of brands ; Arts and Crafts ; The Japanese influence ; Aestheticism and decadence ; Art Nouveau ; Wiener Werkstätte -- The age of the machine 1905-45 : The production line ; Pioneers of modernism ; Revolutionary graphics ; Bauhaus ; The machine esthetic ; Less is more ; Modernist textiles ; Art Deco ; Labor-saving design ; Form follows function ; Plywood and laminated wood ; Taking pictures ; Early plastics ; The consultant designer ; Public service design ; The rise of motoring ; World at war ; On the home front -- Identity and conformity 1945-60 : Danish modern ; Scandinavian glass and ceramics ; The Hälsingborg Exhibition ; La Ricostruzione ; Brave new world ; The festival of Britain ; German rationalism and recovery ; Swiss neutrality and virtue ; US mid-century modern ; Post-war plastics ; Designing free time ; Post-war domestic design ; The personal luxury car ; Japan and quality control -- Design and the quality of life 1960-80 : Brand loyalty ; Disposable design ; Graphic signposts ; Plastic fantastic ; Space age ; Pop ; The modern consumer ; Back to the past ; The appliance of science ; Corporate identities ; Objects of desire ; Punk -- Contradiction and complexity 1980-95 : Postmodern ; Industrial chic ; Style bibles ; The virtual desktop ; Problem solving ; Minimalism ; Form follows fun ; Deconstructed typography ; Superstar designers ; Found objects and ready-mades -- The digital age 1995-present : The online revolution ; Technology on the move ; Developments in plastic ; Shock tactics ; New British decor ; Hands-on design ; Design with a conscience ; Sustainability ; Modern retro ; The public realm ; 3D printing -- Glossary.

This book takes a close look at the key developments, movements and practitioners of design around the world, from the beginnings of industrial manufacturing to the present day. Organized chronologically, it locates design within its technological, cultural, economic, aesthetic and theoretical contexts. From the high-minded moralists of the 19th century to the radical thinkers of modernism the book provides in-depth coverage of a subject that touches all our lives. Iconic works that mark significant steps forward or that characterize a particular era or approach - such as Marcel Breuer's Wassily chair of 1925, Eliot Noyes' corporate identity work for IBM in the 1950s and Matthew Carter's Verdana typeface, designed to be read on screen - are analysed in detail, while the text sets out the framework of ideas, intent and technology within which differing approaches to design have evolved. From the cars we drive and the products we buy to the graphics that surround us, we are all consumers of design.